Thomson scattering from dense inhomogeneous plasmas.

X-ray Thomson scattering experiments in the soft and hard x-ray regime yield information on fundamental parameters of high-density systems. Pump-probe experiments with variable time delay provide insight into the excitation and relaxation dynamics in dense plasmas. On short time scales, a local thermodynamic equilibrium description might not be sufficient. Besides nonequilibrium effects on the electron distribution function, spatial inhomogeneities influence the scattering signal. Generalizing previous approaches of Belyi [Phys. Rev. E 97, 053204 (2018)2470-004510.1103/PhysRevE.97.053204] and Kozlowski et al. [Sci. Rep. 6, 24283 (2016)2045-232210.1038/srep24283], we discuss implications for Thomson scattering spectra for inhomogeneous plasmas in the warm dense matter regime based on a gradient expansion within real-time Green's-functions theory. Especially in the collective scattering regime, Thomson scattering spectra are modifed substantially by spatial inhomogeneities. Within a first-order gradient expansion, the dispersion relation for plasmons is determined. In particular, the ratio of the heights of the plasmon peaks is changed which prevents a simple estimation of the plasma temperature from the detailed balance relation.

Energy relaxation in dense, strongly coupled two-temperature plasmas.

A quantum kinetic approach for the energy relaxation in strongly coupled plasmas with different electron and ion temperatures is presented. Based on the density operator formalism, we derive a balance equation for the energies of electrons and ions connecting kinetic, correlation, and exchange energies with a quite general expression for the electron-ion energy-transfer rate. The latter is given in terms of the correlation function of density fluctuations which allows for a derivation of increasingly realistic approximation schemes including a coupled-mode expression. The equilibration of the contributions of the total energy including the species temperatures in dense hydrogen and beryllium relevant for inertial confinement fusion is investigated as an example.

Observation of ultrafast nonequilibrium collective dynamics in warm dense hydrogen.

We investigate ultrafast (fs) electron dynamics in a liquid hydrogen sample, isochorically and volumetrically heated to a moderately coupled plasma state. Thomson scattering measurements using 91.8 eV photons from the free-electron laser in Hamburg (FLASH at DESY) show that the hydrogen plasma has been driven to a nonthermal state with an electron temperature of 13 eV and an ion temperature below 0.1 eV, while the free-electron density is 2.8x10{20} cm{-3}. For dense plasmas, our experimental data strongly support a nonequilibrium kinetics model that uses impact ionization cross sections based on classical free-electron collisions.

Thomson scattering on inhomogeneous targets.

The introduction of brilliant free-electron lasers enables new pump-probe experiments to characterize warm dense matter states. For instance, a short-pulse optical laser irradiates a liquid hydrogen jet that is subsequently probed with brilliant soft x-ray radiation. The strongly inhomogeneous plasma prepared by the optical laser is characterized with particle-in-cell simulations. The interaction of the soft x-ray probe radiation for different time delays between pump and probe with the inhomogeneous plasma is also taken into account via radiative hydrodynamic simulations. We calculate the respective scattering spectrum based on the Born-Mermin approximation for the dynamic structure factor considering the full density and temperature-dependent Thomson scattering cross section throughout the target. We can identify plasmon modes that are generated in different target regions and monitor their temporal evolution. Therefore, such pump-probe experiments are promising tools not only to measure the important plasma parameters density and temperature but also to gain valuable information about their time-dependent profile through the target. The method described here can be applied to various pump-probe scenarios by combining optical lasers and soft x ray, as well as x-ray sources.

Collisional absorption in aluminum.

The interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with matter is a topic of growing interest. In particular, recent developments on free-electron lasers have opened an unexplored field in which many interesting physical phenomena are to be expected. Since hydrodynamic descriptions of the interaction process need a microscopic "input," a quantum statistical theory of energy absorption by matter is required. We present a kinetic theory of collisional absorption in dense plasmas and analyze the electron-ion collision frequency in warm dense aluminum in dependence on laser frequency and temperature.

Stopping power of nonideal, partially ionized plasmas.

The stopping power of strongly coupled, partially ionized plasmas is investigated for charged beam particles with arbitrary velocities. Our approach is based on kinetic equations of the Boltzmann type that are suitably generalized to describe three-particle collisions. In this way, we consider elastic collisions between the beam and free plasma particles as well as the ionization and excitation of composite plasma particles by beam particle impact. Explicit expressions for both contributions are given in terms of the momentum transfer cross section that has been generalized for three-particle collisions. For fast beam particles, we obtain a generalized Bethe formula that includes correction terms due to the nonideality of the target plasma. Results are shown for hydrogen, carbon, and argon plasmas. Considerable modifications compared to the ideal behavior arise for strongly coupled plasmas. In particular, we are able to describe the Mott transition in the stopping power of dense, partially ionized plasmas.