| Abstrakt: |
The requirements and techniques for time- and space-resolved picosecond probing of laser-produced plasmas are reviewed. The design and limitations of a holographic microinterferometer are discussed, and optical pulse techniques are presented. This technique can provide significant data for understanding the absorption of energy within laser-produced plasmas. The primary requirements are to measure the electron densities in the 10^20–10^21-e/cc range, with density contour velocities of 10^6 to 10^7 cm/sec and spatial resolution of 1 μm or better. For these velocities one requires a probe pulse duration of 3–30 psec, an UV wavelength as short as feasible, and large numerical aperture optics corrected for spherical aberration. Interferograms of laser-produced plasmas obtained at 2660 Å with a combined resolution of 1 μm and 15 psec are presented. |
