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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,711 records · Page 95
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Laser-ablated loading of solid target through foams of overcritical density

The main objective of the work is to study the conversion of the laser pulse energy into the energy of the hydrodynamic motion of matter in a solid target following the initial absorption of laser radiation in a layer of porous material. Results of experiments on plane massive aluminum targets, coated with a layer of porous plastic with density greater than the critical density of the plasma created, are presented. Experiments were carried out on the laser installation ABC of the Research Center ENEA-Frascati; the targets were irradiated by a beam of the fundamental harmonic of Nd-laser radiation with an energy of about 50 kJ, intensity of 10{sup 13 }W/cm{sup 2}, and 3 ns duration. The experimental method consisted in measuring the volume of the craters created on the aluminum surface behind various thicknesses and densities of the porous absorber of laser radiation. On the basis of these measurements and of an advanced analytical model, quantitative conclusions are made on how the efficiency of laser energy transfer to the solid part of the target (laser-ablated loading) depends on thickness and density of the porous absorber.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2010

Laser synthesis and modification of composite nanoparticles in liquids

The works devoted to the formation and modification of nanoparticles using laser ablation of solid targets in liquids are reviewed. Several approaches to implement laser ablation in liquids, aimed at synthesising nanoparticles of complex composition, are considered: direct laser ablation of a target of corresponding composition, laser ablation of a combined target composed of two different metals, laser irradiation of a mixture of two or more colloidal solutions, and laser ablation in reactive liquids. The properties of two-component bimetallic systems (Ag - Cu, Ag - Au), semiconductor nanocrystals (ZnO, CdSe), chalcopyrite nanoparticles, and doped oxide nanoparticles (ZnO:Ag, Gd{sub 2}O{sub 2}:Tb{sup 3+}) formed as a result of single- and double-pulse laser ablation in different liquids (water, ethanol, acetone, solutions of polysaccharides) are discussed. (photonics and nanotechnology)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Polarisation dynamics of a Nd:YAG ceramic laser

We report an experimental study of the polarisation dynamics of a dual-polarisation microchip Nd:YAG ceramic laser. Our results demonstrate dual-polarisation operation of the polycrystalline Nd:YAG laser. The low-frequency dynamics in this regime involves three types of relaxation oscillations, two of which are responsible for antiphase dynamics of the intensities of orthogonally polarised modes. Linearly polarised pump light induces gain anisotropy in the Nd:YAG ceramic, as in Nd:YAG single-crystal lasers. We present a comparative analysis of the behaviour of orthogonally polarised modes in Nd:YAG single-crystal lasers and the Nd:YAG ceramic laser, with a random orientation of the crystallographic axes in each grain (microcrystal), describe a technique for evaluating the total cavity loss from the relaxation oscillation spectrum and compare single-crystal and ceramic active elements. Experimental evidence is presented for gain anisotropy, loss anisotropy and phase anisotropy in ceramic and single-crystal microchip lasers. (lasers)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Experimental and theoretical study of the heating dynamics of carbon-containing optothermal fibre converters for laser surgery

We have studied carbon-containing optothermal fibre converters (COTFCs) that are located on the distal end of a quartz – quartz optical fibre for delivering laser radiation in medical laser surgery systems and differ in the thickness and structure of the layer of a material converting laser radiation into heat. The heating dynamics of 'thin-film' and '3D' converters have been investigated at average incident 980-nm semiconductor laser beam powers of 0.3, 1.0 and 4.0 W, with the converters placed freely in air. The results demonstrate that, before the instant of disintegration, the efficiency of laser heating of the converter surface can reach 3000 °C W{sup -1} for thin-film converters, 1000 °C W{sup -1} for spherical 3D converters and 55 °C W{sup -1} for planar 3D converters. The thin-film converter breaks down at an average laser beam power as low as 0.30 ± 0.05 W, which is accompanied by a considerable reduction in heating efficiency and is caused by the disintegration of the carbon film on its surface. The spherical 3D converter breaks down at an average power of 4.0 ± 0.1 W, as a result of the disintegration of the carbon film on its surface and partial melting of a modified layer containing microbubbles. The carbon film on the surface of the planar 3D converter also disintegrates at an average power of 4.0 ± 0.1 W, but the structure of the modified layer remains unchanged. We have constructed structural and optophysical models of the converters by simulating light absorption in carbon films on the surface of the COTFC and inside the microbubbles present in the modified layer of the converters. The proposed models of the COTFCs have been shown to adequately describe real converters. (laser biophotonics)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Laser-generated plasmas in length scales relevant for thin film growth and processing: simulation and experiment

