Measurement of Plasma Conditions at Shock Collapse on OMEGA*

A platform on the OMEGA laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics is used to measure the plasma conditions at shock collapse in a solid deuterated plastic (CD) ball. A single spherically symmetric shock is driven using the OMEGA laser while observing the self-emission from the collapse. The observations are used to deduce temperatures and densities that are predicted to be of the order of 10^7 K and several ten’s of g/cc, respectively, by simulations. The primary observations include temporally, spatially, and spectrally resolved x-ray self-emission measurements and measurements of the D–D fusion neutrons. These measurements are used in conjunction to understand the conditions in the dense fusing plasma created around the time of shock collapse.