Line-imaging velocimeter for shock diagnostics at the OMEGA laser facility

A line-imaging velocity interferometer has been implemented at the OMEGA laser facility of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester. This instrument is the primary diagnostic for a variety of experiments involving laser-driven shock-wave propagation, including high-pressure equation of state experiments, materials characterization experiments, shock characterization for Rayleigh-Taylor experiments, and shock timing experiments for inertial confinement fusion research. Using a laser probe beam to illuminate a target, the instrument measures shock breakout times at temporal resolutions as low as 20 ps, and spatial resolution similar to4 mum. For velocity measurements the detection limit is <0.1 km/s, and velocities of interfaces, free surfaces, and shock fronts traveling through transparent media can be measured with accuracies similar to1% over the range from 4 km/s to greater than 50 km/s. Quantitative measurements of the optical reflectance of ionizing shock fronts can also be obtained simultaneously with the velocity measurements. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.