The charge-state distribution and the energy loss of oxygen
ions in a laser-produced hydrogen plasma have been investigated
experimentally. The plasma target had a maximum electron density
of 5 × 1018 cm−3 and a maximum
electron temperature of 13 eV. The mean charge state of the oxygen
ions in the hydrogen plasma was measured to be 5.1, which was considerably
higher than that in hydrogen gas. The energy loss of oxygen ions in
the plasma of a density less than 1 × 1018
cm−3 in the plasma showed a large enhancement compared
with that in hydrogen gas. However, the energy loss in the plasma of a
density above 1 × 1018 cm−3 showed no
enhancement.
Charge-state distribution and energy loss of 3.2-MeV oxygen
ions in laser plasma produced from solid hydrogen