Publications

2013

• 40th European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics
  
  • Naulin Volker
  • Jacquemot Sylvie
  Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2013, 55 (12), pp.120301. (10.1088/0741-3335/55/12/120301)
  DOI : 10.1088/0741-3335/55/12/120301
• Compact and robust cross polarized wave generation source for seeding petawatt-class laser systems (orale)
  
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios
  • Hanna Marc
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Friebel Florence
  • Georges Patrick
  • Druon Frédéric
  , 2013.
• 57-mJ 20 Hz multipass laser amplifier based on Yb:CaF2 crystals (poster)
  
  • Friebel Florence
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios N.
  • Camy Patrice
  • Doualan Jean-Louis
  • Moncorge Richard
  • Georges Patrick
  • Druon Frédéric
  , 2013.
• The Apollon-10P project: Design and current status
  
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios
  • Leblanc Catherine
  • Chériaux Gilles
  • Georges Patrick
  • Zou J-P
  • Mennerat Gabriel
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Giambruno Fabio
  • Freneaux Antoine
  • Leconte F
  • Badarau D
  • Boudenne J.-M.
  • Audebert P.
  • Fournet D.
  • Valloton T
  • Greverie C.
  • Paillard Jean-Luc
  • Veray J. L.
  • Pina M.
  • Monot P.
  • Martin P.
  • Mathieu F.
  • Chambaret Jean Paul
  • Amiranoff François
  , 2013. The principal objective of Apollon-10P project is the generation of 10 PW peak power pulses of 15 fs duration at 1 shot/minute. The technological challenges and the current status of the Apollon laser system are discussed in detail. (10.1364/ASSL.2013.ATu3A.43)
  DOI : 10.1364/ASSL.2013.ATu3A.43
• Progress on the Apollon-10PW laser facility (orale)
  
  • Leblanc Catherine
  • Cheriaux Gilles
  • Georges Patrick
  • Zou J-P
  • Mennerat Gabriel
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Giambruno Fabio
  • Freneaux Antoine
  • Leconte F
  • Badarau D
  • Boudenne J. M
  • Audebert P.
  • Fournet D.
  • Valloton T
  • Paillard Jean-Luc
  • Veray J. L.
  • Pina M.
  • Monot P.
  • Martin P.
  • Mathieu F.
  • Chambaret Jean Paul
  • Amiranoff François
  , 2013.
• Radiative properties of stellar envelopes: Comparison of asteroseismic results to opacity calculations and measurements for iron and nickel
  
  • Turck-Chièze S.
  • Gilles D.
  • Le Pennec M.
  • Blenski T.
  • Thais F.
  • Bastiani-Ceccotti S.
  • Blancard C.
  • Busquet M.
  • Caillaud T.
  • Colgan J.
  • Cossé P.
  • Delahaye F.
  • Ducreta J.E.
  • Faussurier G.
  • Fontes C.J.
  • Gilleron F.
  • Guzik J.
  • Harris J.W.
  • Kilcrease D.P.
  • Loisel G.
  • Magee N.H.
  • Pain J.C.
  • Reverdin C.
  • Silvert V.
  • Villette B.
  • Zeippen C.J.
  High Energy Density Physics, Elsevier, 2013, 9 (3), pp.473-479. The international OPAC consortium consists of astrophysicists, plasma physicists and experimentalists who examine opacity calculations used in stellar physics that appear questionable and perform new calculations and laser experiments to understand the differences and improve the calculations. We report on iron and nickel opacities for envelopes of stars from 2 to and deliver our first conclusions concerning the reliability of the used calculations by illustrating the importance of the configuration interaction and of the completeness of the calculations for temperatures around 15–27 eV. (10.1016/j.hedp.2013.04.004)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.hedp.2013.04.004
• Simulations of laser imprint reduction using underdense foams and its consequences on the hydrodynamic instability growth
  
