X-ray Diagnostics

Hot, dense matter produced by intense laser interaction with a solid target often produces x-rays with energies from 100 eV to those exceeding 100 keV. A suite of diagnostics and methods have been deployed at Trident to diagnose the x-ray emission from laser-matter interaction experiments, or to use the x-rays as a probe of dense matter. These include time-resolved detectors such as streak cameras and gated imagers (< 50 ps), and time-integrated detectors such as film, CCD cameras, and image plates. A variety of crystal and grating spectrometers are available for spectral analysis, in addition to pinhole cameras and microscopes. A ten-inch-manipulator (TIM) is available for diagnostic insertion in the North Target Area, and is compatible with NIF and Omega TIM-based diagnostics. In addition, novel methods such as transient x-ray diffraction, and x-ray phase contrast imaging have been deployed at Trident. To accommodate film and image plate detectors, full darkroom services are available at Trident including film developing and scanning, and image plate scanning.