Investigation of femtosecond collisional ionization rates in a solid-density aluminium plasma

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7397
• Publication Date: 2015-03-03T10:46:10Z
• Authors: S. M. Vinko; O. Ciricosta; T. R. Preston; D. S. Rackstraw; C.R.D. Brown; T. Burian; J. Chalupský; B. I. Cho; H.-K. Chung; K. Engelhorn; R. W. Falcone; R. Fiokovinini; V. Hájková; P. A. Heimann; L. Juha; H. J. Lee; R. W. Lee; M. Messerschmidt; B. Nagler; W. Schlotter; J. J. Turner; L. Vysin; U. Zastrau; J. S. Wark
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences

The rate at which atoms and ions within a plasma are further ionized by collisions with the free electrons is fundamental parameter that dictates dynamics of systems intermediate high densities. While collision rates well known experimentally in few dilute systems, similar measurements for nonideal plasmas densities approaching or exceeding those solids remain elusive. Here we describe spectroscopic method to study solid-density aluminium created diagnosed using Linac Coherent light Source free-electron X-ray laser, tuned specific interaction pathways around absorption edges ionic charge states. We estimate collisional ionization temperatures ~30 eV be several times higher than predicted standard semiempirical models. can ionize when two collide. Vinko et al. now this ultrafast process an unconventional density solid, show theoretical