  • Olazabal-Loumé M
  • Nicolaï Ph
  • Riazuelo G
  • Grech M
  • Breil J
  • Fujioka S
  • Sunahara A
  • Borisenko N
  • Tikhonchuk V T
  New Journal of Physics, Institute of Physics: Open Access Journals, 2013, 15, pp.085033. The mechanisms of laser imprint reduction on a surface of a planar foil performed using an underdense foam are presented. The consequences on the Rayleigh–Taylor instability growth at the ablation front when the foil is accelerated are studied. The analysis is based on numerical simulations using a chain of codes: the electromagnetic paraxial code Parax provides the modifications of the intensity perturbation spectrum while the laser beam is crossing the foam. Two-dimensional axially symmetric simulations with the radiation hydrodynamic code CHIC describe the foam expansion and the foil dynamics. Finally, the perturbed flow calculations and the instability growth are investigated with the two-dimensional CHIC version in the planar geometry by using the initial and smoothed perturbation spectra. The dominant role of temporal laser smoothing during the time of foam crossing by the laser beam is demonstrated. Applications to the direct drive targets for inertial confinement fusion are discussed. (10.1088/1367-2630/15/8/085033)
  DOI : 10.1088/1367-2630/15/8/085033
• Etude expérimentale du pouvoir d'arrêt des ions dans la matière tiède et dense: mesure de la distribution des états de charges d'un faisceau d'ions émergeant de la matière tiède et dense
  
  • Gauthier Maxence
  , 2013. La détermination du ralentissement des ions (ou pouvoir d'arrêt) dans la matière tiède et dense est un enjeu fondamental notamment dans le cadre de la fusion par confinement inertiel. Au cours de mon travail de thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à la modification de l'état de charge d'un faisceau d'ions après sa traversée dans la matière tiède et dense, cette quantité jouant un rôle important dans le calcul du pouvoir d'arrêt. Nous avons tiré partie des propriétés bien connues des faisceaux d'ions générés par laser intense à impulsion courte pour étudier au cours de deux expériences réalisée sur les installations ELFIE et TITAN l'évolution de l'état de charge d'un faisceau d'ions carbones et hélium après traversée d'une cible d'aluminium chauffée de manière isochore par un faisceau de protons énergétique. Les deux premiers chapitres présentent les enjeux du sujet à la fois d'un point de vu théorique et expérimental - y sont présentés les différents outils de simulations utilisés au cours de l'étude. Le troisième chapitre est consacré à l'étude des propriétés des faisceaux d'ions générés par lasers dans l'optique de nos expériences pour étudier le pouvoir d'arrêt. Nous avons notamment étudiés au cours de deux expériences les faisceaux d'ions produits en utilisant des cibles à densité inférieur à celle du solide. Dans le dernier chapitre sont présentées les montages et résultats des deux expériences sur l'état de charge d'un faisceau d'ions après sa traversée dans la matière tiède et dense. Les données dans la matière froide obtenues au cours de nos expériences sont confrontées avec succès aux résultats antérieurs recueillis sur des accélérateurs conventionnels.
• 57-mJ 20-Hz multipass laser amplifier based on Yb:CaF 2 crystals (orale)
  
  • Friebel Florence
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios
  • Camy Patrice
  • Doualan Jean-Louis
  • Moncorge Richard
  • Georges Patrick
  • Druon Frédéric
  , 2013. We are presenting a 57 mJ multipass amplifier based on Yb:CaF 2 operating at 20 Hz. Special attention has been given to the thermal measurement and management in order to push it to the 100 Hz regime.
• Projet Apollon-10P: conception et état d'avancement (orale)
  
  • Zou J-P
  • Georges Patrick
  • Cheriaux Gilles
  • Leblanc Catherine
  • Mennerat Gabriel
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios N.
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Giambruno Fabio
  • Freneaux Antoine
  • Leconte F
  • Badarau D
  • Boudenne J.-M.
  • Audebert P.
  • Fournet D.
  • Valloton T
  • Paillard Jean-Luc
  • Veray J. L.
  • Pina M
  • Monot P.
  • Martin P
  • Mathieu François
  • Chambaret Jean Paul
  • Amiranoff François
  , 2013.
• Ultra-broadband front-end laser development for the Apollon 10PW laser (orale)
  
