It is important to diagnose electron density of a plasma irradiated by lasers for inertial confinement fusion, in high energy density physics and related fields, especially for measuring high-Z plasma near the interface. Use of soft X-ray laser as a probe is an important method in diagnosis of plasma electron density distribution. However, it is difficult to carry out the research in high-Z laser plasma, because of the problem of excessive plasma spontaneous radiation. In view of the characteristics of soft X-ray laser, several specific experimental techniques have been developed. By using these techniques, which can greatly suppress effects of spontaneous radiation, diagnosis of high-Z plasma with soft X-ray laser probe method becomes possible. As a typical example, an experiment of diagnosing gold plasma is performed and clear images are obtained, indicating that the techniques are effective and feasible.

The diagnoses of laser-produced plasma electron density have important significance for inertial confinement fusion, plasma physics, high energy density physics and other relevant fields, especially for measuring electron density distribution information of medium and high-Z material plasma near the critical density surface. With 13.9 nm Ni-like Ag X-ray laser serving as a probe, using double frequency grating shearing interference technique, the electron density distribution of plasma produced by laser irradiating a gold planar target is measured. Clear interference fringe image is obtained. Preliminary deduction of the fringe shows that the maximum density measured is about 1.4 times the critical density. It is found that there are some discrepancies between experimental results and simulation results, which provides a useful reference to the further optimization of the simulation program. The experimental results fully demonstrate that the soft X-ray double frequency grating shearing interference technique is practical to diagnose near-critical-density plasma of medium and high-Z materials, which will have a good application value.

The supersonic jets and the interaction of strong shock waves are ubiquitous features of the nonlinear hydrodynamics of inertial-confinement fusion, astrophysic, and related fields of high energy-density science, so very important value have their studies in laboratory. A laboratories experimental study on jets is reported. The plasma jets were created by an ns laser pulse irradiating a special circular hole target, and the shadow of jets were recorded by using an X-ray laser probe with wavelength of 13.9 nm. Legible shadow images of plasma jets were obtained. The experimental results and theoretical simulation were in qualitative agreement.