In pulsed laser deposition, thin film growth is mediated by a laser-generated plasma, whose properties are critical for controlling the film microstructure. The advent of 2D materials has renewed the interest in how this ablation plasma can be used to manipulate the growth and processing of atomically thin systems. For such purpose, a quantitative understanding of the density, charge state, and kinetic energy of plasma constituents is needed at the location where they contribute to materials processes. Here, we study laser-induced plasmas over expansion distances of several centimeters from the ablation target, which is the relevant length scale for materials growth and modification. The study is enabled by a fast implementation of a laser ablation/plasma expansion model using an adaptive Cartesian mesh solver. Simulation outcomes for KrF excimer laser ablation of Cu are compared with Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy measurements. Furthermore, simulation predictions for the plasma-shielding threshold, the ionization state of species in the plasma, and the kinetic energy of ions, are in good correspondence with experimental data. For laser fluences of 1–4 J cm -2 , the plume is dominated by Cu 0 , with small concentrations of Cu+ and electrons at the expansion front. Higher laser fluences (e.g. 7 J cm -2 ) lead to a Cu + -rich plasma, with a fully ionized leading edge where Cu 2+ is the dominant species. In both regimes, simulations indicate the presence of a low-density, high-temperature plasma expansion front with a high degree of ionization that may play a significant role in doping, annealing, and kinetically-driven phase transformations in 2D materials.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2021

Time-resolved absorption spectroscopic characterization of ultrafast laser-produced plasmas under varying background pressures

Time-resolved tunable laser absorption spectroscopy is used to characterize the physical properties of ultrafast laser-produced plasmas. The plasmas were produced from an Inconel target, with = 0.4 wt. % Al, using ~ 35 fs, ~800 nm laser pulses at varying Ar background pressures from 1-100 Torr. The absorption spectrum of atomic Al is measured with high spectral and temporal resolution when the probe laser is stepped across the selected Al transition at 394.4 nm. Spectral fitting is used to infer linewidths, kinetic temperature, Al column density, and pressure broadening coefficient. The late time physical properties of plasmas are compared for various pressure levels. Our studies highlight that a significant lower state population exists even at early times of ultrafast laser-produced plasma evolution and lower state population persistence decreases with increasing ambient pressure. We also show that the fundamental optical properties, such as pressure-broadening, can be measured using ultrafast laser-produced plasmas combined with laser absorption spectroscopy.

laser absorption spectroscopy, laser produced plas↗
DOE OSTI2011

Using the X-FEL to photo-pump X-ray laser transitions in He-like Ne

Nearly four decades ago H-like and He-like resonantly photo-pumped laser schemes were proposed for producing X-ray lasers. However, demonstrating these schemes in the laboratory has proved to be elusive because of the difficulty of finding a strong resonant pump line. With the advent of the X-ray free electron laser (X-FEL) at the SLAC Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) we now have a tunable X-ray laser source that can be used to replace the pump line in previously proposed laser schemes and allow researchers to study the physics and feasibility of resonantly photo-pumped laser schemes. In this paper we use the X-FEL at 1174 eV to photo-pump the singly excited 1s2p state of He-like Ne to the doubly excited 2p3p state and model gain on the 2p3p-2p2s transition at 175 eV and the 2p3p-1s3p transition at 1017 eV. One motivation for studying this scheme is to explore possible quenching of the gain due to strong non-linear coupling effects from the intense X-FEL beam We compare this scheme with photo-pumping the He-like Ne ground state to the 1s3p singly excited state followed by lasing on the 3p-2s and 3d-2p transitions at 158 and 151 eV. Experiments are being planned at LCLS to study these laser processes and coherent quantum effects.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Laser Ablation Plasmas and Spectroscopy for Nuclear Applications