  • Georges Patrick
  • Papadopoulos Dimitris N.
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Friebel Florence
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Druon Frédéric
  , 2013.
• Laser plasma acceleration of electrons with multi-PW laser beams in the frame of CILEX
  
  • Cros B.
  • Paradkar B.S.
  • Davoine X.
  • Chancé A.
  • Desforges F.G.
  • Dobosz-Dufrénoy S.
  • Delerue N.
  • Ju J.
  • Audet T.L.
  • Maynard G.
  • Lobet M.
  • Gremillet L.
  • Mora P.
  • Schwindling J.
  • Delferrière O.
  • Bruni C.
  • Rimbault Cécile
  • Vinatier T.
  • Di Piazza A.
  • Grech M.
  • Riconda C.
  • Marquès J.R.
  • Beck A.
  • Specka A.
  • Martin Ph.
  • Monot P.
  • Normand D.
  • Mathieu Fabrice
  • Audebert P.
  • Amiranoff François
  Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Elsevier, 2014, 740, pp.27-33. Laser plasma acceleration of electrons has progressed along with advances in laser technology. It is thus expected that the development in the near-future of multi-PW-class laser and facilities will enable a vast range of scientific opportunities for laser plasma acceleration research. On one hand, high peak powers can be used to explore the extremely high intensity regime of laser wakefield acceleration, producing for example large amounts of electrons in the GeV range or generating high energy photons. On the other hand, the available laser energy can be used in the quasi-linear regime to create accelerating fields in large volumes of plasma and study controlled acceleration in a plasma stage of externally injected relativistic particles, either electrons or positrons. In the frame of the Centre Interdisciplinaire de la Lumière EXtrême (CILEX), the Apollon-10P laser will deliver two beams at the 1 PW and 10 PW levels, in ultra-short (View the MathML source) pulses, to a target area dedicated to electron acceleration studies, such as the exploration of the non-linear regimes predicted theoretically, or multi-stage laser plasma acceleration. (10.1016/j.nima.2013.10.090)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.nima.2013.10.090
• High energy and broadband Yb:CaF2 multipass amplifier using passive coherent combining (orale)
  
  • Friebel Florence
  • Ricaud Sandrine
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Hanna Marc
  • Mottay Eric
  • Camy Patrice
  • Doualan Jean-Louis
  • Moncorgé Richard
  • Georges Patrick
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Papadopoulos Dimitris N.
  , 2013.
• Etude expérimentale et théorique de la structure électronique de l'aluminium en conditions extrêmes par spectroscopie d'absorption X
  
  • Festa Floriane
  , 2013. La matière en conditions extrêmes appartient au régime de la Warm Dense Matter qui se situe à la frontière entre le régime plasma dense et le régime de la matière condensée. Son comportement est encore mal connu et mal décrit. En effet, sa description théorique est très complexe et il est difficile de générer cet état de matière en laboratoire pour obtenir des données expérimentales pouvant valider les modèles. Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif d'étudier la structure électronique de l'aluminium en conditions extrêmes par le diagnostic de la spectroscopie d'absorption X. Expérimentalement l'aluminium a été porté dans des conditions de fortes densités et fortes températures jusque-là inexplorées. Par ailleurs, une source X capable de sonder l'aluminium sous choc a été générée. Deux spectromètres X ont permis l'acquisition des spectres d'absorption de l'aluminium dans ces conditions et des diagnostics optiques ont permis de déduire les conditions de densité et de température de l'aluminium de façon indépendante. En parallèle, des calculs ab initio ont été réalisés pour obtenir des spectres d'absorption dans les mêmes conditions afin de les comparer aux spectres expérimentaux. Du point de vue théorique, l'objectif était de valider les méthodes de calcul des spectres d'absorption X dans ce régime de fortes densités et fortes températures en analysant les modifications du flanc d'absorption. Le diagnostic de l'absorption X a également été utilisé pour étudier le phénomène physique de la transition métal-non métal qui a lieu à basse densité (densité < densité du solide). Cette transition peut alors être étudiée par les changements de la structure électronique du système étudié.
• Interference effects and Stark broadening in XUV intrashell transitions in aluminum under conditions of intense XUV free-electron-laser irradiation
  
