Abstract

High-gain laser-driven intertial confinement fusion requires that the target be driven to high densities while maintaining a high degree of symmetry. The need to measure, with minimal velocity blurring, both the symmetry of the imploding shell and the size and shape of the compressed core has driven the continuing development of gated x-ray detectors with framing times in the tens of picoseconds range. X-ray framing cameras based on the electrical gating of proximity-focused microchannel plate (MCP) devices are now routinely in use at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics and at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and have been in use for several years to produce up to 14 channels of 100 ps gated x-ray images for laser plasma research. This gate width of x-rays is readily produced from 200 ps electrical pulsing of the microchannel plates, because the non-linearity of gain vs voltage reduces the x-ray gate width. To achieve faster gating thinner microchannel plates with a reduction in the electron transit time have been used.

© 1992 Optical Society of America