1. Costello/Kennedy/Mosnier/van Kampen National Centre for Plasma Science & Technology (NCPST) and School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University CLPR Research in Laser Plasmas

2. Outline n The ‘Centre for Laser Plasma Research’ (CLPR)- NCPST-Who are we & what do we do ? n Table Top’ Laser Generated Plasma Basics n Projects

3. NCPST/CLPR Who are we ? What do we do ?

4. NCPST/ CLPR - Who are we ? n NCPST established with Irish Government funding (Euro 8M) in 1999. Now EU Training Site. n Consortium of new and existing laboratories in plasma physics, chemistry and engineering n Fundamental and Applied Scientific Goals n CLPR node is divided into 4(6) laboratories focussed on PLD and photoabsorption spectroscopy/ imaging (especially in UV - X-ray)

5. Academic Staff (4): John T. Costello, Eugene T. Kennedy, Jean-Paul Mosnier and Paul van Kampen Post Doctoral Fesearchers (5): Dr. Deirdre Kilbane (PVK/JC) Dr. Hugo de Luna (JC) Dr. Jean-Rene Duclere (JPM) Dr. Pat Yeates (ETK) Dr. Mark Stapleton (JC) PhD students (8): Caroline Banahan (PVK/JC)Kevin Kavanagh (JC) Adrian Murphy (JC)John Dardis (JC) Jonathan Mullen (PVK)Rick O'Hare (JPM) Eoin O’Leary (ETK)Rebecca Treacy (PVK) Visiting PhD student (2): Michael Novotny (JPM) and Philip Orr (JC) The CLPR node comprises 6 laboratory areas focussed on pulsed laser matter interactions (spectroscopy/ imaging) Funded by: SFI - Frontiers and Investigator HEA - PRTLI and North-South IRCSET - Embark & BRGS Enterprise Ireland - BRGS EU - Marie Curie and RTD

6. Research Theme Probing matter with fast and ultrafast UV, extreme-UV and X-ray pulses (Imaging/Spectroscopy in the UV - Soft X-Ray) Figure from lectures notes of David Attwood, U Calif.-Berkeley

7. NCPST/ CLPR - What do we do ? DCU Pico/Nanosecond Laser Plasma Light Sources VUV, XUV & X-ray Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy VUV Photoabsorpion Imaging VUV LIPS for Analytical Purposes Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)/ICCD Imaging and Spectroscopy of PLD Plumes Aarhus/Berkeley Synchrotrons Photoion and Photoelectron Spectroscopy Hamburg - FEL Femtosecond IR+XUV Facility Development

8. Part I - Table Top Laser-Plasma Basics

9. Plasma & The 4 Phases of Matter Greek PhilosophersPhysicists Earth Solid Water Liquid Wind Gas FirePlasma Plasma: Fluid (gas) of electrons and ions

10. How do you make a laser plasma ? Target Lens Laser Pulse- 1 J/ 10 ns Spot Size = 100  m (typ. Diam.)  > 10 11 W.cm -2 T e = 100 eV (~10 6 K) N e = 10 21 cm -3 V expansion  10 6 cm.s -1 Emitted - Atoms, Ions, Electrons, Clusters, IR - X-ray Radiation Plasma Assisted Chemistry Vacuum or Background Gas

11. Intense Laser Plasma Interaction S Elizer, “The Interaction of High Power Lasers with Plasmas”, IOP Series in Plasma Physics (2002)

12. In summary we know that: Laser Produced Fireballs are- Hot: T e = 10 5 - 10 8 Kelvin Dense: n e = 10 21 e/cm 3 Transient:ps -  s Rapid: 10 6 - 10 7 cm/sec Dublin to Cork in 3 seconds !!!

13. We can tune temperature, density etc. so that they produce spectra to be compared with spectra from other laboratory and astrophysical sources !! So now we know that laser plasmas are hot & dense ! Laser - Astrophysical Plasmas - Solar Interior Figure - David Attwood, U C Berkeley

14. Since a laser plasma is HOT - (T e = 10 - 1000 eV) and (say) you consider it to be a black (or grey) body, then most emission should be at photon energies also in the 10 - 1000 eV range, i.e., at Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV), Extreme-Ultraviolet (EUV) and Soft X-ray (SXR) wavelengths !! Figure from lectures notes of David Attwood, U Calif.-Berkeley Laser Plasmas as VUV to X-ray Sources

15. Generally Extreme-UV Science & Technology is Growing Rapidly Industry: Lithography Bio-Medical: Microscopy Basic Research: Astronomy

16. Our Themes Laser Plasma Light Sources (dev & appls) Instrumentation and techniques Imaging and Spectroscopy in the UV, VUV, EUV and X-ray regions Physics of 1. 'Colliding Plasma Systems' 2. Structure and dynamics of atoms and ions

17. DUAL LASER PLASMA (DLP) EXPERIMENTS UV - Xray Source Absorbing Sample

18. Dual Laser Plasma (DLP) Photoabsorption Flexible Neutral/Multiplycharged/ Refractory Elements  x,  T, I(W/cm 2 )  Species choice Relative Absorption Cross Section  NL =Ln(Io/I) No tuning required No vapour required Backlighting Plasma I o Both Plasmas I = I o e -  nL Backlighter J T Costello et al., Phys.Scr. T34, 77 (1991), E T Kennedy et al., Opt.Eng 33, 3984 (1994)

19. Synchrotron - Photoion Results- BW3 Oven TOF Undulator XUV Radiation Li Vapour

20. Photoionization as a plasma diagnostic VUV Photoabsorption Imaging J Hirsch et al., J.Appl.Phys 88, 4953 (2000), Rev.Sci.Instrum (in press 2003) Pass a collimated VUV beam through the plasma sample and measure the spatial distribution of the absorption. Io(x,y,t) Sample I(x,y,t) VUV CCD

21. ULtrafast Emission and Absorption Photography Laser Beam I-CCD Andor - Belfast <2 ns shutter time TargetLens Wedge

22. Colliding Plasmas Generate a Secondary Plasma !

23. ‘Colliding Stars Model System' - 'Colliding Plasmas' NGC 2346 Is that what's happening here ?

24.  Photoionization of ions with DLP setup in DCU, e.g. Mn 2+, JPB Vol 38, L1 (2005) accessed > 500 times in <50 days!  First two-colour DLP (LP Continuum + Panther OPA) photoabsorption expts on ions - tests for FEL+OPA ?  Negative ion beams in intense 800 nm fields (QUB/MPI/ DCU) Phys. Rev. Lett 93, Art. No. 223001 (2004)  Photoionization of ions in merged synchrotron-ion beam experiments (Aarhus - Orsay/DCU/John West)  'Clean'/ UHV laser plasma (dilute) ion source under development at DCU - possible source for synchrotron/ FEL expts ?  Laser plasma X-ray spectroscopy now available at DCU - Experience at 6 - 15 Angstrom (XFEL expt'l tests ?) Some Other Current Projects

25. Conclusions Lots happening and projects in: n UV - X-ray Sources - Lasers, Laser plasmas, Synchrotron & FEL - JC/ETK n Plasma probing with UV to X-ray radiation - spectroscopy & imaging - JC/ETK/PVK n Pulsed Laser Deposition & Diagnostics (with SSL) - JPM/EMG/MOH Lots of Int'l collaborations and opportunities to travel Come and talk with us if you are interested in lasers, plasmas, optics and atomic physics