Measurement of Reduced Thermal Conduction in (Layered) Laser-Target Experiments

Abstract

Direct measurement of the depth of thermal penetration in flat laser targets shows the electron thermal conductivity to be considerably smaller than classical. X-ray line emission was resolved axially by using layered targets and laterally by employing a slit in front of the spectrometer. The spatial pattern of x-ray emission was found to be compatible with numerical predictions which account for thermoelectrically generated magnetic field.