Analysis of the Z dependence of laser generated suprathermal electron temperature

Recent experiments with high Z disks on the Argus facility have exteanded our knowledge of the temperature (inferred from the slope of the hard x-ray spectrum) of laser generated suprathermal electrons, from the previous regime of 1 less than or equal to Z less than or equal to 30 to the Z approx. = 80 regime. The systematic rise of temperature with Z is theoretically analyzed. We believe that material albedoes (electron reflectivity) which increase with Z can account for this behavior, since electrons can make multiple passes through the region of resonant electric fields and are thus reheated. We treat this effect quantitatively and obtain reasonable agreement with experiment. The effects of magnetic fields and filamentation are also examined