Helium blast-wave measurements of laser-heated microshell targets

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Abstract
Measurements of blast waves produced by laser heating of spherical glass‐shell targets in an atmosphere of 20 Torr helium are described. These measurements made use of a streak camera, monitoring the self‐luminosity of the strong shock, a blast probe detecting the ionization behind the shock front, and a piezoelectric pressure probe recording the pressure pulse of the shock. The time history of the blast wave is used to determine the kinetic energy of target dissembly via a simple model which is applicable in both the strong‐shock and acoustic regions. These measurements show that the inferred blast‐wave energy increases for larger radius–time‐shock coordinates. This anomalous effect is ascribed to ’’fast’’ ion preheating of the ambient helium gas in front of the shock wave.

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