Development of a Buried Layer Platform at the OMEGA Laser to Study Open L-Shell Spectra from Coronal (non-LTE) Plasmas*

A buried layer platform is being developed at the OMEGA laser to study the open L-shell spectra of coronal (non-­‐LTE) plasmas (ne $\sim$ few 10$^{21 }$/cm$^3$, Te $\sim$0.8 –- 1.2 keV) of mid Z materials. Studies have been done using a 250 $\mu$m diameter dot composed of a layer of 1200 Å thick Zn between two 600 Å thick layers of Ti, in the center of a 1000 $\mu$m diameter, 13 $\mu$m thick beryllium tamper. Lasers heat the target from both sides for up to 3 ns. The size of the microdot vs time was measured with x-­‐ray imaging (face-­‐on and side--on). The radiant x-­‐ray power was measured with a low-­‐resolution absolutely calibrated x-­‐ray spectrometer (DANTE). The temperature was measured from the Ti helium-­‐beta complex. The use of this platform for the verification of atomic models is discussed.