Measurement of XUV-absorption spectra of ZnS radiatively heated foils

TL;DR

This study measures and analyzes the XUV-absorption spectra of ZnS and aluminum foils heated by laser-driven radiation, revealing detailed spectral features and validating radiative hydrodynamic models.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurements of ZnS XUV-absorption spectra under radiative heating and validates spectral calculations with experimental data.

Findings

Radiation temperature of 55-60 eV from gold cavities.

Identification of Zn and S ion species in spectra.

Good agreement between experimental and simulated spectra when temperature gradients are included.

Abstract

Time-resolved absorption of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and aluminum in the XUV-range has been measured. Thin foils in conditions close to local thermodynamic equilibrium were heated by radiation from laser-irradiated gold spherical cavities. Analysis of the aluminum foil radiative hydrodynamic expansion, based on the detailed atomic calculations of its absorption spectra, showed that the cavity emitted flux that heated the absorption foils corresponds to a radiation temperature in the range 55 60 eV. Comparison of the ZnS absorption spectra with calculations based on a superconfiguration approach identified the presence of species Zn6+ - Zn8+ and S5+ - S6+. Based on the validation of the radiative source simulations, experimental spectra were then compared to calculations performed by post-processing the radiative hydrodynamic simulations of ZnS. Satisfying agreement is found when temperature gradients are accounted for.