Analysis and development of a NIF-ARC backlighter for high-resolution >40 keV x-ray radiography *

We present on the analysis of x-ray backlighter data using a multi-component test object to reconstruct the spatial and spectral profiles. The Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC)  short pulse laser at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) irradiated a 5μm-thin dysprosium foil in an edge-on line-projection radiography orientation that produced a hard x-ray source with high resolution in one dimension. Analysis using forward fitting and genetic algorithms are used to provide understanding of the spectral content, including line emission, while Monte Carlo simulations provide an estimate of the spatially dependent changes in backlighter characteristics. This ARC platform has superior spatial and temporal resolution compared to an existing long-pulse-driven backlighter and is being evaluated for use on indirectly and directly driven dynamic strength experiments at the NIF.