  • Galtier Eric
  • Rosmej Frank
  • Calisti Annette
  • Talin Bernard
  • Mossé Caroline
  • Ferri Sandrine
  • Lisitsa Valery
  Physical Review A : Atomic, molecular, and optical physics [1990-2015], American Physical Society, 2013, 87, pp.033424. Quantum mechanical interference effects in the line broadening of intrashell transitions are investigated for dense plasma conditions. Simulations that involved LS J -split level structure and intermediate coupling discovered unexpected strong line narrowing for intrashell transitions L-L while M-L transitions remained practically unaffected by interference effects. This behavior allows a robust study of line narrowing in dense plasmas. Simulations are carried out for XUV transitions of aluminum that have recently been observed in experiments with the FLASH free-electron laser in Hamburg irradiating solid aluminum samples with intensities greater than 10^16 W/cm^2 . We explore the advantageous case of Al that allows, first, simultaneous observation of M-L transitions and L-L intrashell transitions with high-resolution grating spectrometers and, second, has a convenient threshold to study interference effects at densities much below solid. Finally, we present simulations at near solid density where the line emission transforms into a quasi-continuum. (10.1103/PhysRevA.87.033424)
  DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevA.87.033424
• Yb:YAG Laser Crystals with Controlled Doping Distribution
  
  • Arzakantsyan Mikayel
  , 2013. Development of high average-power solid state lasers rises up issues never faced before by other laser systems. Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) and Thermal management as well as availability of large size high quality gain media are becoming key limiting factors for further energy increase. Lucia is a high average-power laser chains relying on active mirror concept and trivalent Yb doped YAG crystals/ceramics (Yb:YAG) as a gain medium. As for other similar laser systems, Lucia gain media carries a constant distribution of activator ions. Variable doping distribution offers significant advantages in terms of gain distribution and therefore opens the path to efficient ASE and thermal deleterious effects mitigation. Processing of such gain media is the subject of this thesis. Thanks to several particularities, the Bagdasarov method for crystal growth allowed to obtain several Yb:YAG crystals with controlled gradient of doping distribution with values up to 3 at%/cm. The results are in good accordance with mathematical models. Further simulations of temperature and gain distribution show that even smaller gradients can improve energetic characteristics of Lucia amplifiers up to 30% as well as allow using thinner gain medium by this improving heat evacuation. Large laser Yb:YAG crystals are obtained with diameters up to 90 mm.
• Coherent combination of ultrafast fiber amplifiers (orale)
  
  • Hanna Marc
  • Daniault Louis
  • Zaouter Y.
  • Papadopoulos Dimitrios
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Georges Patrick
  , 2013.
• Modeling HEDLA magnetic field generation experiments on laser facilities
  
  • Fatenejad M.
  • Bell A.R.
  • Benuzzi-Mounaix A.
  • Crowston R.
  • Drake R.P.
  • Flocke N.
  • Gregori G.
  • Koenig M.
  • Krauland C.
  • Lamb D.
  • Lee D.
  • Marques J.R.
  • Meinecke J.
  • Miniati F.
  • Murphy C.D.
  • Park H.-S.
  • Pelka A.
  • Ravasio A.
  • Remington B.
  • Reville B.
  • Scopatz A.
  • Tzeferacos P.
  • Weide K.
  • Woolsey N.
  • Young R.
  • Yurchak Roman
  High Energy Density Physics, Elsevier, 2013, 9 (1), pp.172-177. (10.1016/j.hedp.2012.11.002)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.hedp.2012.11.002
• Pure and Yb3+ doped fluorites (Ca,Sr,Ba)F2: A renewal for the future high intensity laser chains
  