The development of measurement methodologies to detect and monitor nuclear-relevant materials remains a consistent and significant interest across the nuclear energy, nonproliferation, safeguards, and forensics communities. Optical spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas is becoming an increasingly popular diagnostic technique to measure radiological and nuclear materials in the field without sample preparation, where current capabilities encompass the standoff, isotopically resolved and phase-identifiable (e.g., UO and UO[Formula: see text]) detection of elements across the periodic table. These methods rely on the process of laser ablation (LA), where a high-powered pulsed laser is used to excite a sample (solid, liquid, or gas) into a luminous microplasma that rapidly undergoes de-excitation through the emission of electromagnetic radiation, which serves as a spectroscopic fingerprint for that sample. This review focuses on LA plasmas and spectroscopy for nuclear applications, covering topics from the wide-area environmental sampling and atmospheric sensing of radionuclides to recent implementations of multivariate machine learning methods that work to enable the real-time analysis of spectrochemical measurements with an emphasis on fundamental research and development activities over the past two decades. Background on the physical breakdown mechanisms and interactions of matter with nanosecond and ultrafast laser pulses that lead to the generation of laser-produced microplasmas is provided, followed by a description of the transient spatiotemporal plasma conditions that control the behavior of spectroscopic signatures recorded by analytical methods in atomic and molecular spectroscopy. High-temperature chemical and thermodynamic processes governing reactive LA plasmas are also examined alongside investigations into the condensation pathways of the plasma, which are believed to serve as chemical surrogates for fallout particles formed in nuclear fireballs. Laser-supported absorption waves and laser-induced shockwaves that accompany LA plasmas are also discussed, which could provide insights into atmospheric ionization phenomena from strong shocks following nuclear detonations. Furthermore, the standoff detection of trace radioactive aerosols and fission gases is reviewed in the context of monitoring atmospheric radiation plumes and off-gas streams of molten salt reactors. Finally, concluding remarks will present future outlooks on the role of LA plasma spectroscopy in the nuclear community.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

High deuteron and neutron yields from the interaction of a petawatt laser with a cryogenic deuterium jet

A compact high-flux, short-pulse neutron source would have applications from nuclear astrophysics to cancer therapy. Laser-driven neutron sources can achieve fluxes much higher than spallation and reactor neutron sources by reducing the volume and time in which the neutron-producing reactions occur by orders of magnitude. We report progress towards an efficient laser-driven neutron source in experiments with a cryogenic deuterium jet on the Texas Petawatt laser. Neutrons were produced both by laser-accelerated multi-MeV deuterons colliding with Be and mixed metallic catchers and by d (d,n) 3 He fusion reactions within the jet. We observed deuteron yields of 10 13 /shot in quasi-Maxwellian distributions carrying ~8-10% of the input laser energy. We obtained neutron yields greater than 10 10 /shot and found indications of a deuteron-deuteron fusion neutron source with high peak flux (>10 22 cm -2 s -1 ). The estimated fusion neutron yield in our experiment is one order of magnitude higher than any previous laser-induced dd fusion reaction. Though many technical challenges will have to be overcome to convert this proof-of-principle experiment into a consistent ultra-high flux neutron source, the neutron fluxes achieved here suggest laser-driven neutron sources can support laboratory study of the rapid neutron-capture process, which is otherwise thought to occur only in astrophysical sites such as core-collapse supernova, and binary neutron star mergers.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Laser Nitriding of the Newly Developed Ti-20Nb-13Zr at.% Biomaterial Alloy to Enhance Its Mechanical and Corrosion Properties in Simulated Body Fluid

