Observation of Laser-Driven Shock Waves in Solid Hydrogen

Abstract

The spatial development of laser-driven shock waves in a plane solid-hydrogen target was directly observed by high-speed photography. From the measured shock-front velocity a peak pressure of 2 Mbar is evaluated at the onset of a 10-J, 5-nsec Nd laser pulse. The underlying mechanism of laser ablation and the relevance of such measurements to laser fusion and the behavior of matter at extremely high pressures are discussed.