Ultraviolet Thomson scattering measurements of the electron and ion features with an energetic 263 nm probe

A new Thomson scattering diagnostic has been implemented on the Omega Laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester [J.M. Soures, et al., Laser and Particle Beams 11, 317 (1993)] to measure the electron feature in the ultraviolet wavelength range 200 nm - 263 nm. A pair of imaging spectrometers and streak cameras collect light scattered from electron plasma fluctuations and ion-acoustic fluctuations simultaneously. These spectra allow an accurate measure of the electron temperature, density, average charge state and plasma flow velocity in a high-density laser plasma regime perviously inaccessible.