Despite the widespread application of Ti alloy in the biomedical field, surface treatments are typically applied to improve its resistance to corrosion and wear. A newly developed biomedical Ti-20Nb-13Zr at.% alloy (TNZ) was laser-treated in nitrogen environment to improve its surface characteristics with corrosion protection performance. Surface modification of the alloy by laser was performed through a Nd:YAG laser. The structural and surface morphological alterations in the laser nitrided layer were investigated by XRD and a FE-SEM. The mechanical properties have been evaluated using nanoindentation for laser nitride and as-received samples. The corrosion protection behavior was estimated using electrochemical corrosion analysis in a physiological medium (SBF). The obtained results revealed the production of a dense and compact film of TiN fine grains (micro-/nanosize) with 9.1 µm below the surface. The mechanical assessment results indicated an improvement in the modulus of elasticity, hardness, and resistance of the formed TiN layer to plastic deformation. The electrochemical analysis exhibited that the surface protection performance of the laser nitrided TNZ substrates in the SBF could be considerably enhanced compared to that of the as-received alloy due to the presence of fine grains in the TiN layer resulting from laser nitriding. Furthermore, the untreated and treated Ti-20Nb-13Zr alloy exhibited higher corrosion resistance than the CpTi and Ti6Al4V commercial alloys. The improvements in the surface hardness and corrosion properties of Ti alloy in a simulated body obtained using laser nitriding make this approach a suitable candidate for enhancing the properties of biomaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Recent Progress on Laser Manufacturing of Microsize Energy Devices on Flexible Substrates

We report on the impact of laser processing on material and device performance characteristics for integrated energy applications. A femtosecond laser was used for development of flexible and transparent supercapacitors, while a nanosecond laser was successfully exploited for high-performance Al–air battery development. A laser direct-write process enabled integration of a three-dimensional-structured micro-supercapacitor on flexible polymer substrate, exhibiting peak specific capacitance of 42.6 mF/cm 2 at current density of 0.1 mA/cm 2 . Femtosecond laser processing was also exploited for development of a novel transparent supercapacitor on silk substrate. The MnO 2 -coated transparent supercapacitors exhibited high transmittance exceeding 59%. Laser processing in combination with printing technique was used for development of a novel Al–air battery. The nanosecond laser process was effective in sintering the anode printed using Al nanoparticle ink. The efficiency of the laser sintering process was reflected in good battery discharge performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

First on-line detection of radioactive fission isotopes produced by laser-accelerated protons

Abstract The on-going developments in laser acceleration of protons and light ions, as well as the production of strong bursts of neutrons and multi- $$\hbox {MeV}$$ MeV photons by secondary processes now provide a basis for novel high-flux nuclear physics experiments. While the maximum energy of protons resulting from Target Normal Sheath Acceleration is presently still limited to around $$100 \, \hbox {MeV}$$ 100 MeV , the generated proton peak flux within the short laser-accelerated bunches can already today exceed the values achievable at the most advanced conventional accelerators by orders of magnitude. This paper consists of two parts covering the scientific motivation and relevance of such experiments and a first proof-of-principle demonstration. In the presented experiment pulses of $$200 \, \hbox {J}$$ 200 J at $$\approx \, 500 \, \hbox {fs}$$ ≈ 500 fs duration from the PHELIX laser produced more than $$10^{12}$$ 10 12 protons with energies above $$15 \, \hbox {MeV}$$ 15 MeV in a bunch of sub-nanosecond duration. They were used to induce fission in foil targets made of natural uranium. To make use of the nonpareil flux, these targets have to be very close to the laser acceleration source, since the particle density within the bunch is strongly affected by Coulomb explosion and the velocity differences between ions of different energy. The main challenge for nuclear detection with high-purity germanium detectors is given by the strong electromagnetic pulse caused by the laser-matter interaction close to the laser acceleration source. This was mitigated by utilizing fast transport of the fission products by a gas flow to a carbon filter, where the $$\upgamma$$ γ -rays were registered. The identified nuclides include those that have half-lives down to $$39 \, \hbox {s}$$ 39 s . These results demonstrate the capability to produce, extract, and detect short-lived reaction products under the demanding experimental condition imposed by the high-power laser interaction. The approach promotes research towards relevant nuclear astrophysical studies at conditions currently only accessible at nuclear high energy density laser facilities.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Understanding the effects of laser imprint on plastic-target implosions on OMEGA

