Axial laser heating of small-diameter theta-pinch plasmas

Abstract
Small 5‐mm‐diam high‐density 3×1017 cm−3 ϑ‐pinch plasma columns 1‐m long have been heated by intense long‐wavelength laser radiation (10 μ) along their entire length. Refractive beam trapping has been achieved when laser heating begins during or before the ϑ‐pinch implosion. Plasma temperatures have been increased from under 2 eV to maximum values of between 30 and 90 eV, in agreement with a MHD laser heating code.