  • Moncorgé Richard
  • Camy Patrice
  • Doualan Jean-Louis
  • Braud Alain
  • Margerie Jean
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Jullien Aurélie
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Ricaud Sandrine
  • Papadopoulos Dimitris N.
  • Georges Patrick
  Journal of Luminescence, Elsevier, 2013, 133, pp.276-281. Nonlinear and spectroscopic properties of pure and Yb3+ doped fluorites are reviewed. Pure fluorites, like BaF2, appear as very valuable nonlinear materials for improving the contrast of high intensity and ultra-short laser pulses. Heavily Yb3+ doped fluorites, like Yb3+:CaF2, thanks to the unique luminescence properties, appear as very favourable amplifier media for the future high power laser chains.
• Direct laser-driven ramp compression studies of iron: A first step toward the reproduction of planetary core conditions
  
  • Amadou N.
  • Brambrink E.
  • Benuzzi-Mounaix A.
  • Huser G.
  • Guyot F.
  • Mazevet S.
  • Morard Guillaume
  • de Resseguier T.
  • Vinci T.
  • Myanishi K.
  • Ozaki N.
  • Kodama R.
  • Boehly T.
  • Henry O.
  • Raffestin D.
  • Koenig M.
  High Energy Density Physics, Elsevier, 2013, 9, pp.243-246. The study of iron under quasi-isentropic compression using high energy lasers, might allow to understand its thermodynamical properties, in particular its melting line in conditions of pressure and temperature relevant to Earth-like planetary cores (330e1500 GPa, 5000e8000 K). However, the iron alphaepsilon solidesolid phase transition at 13 GPa favors shock formation during the quasi-isentropic compression process which can depart from the appropriate thermodynamical path. Understanding this shock formation mechanism is a key issue for being able to reproduce Earth-like planetary core conditions in the laboratory by ramp compression. In this article, we will present recent results of direct laser-driven quasi-isentropic compression experiments on iron samples obtained on the LULI 2000 and LIL laser facilities (10.1016/j.hedp.2013.01.003)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.hedp.2013.01.003
• Compact, simple and robust cross polarized wave generation source of few-cycle, high-contrast pulses for seeding petawatt-class laser systems
  
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Papadopoulos Dimitris N.
  • Hanna Marc
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Friebel Florence
  • Georges Patrick
  • Druon Frédéric
  Journal of the Optical Society of America B, Optical Society of America, 2013, 30 (10), pp.2607-2614. A compact and robust, dual-crystal cross polarized wave generation setup combined with a hollow waveguide filter is implemented to deliver few-cycle, high-contrast laser pulses sourced from a commercial multipass Ti:Sa amplifier. The initial 25-fs pulses with a temporal contrast of 108 are shortened to 10 fs with an improved contrast of at least 10^10. The single nonlinear stage for spectral broadening and contrast enhancement of a commercial amplifier serves as an ideal injector for petawatt-class laser systems. (10.1364/JOSAB.30.002607)
  DOI : 10.1364/JOSAB.30.002607
• Supra-thermal electron beam stopping power and guiding in dense plasmas
  
  • Santos Joao Jorge
  • Batani D.
  • Baton S. D.
  • Beg F. N.
  • Ceccotti T.
  • Debayle A.
  • Dorchies F.
  • Feugeas J. L.
  • Fourment C.
  • Gremillet L.
  • Honrubia J. J.
  • Hulin S.
  • Morace A.
  • Nicolai P.
  • Perez F.
  • Sawada H.
  • Schlenvoigt H. P.
  • Tikhonchuk V. T.
  • Eau X. Vai S. S.
  • Vauzour B.
  • We M.
  Journal of Plasma Physics, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2013, 79, pp.429-435. no abstract (10.1017/S0022377813000305)
  DOI : 10.1017/S0022377813000305
• Energy-scalable temporal cleaning device for femtosecond laser pulses based on cross-polarized wave generation
  
