The interaction of an intense short-wavelength laser beam with a solid foil target is a topic which has been studied vigorously for many years. Many inherent problems still exist, however, in our understanding of observed experimental data. In particular, the problem of transport through the target material of the deposited laser energy continues to be the focus of many investigations. Although most.of the work has been dominated by particle transport phenomena, it was shown in a previous paper that radiation processes and photon transport often play a major role in the redistribution of the deposited energy in laser driven plasmas. In this presentation, we continue our investigation of the role of atomic physics and radiative emission in laser-produced plasmas by studying the effects of these physical processes as a function of varying initial conditions for both aluminum and carbon foil targets.
An effect of the target position relative to the laser focus on X-ray emission from the laser plasma
