Abstract

Holographic polaro-interferometry represents a flexible tool for studying density and magnetic fields in an ICF plasma. The polarization and the changes in beam phase are recorded in a single hologram. By using the polarization information, the magnetic field (i.e., the Faraday rotation) of the plasma can be determined, while the density profile can be inferred from the change in beam phase. The experimental setup uses a Mach-Zender arrangement to form the hologram/interferogram. A single beam is passed through the plasma. This beam is split when entering the Mach-Zender arrangement. The reference beam will be passed through a spatial filter to erase phase information generated from the passage through the plasma. Polarized reference beams are generated after the reference beam is split and then passed through a polarizer. This diagnostic is being developed for application to ICF plasmas. It will be tested on a long-scale-length plasma generated by an exploding wire. Holographic polaro-interferograms will be presented.

© 1992 Optical Society of America