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XFEL Imaging Techniques for High Energy Density and Inertial Fusion Energy Research at HED-HiBEF

Alejandro Laso Garcia, Mikhail Mishchenko, Victorien Bouffetier, Gabriel Perez-Callejo, Karen Appel, Alexey Arefiev, Carsten Baehtz, Erik Brambrink, Mihail Cernaianu, Domenico Doria, Tobias Dornheim, Gillis M. Dyer, Nicolas Fefeu, Eric Galtier, Thomas Gawne, Petru V. Ghenuche, Sebastian Goede, Johannes Hagemann, Marie-Luise Herbert, Hauke Höppner, Lingen Huang, Oliver Humphries, Mae Jones, Dimitri Khaghani, Thomas Kluge, Jayanath Koliyadu, Dominik Kraus, Hae Ja Lee, Julian Lütgert, Mikako Makita, Jean-Paul Naedler, Bob Nagler, Motoaki Nakatsutsumi, Quynh Nguyen, Alexander Pelka, Thomas R. Preston, Chong Bing Qu, Sripati V. Rahul, Lisa Randolph, Ronald Redmer, Martin Rehwald, Hans G. Rinderknecht, Angel Rodriguez-Fernandez, Joao J. Santos, Ulrich Schramm, Michal Smid, Cornelius Strohm, Jergus Strucka, Minxue Tang, Patrik Vagovic, Milenko Vescovi, Long Yang, Karl Zeil, Ulf Zastrau, Thomas E. Cowan, Toma Toncian

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of imaging ultra-fast, high-energy-density states by introducing the HED-HiBEF hard X-ray imaging platform at EuXFEL, which combines XFEL beams with ReLaX and DiPOLE-100X drivers. The approach achieves spatial resolutions better than $500$ nm and temporal resolutions around $50$ fs, demonstrated through blast waves, return-current–driven wire compression, resonant imaging, and planar shock propagation, aided by Talbot interferometry for robust phase contrast. Key contributions include a detailed technical description of CRL-based imaging, phase retrieval strategies, and resonant imaging at Cu transitions, along with a discussion of potential IFE applications and higher-energy laser coupling. The work is significant because it provides high-fidelity, time-resolved diagnostics capable of probing hydrodynamics, transport, and EOS under extreme conditions and lays out a path toward higher-pressure, IFE-relevant regimes using kJ-class laser facilities in conjunction with XFELs.

Abstract

The imaging platform developed at the High Energy Density - Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HED-HiBEF) instrument at the European XFEL and its applications to high energy density and fusion related research are presented. The platform combines the XFEL beam with the high-intensity short-pulse laser ReLaX and the high-energy nanosecond-pulse laser DiPOLE-100X. The spatial resolution is better than 500 nm and the temporal resolution of the order of 50 fs. We show examples of blast waves and converging cylindrical shocks in aluminium, resonant absorption measurements of specific charged states in copper with ReLaX and planar shocks in polystyrene material generated by DiPOLE-100X. We also discuss the possibilities introduced by combining this imaging platform with a kJ-class laser.

XFEL Imaging Techniques for High Energy Density and Inertial Fusion Energy Research at HED-HiBEF

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of imaging ultra-fast, high-energy-density states by introducing the HED-HiBEF hard X-ray imaging platform at EuXFEL, which combines XFEL beams with ReLaX and DiPOLE-100X drivers. The approach achieves spatial resolutions better than nm and temporal resolutions around fs, demonstrated through blast waves, return-current–driven wire compression, resonant imaging, and planar shock propagation, aided by Talbot interferometry for robust phase contrast. Key contributions include a detailed technical description of CRL-based imaging, phase retrieval strategies, and resonant imaging at Cu transitions, along with a discussion of potential IFE applications and higher-energy laser coupling. The work is significant because it provides high-fidelity, time-resolved diagnostics capable of probing hydrodynamics, transport, and EOS under extreme conditions and lays out a path toward higher-pressure, IFE-relevant regimes using kJ-class laser facilities in conjunction with XFELs.

Abstract

The imaging platform developed at the High Energy Density - Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HED-HiBEF) instrument at the European XFEL and its applications to high energy density and fusion related research are presented. The platform combines the XFEL beam with the high-intensity short-pulse laser ReLaX and the high-energy nanosecond-pulse laser DiPOLE-100X. The spatial resolution is better than 500 nm and the temporal resolution of the order of 50 fs. We show examples of blast waves and converging cylindrical shocks in aluminium, resonant absorption measurements of specific charged states in copper with ReLaX and planar shocks in polystyrene material generated by DiPOLE-100X. We also discuss the possibilities introduced by combining this imaging platform with a kJ-class laser.
Paper Structure (9 sections, 2 equations, 7 figures)

This paper contains 9 sections, 2 equations, 7 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The imaging platform at HED-HiBEF
  3. Imaging results examples
  4. Blast waves generated with a short-pulse laser
  5. Wire compression driven by return currents
  6. Charge-state specific resonant imaging
  7. Shock-compression of polystyrene with DiPOLE-100X
  8. Research potential for IFE applications
  9. Conclusions

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: X-ray imaging setups: a) in combination with ReLaX and b) in combination with DiPOLE-100X. The detector is located outside the interaction chamber to the right in both images.
  • Figure 2: Resolution target for x-ray imaging. The circular areas show the dimensions of each individual line at that radius.
  • Figure 3: Retrieved phase for aluminium wires. For PCI configuration: a) x-ray only imaging of the unpumped wire, d) x-ray imaging 100 ps after ReLaX arrival. For Talbot imaging configuration: b) x-ray only for cold aluminium wire, e) talbot imaging 50 ps after ReLaX arrival. Panel c) shows a lineout at the central part of the both PCI and Talbot configuration images and the expected theoretical phase shift from a perfect 25μ aluminium wire. Panel f) shows a horizontal lineout at the central part of the shock for both cases. In the lower panels the thick black arrow represents the projected incoming direction of ReLaX in the x-ray imaging plane.
  • Figure 4: a) Phase maps for an aluminium wire, with the upper panel showing the cold target and the lower panel the target 700 ps after ReLaX arrival. The orange dashed line indicates the point along the wire where the compression is maximal. b) Abel inverted density at the highest compression point.
  • Figure 5: a) Flatfielded x-ray image of a 5 copper foil, 200 fs after ReLaX arrival. b) Attenuation map for a 2 copper foil 4.8 ps after ReLaX main pulse. c) Phase map for the same 2 foil and time step.
  • ...and 2 more figures