Vol. 30, Issue 1, pp. 83-92 (2000)

Abstract

The results of experimental investigation of the interaction of picosecond light pulses with a Cu target at light intensities up to 3.10¹⁶ W/cm² are presented and discussed. The experiment was performed with the use of a terawatt chirped-pulse-amplification Nd:glass laser and the apparatus for corpuscular (ion collectors, electrostatic ion energy analyser) and X-ray (p-i-n Si photodiode) diagnostics of laser-produced plasma. The charge spectra of ions emitted from a picosecond plasma as well as the energy-dependent (or intensity-dependent) characteristics of ion emission and soft X-ray yield are determined. The electron temperature and the average charge state of the plasma are evaluated as a function of light intensity.