  • Ricci Aurélien
  • Jullien Aurélie
  • Rousseau Jean-Philippe
  • Liu Yi
  • Houard Aurélien
  • Ramirez Patricia
  • Papadopoulos Dimitris N.
  • Pellegrina Alain
  • Georges Patrick
  • Druon Frédéric
  • Forget Nicolas
  • Lopez-Martens Rodrigo B.
  Review of Scientific Instruments, American Institute of Physics, 2013, 84 (4), pp.043106. We report on a compact energy-scalable device for generating high-fidelity femtosecond laser pulses based on spatial filtering through a hollow-core fiber followed by a nonlinear crystal for crosspolarized wave (XPW) generation. This versatile device is suited for temporal pulse cleaning over a wide range of input energies (from 0.1 to >10 mJ) and is successfully qualified on different ultrafast laser systems. Full characterization of the XPW output is presented. In particular, we demonstrate the generation of 1.6 mJ energy pulses starting from 11 mJ input pulse energy. The temporal contrast of the pulses is enhanced by more than 4 orders of magnitude. In addition, pulse shortening from 40 fs down to 15 fs Fourier-transform limit yields an overall peak-power transmission of up to 50%. This device not only serves as an integrated pulse contrast filter inside an ultrafast laser amplifier but also as a simple back-end solution for temporal post-compression of amplified pulses. (10.1063/1.4801457)
  DOI : 10.1063/1.4801457
• POLAR project: a numerical study to optimize the target design
  
  • Busschaert C
  • Falize É
  • Loupias B
  • Michaut C
  • Ravasio A
  • Pelka A
  • Yurchak R
  • Koenig M
  New Journal of Physics, Institute of Physics: Open Access Journals, 2013, 15, pp.035020. Modern high-energy density facilities allow us to bring matter to extreme states of density, temperature and velocity. Rigorous scaling laws proved that the relevant regimes could be reached, and those regimes are reproducibly achievable. Using powerful lasers and adapted target designs, similarity experiments in the POLAR project aim at studying the formation and dynamics of accretion shocks as found in magnetic cataclysmic variables. At the astrophysical scale, the system we consider is a column of infalling plasma collimated by a magnetic field onto the surface of a white dwarf. As matter hits the surface with supersonic velocity, a shock forms at the basis of the column and propagates upstream. In this paper, numerical simulations are presented in order to describe the experience and to give expectations concerning physical regimes reachable for future experiments on a kilojoule facility. In particular, our target design is discussed and improvements are detailed. (10.1088/1367-2630/15/3/035020)
  DOI : 10.1088/1367-2630/15/3/035020
• Charge Equilibrium of a Laser-Generated Carbon-Ion Beam in Warm Dense Matter
  
  • Gauthier M.
  • Chen S. N.
  • Levy A.
  • Audebert P.
  • Blancard Corinne
  • Ceccotti T.
  • Cerchez M.
  • Doria D.
  • Floquet V.
  • Lamour Emily
  • Peth C.
  • Romagnani L.
  • Rozet J. -P.
  • Scheinder M.
  • Shepherd R.
  • Toncian T.
  • Vernhet D.
  • Willi O.
  • Borghesi M.
  • Faussurier G.
  • Fuchs J.
  Physical Review Letters, American Physical Society, 2013, 110 (13), pp.135003. Using ion carbon beams generated by high intensity short pulse lasers we perform measurements of single shot mean charge equilibration in cold or isochorically heated solid density aluminum matter. We demonstrate that plasma effects in such matter heated up to 1 eV do not significantly impact the equilibration of carbon ions with energies 0.045-0: 5 MeV/nucleon. Furthermore, these measurements allow for a first evaluation of semiempirical formulas or ab initio models that are being used to predict the mean of the equilibrium charge state distribution for light ions passing through warm dense matter. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.135003 (10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.135003)
  DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.135003