Recent research progress of laser plasma interactions in Shenguang laser facilities

Abstract

We report experimental research on laser plasma interaction (LPI) conducted in Shenguang laser facilities during the past ten years. The research generally consists of three phases: (1) developing platforms for LPI research in mm-scale plasma with limited drive energy, where both gasbag and gas-filled hohlraum targets are tested; (2) studying the effects of beam-smoothing techniques, such as continuous phase plate and polarization smoothing, on the suppression of LPI; and (3) exploring the factors affecting LPI in integrated implosion experiments, which include the laser intensity, gas-fill pressure, size of the laser-entrance hole, and interplay between different beam cones. Results obtained in each phase will be presented and discussed in detail.