Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/D031532/1
Title:	X-ray scattering from dense plasmas of arbitrary Z : accurate simulation for optimal experiment design and data analysis
Principal Investigator:	Riley, Professor D
Other Investigators:	Gribakin, Dr G Kohanoff, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Sch of Mathematics and Physics
Organisation:	Queen's University of Belfast
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 September 2005	Ends:	31 January 2009	Value (£):	162,599
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Plasmas - Laser & Fusion
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
X-ray scattering is potentially a powerful technique for investigating the structure of matter under conditions of high density and temperature, such as are obtained in laser fusion and in laser-shock compressed matter. Some of these conditions are of relevance to the interior of large planets. A successful experimental programme has been run for a few years by the principal investigator. This work intends to develop an 'in-house' simulation capability that is becoming increasingly necessary as we expand the type of plasma we wish to investigate. In particular we wish to investigate higher Z targets, principally Au and Fe. This means currently available codes are not strictly valid since they assume the photon energy is much greater than the ionisation potential for all bound electrons. We want to use Au as a target in experiments where a femtosecond laser produces a plasma in which the electron-ion equilibration time is longer than the duration of the x-ray scatter probe and so since the scatter profile is sensitive to ion temperature, we should be able to investigate this important fundamental plasma property. The use of high Z slows the expected equilibration and should give higher scatter signal- making it easier on both counts to do the experiment. Furthermore, approximations made in the previous modelling need to be improved if we are to develop accurate diagnostics, such improvements include investigating the ion-ion structure factors, the ionic form factors and local field corrections to frequency resolved Thomson scatter models for the x-ray regime.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.qub.ac.uk