Understanding the effects of laser imprint on target performance is critical to the success of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. Directly measuring the disruption caused by laser imprints to the imploding shell and hot-spot formation, in comparison with multidimensional radiation–hydrodynamic simulations, can provide a clear picture of how laser nonuniformities cause target performance to degrade. With the recently developed x-ray self-emission imaging technique and the state-of-the-art physics models recently implemented in the two-dimensional hydrocode DRACO , a systematic study of laser-imprint effects on warm target implosions on OMEGA has been performed using both experimental results and simulations. By varying the laser-picket intensity, the imploding shells were set at different adiabats (from α = 2 to α = 6). As the shell adiabats decreased, it was observed that (1) the measured shell thickness at the time the hot spot lit up became larger than the uniform one-dimensional (1-D) predictions; (2) the hot-spot core emitted earlier than the corresponding 1-D predictions; (3) the measured neutron yield first increased then decreased as the shell adiabat α was reduced; and (4) the hot-spot size reduced as α decreased for cases where SSD (smoothing by spectral dispersion) was on but became larger for low-α shots in cases where SSD was off. Most of these experimental observations are well reproduced by DRACO simulations with laser imprints including modes up to λ max = 200. In addition, these studies identify the importance of laser imprint as the major source of degrading target performance for OMEGA implosions of adiabat α ≤ 3. Mitigating laser imprints is required to improve low-α target performance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Laser propagation in a subcritical foam: Ion and electron heating

We develop a model for laser propagation and heating in a subcritical foam (homogeneous electron density as a fraction of critical n e,0 /n c <1). Our model describes the partition of energy between ions and electrons in an expanding foam element irradiated by a laser, and we solve for the plasma conditions generated by burning down the foam microstructure. We find that a substantial fraction of laser energy goes into breaking down and homogenizing the foam microstructure, which slows down the laser heat front. We also find that the ion temperature in a plasma generated by burning down a foam can exceed the electron temperature. This is because laser energy is deposited into the expansion kinetic energy of ions as the foam microstructure burns down explosively. The higher ion temperature increases ion-acoustic wave damping which reduces stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). We test our model against data from an experiment that shot a subcritical foam with a high intensity laser pulse on the Janus laser facility at LLNL. We find that by modeling the effect of the foam microstructure, we can explain both the experimentally measured laser propagation velocity and the backscattered SBS power.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Stimulated backscatter of laser light from BigFoot hohlraums on the National Ignition Facility

The high implosion velocity, high adiabat BigFoot design [Casey et al. , Phys. Plasmas 25 , 056308 (2018)] has produced the highest neutron yield to date in an ignition hohlraum on the National Ignition Facility. It has used up to 500 TW of peak power and nearly 2 MJ of laser energy in pulses up to 8 ns in duration, with the goal of fielding controlled implosions with high coupled energy, which can suppress deleterious hydrodynamic instabilities. However, when the laser pulse exceeds 6 ns with the laser energy greater than 1.6 MJ, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) reaches levels that may damage optical components in the laser. Pending development of techniques to reduce SBS, limitation of laser power, and energy to avoid damage prevents the full exploitation of this approach to ignition. In this manuscript, we present three-dimensional simulations that match the experimentally measured SBS energy, in particular, reproducing quantitatively the time in the pulse when maximum backscatter occurs, and its magnitude across ~10 BigFoot experiments. The demonstrated robustness of the modeling, which combines LASNEX and pF3D simulations, motivates us to explore and recommend several feasible SBS mitigation strategies: modified laser pointing, different laser frequencies for each cone of beams, increased laser bandwidth on all or some of the cones, and materials with a mixture of light and heavy atoms lining the inside of the hohlraum walls.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

The importance of laser wavelength for driving inertial confinement fusion targets. I. Basic physics

We reinvestigate the role that laser wavelength plays in driving inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. Different assumptions underlie previous analytic frameworks that provide predictions for wavelength scaling of many important target parameters. These are explored and compared to radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of laser-driven targets. We are particularly interested here in lasers with wavelengths between 0.193 μm [wavelength of the Argon Flouride (ArF) excimer laser] and 0.527 μm (the frequency-doubled glass Nd:glass laser). Short-wavelength drivers have significant advantages for directly driven ICF targets, which are summarized here. We show that constraints such as providing a certain pressure or avoiding laser-plasma instability thresholds allow shorter laser wavelengths to provide energy savings, pressure enhancements, and/or higher hydrodynamic efficiencies. We also consider potential disadvantages, such as increased laser imprint or exposure to the Landau–Darrieus instability. These are shown to be either minor and/or can be easily remediated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

The effects of laser pulse length and collisional ionization on the acceleration of titanium ions

Abstract The interaction of a relativistic laser pulse ( > 10 18 W cm −2 µ m 2 ) with foil targets can accelerate ions to energies of tens of MeV u −1 with optimized laser and target parameters. We report the results on simulations of the interaction of a 6.0 × 10 20 W cm −2 laser pulse incident on ultrathin (10–500 nm) titanium foils to investigate the roles of laser pulse duration and ionization mechanisms in the acceleration of titanium ions. While holding peak intensity constant, two laser pulse durations were investigated, 140 and 650 fs. The optimum thickness is dependent on pulse duration, as it requires the concurrence of target transparency with the incidence of the peak laser intensity. The collisional processes do not play a significant role in Ti ion beam generation from the 140 fs laser pulse duration at the optimum thickness (30 nm). However, for the 650 fs laser optimum, collisions improve the conversion efficiency of highly energetic ( > 10 MeV u −1 ), high charge titanium (Ti 21 − 22 + ) by a factor of 20, and the titanium ion cutoff energy by ∼15%. This improvement is due to the fact that collisional ionization increases the electron density of the plasma, which delays the time of relativistic transparency, causing collisions to decrease the optimum foil thickness from 150 to 100 nm. Additionally, collisional ionization increases the charge-to-mass ratio of the titanium, and injects more electrons into the accelerating sheath field. At the optimum thickness, target normal sheath acceleration is the dominant mechanism of acceleration, with additional contributions from radiation pressure and shock wave acceleration.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Observation of high-pressure polymorphs in bulk silicon formed at relativistic laser intensities

Silicon polymorphs with exotic electronic and optical properties have recently attracted significant attention due to their wide range of useful band gap characteristics. They are typically formed by static high-pressure techniques, which limits the crystal structures that can be made. This constitutes a major obstacle to study these polymorphs and their incorporation into existing technology. Approaches have attempted to address this shortcoming through using dynamic conditions and chemical precursor materials. Here, we report on an approach to create unusual crystal structures deep in the bulk of a silicon crystal by irradiating it with a laser pulse at ultrarelativistic intensity of up to 7.5 × 10 19 W/ c m 2 . Laser-generated electrons with MeV energy swiftly penetrate the target with speed close to the speed of light and deposit their energy into a large volume across the whole thickness of the sample. The relativistic electron current creates, via branching propagation and ionization, high-energy-density conditions for thermodynamically nonequilibrium phase transformation paths into new crystal polymorphs. X-ray microdiffraction and synchrotron x-ray diffraction analyses indicate, along with conventional dc-Si, the presence of exotic silicon structures in the bulk of the laser intact target volume. These structures are identified as body-centered bc8-Si, rhombohedral r8-Si, hexagonal-diamond hd-Si, and the tetragonal Si-VIII, all phases of Si that have previously been made through static techniques. Additionally, simple-tetragonal st12-Si and body-centered tetragonal bt8-Si were observed along with signatures of not yet identified diffraction spots. Both st12-Si and bt8-Si have only been observed in ultrafast laser microexplosion conditions at much lower laser intensity ∼ 10 14 W/ c m 2 and within a micron-thin surface layer. The findings here are supported by direct observation of nanoparticles with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and corresponding fast Fourier transform analysis of their interatomic distances. The presented analyses of absorbed laser energy, generation of the MeV electron current, and deposition of energy across the whole target thickness provide a solid basis for drawing the conclusion that the observed silicon polymorphs were produced because of laser-generated high-energy electrons fast-penetrating deeply into the bulk of silicon. In contrast to solid-solid transformations, the plasma-solid transitions offer a paradigm for the creation of exotic, high-energy density materials inside the bulk of the sample by using laser pulses at relativistic intensities. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