Roman Belikov

We report on commissioning experiments at the high-energy, high-temperature (HHT) target area at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany, combining for the first time intense pulses of heavy ions from the SIS18 synchrotron with high-energy laser pulses from the PHELIX laser facility. We demonstrate the use of X-ray diagnostic techniques based on intense laser-driven X-ray sources, which will allow probing of large samples volumetrically heated by the intense heavy-ion beams. A new target chamber as well as optical diagnostics for ion-beam characterization and fast pyrometric temperature measurements complement the experimental capabilities. This platform is designed for experiments at the future Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe GmbH (FAIR), where unprecedented ion-beam intensities will enable the generation of millimeter-sized samples under high-energy-density conditions.

A new high energy proton radiography facility PRIOR-II (Proton Microscope for FAIR) has been designed, constructed, and successfully commissioned at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (Darmstadt, Germany) pushing the technical boundaries of charged particle radiography with normal conducting magnets to the limits. The setup is foreseen to become a new and powerful user facility for carrying out fundamental science experiments in the fields of plasma and shock wave physics, material science, and medical physics. It will help address several unsolved scientific challenges, which require high-speed and precise non-invasive diagnostic methods capable of probing matter with up to 100 g/cm2 areal density. PRIOR-II is specifically designed to utilize the full timing capabilities of the SIS-18 synchrotron at GSI for ultra-fast dynamic experiments with up to 4 GeV protons and will also be fielded at the future FAIR facility, where higher proton energies and beam intensities will be available. This will enable experiment geometries with even higher areal densities, more flexible experiment timing, and further enhanced spatial resolution.

We present in situ measurements of spectrally resolved X-ray scattering and X-ray diffraction from monocrystalline diamond samples heated with an intense pulse of heavy ions. In this way, we determine the samples’ heating dynamics and their microscopic and macroscopic structural integrity over a timespan of several microseconds. Connecting the ratio of elastic to inelastic scattering with state-of-the-art density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations allows the inference of average temperatures around 1300 K, in agreement with predictions from stopping power calculations. The simultaneous diffraction measurements show no hints of any volumetric graphitization of the material, but do indicate the onset of fracture in the diamond sample. Our experiments pave the way for future studies at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research, where a substantially increased intensity of the heavy ion beam will be available.

Multi-wavelength pyrometry is an efficient tool for measuring high temperatures in dynamic experiments. A fast 5-channel pyrometer was built and successfully employed in ion-beam heating experiments at the GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research (Darmstadt, Germany). Temperatures of metallic samples heated by an intense focused heavy ion beam up to their melting points and beyond were measured with nanosecond time resolution and a spatial resolution of about 200 μm. The modular instrument has demonstrated its high versatility also for temperature measurements of exothermic reactions with millisecond temporal resolution.

Multi-wavelength pyrometry is an efficient tool for measuring high temperatures in dynamic experiments. A fast 5-channel pyrometer was built and successfully employed in ion-beam heating experiments at GSI. Temperatures of metallic samples heated by an intense focused heavy ion beam up to their melting points and beyond were measured with nanosecond time resolution and a spatial resolution of about 200 μm. The modular instrument has demonstrated its high versatility also for temperature measurements of exothermic reactions with millisecond temporal resolution.

Multi-wavelength pyrometry is the only experimental diagnostic able to measure high temperatures in Warm Dense Matter experiments on a nanoseconds timescale. An ultra-fast 5-channel pyrometer was built and tested on a set of metals in ion heating experiments at GSI. In addition to temperature measurements the set-up allows a further characterization of the shape and duration of the beam pulse.

Experimental study of thermal expansion of chromium by millisecond pulse heating technique was performed. The results obtained allow calculating the density of Cr in the wide range of high temperatures up to the melting point.

This article presents data on thermophysical properties of a tungsten-rhenium alloy W-Re (27 at. % of Re) in the temperature range of 2400–3100 K. Data on the thermal expansion and specific electrical resistance of this substance at premelting region are obtained, and the emission spectra of the alloy are obtained at high temperatures.

An experimental technique of millisecond electrical pulse heating was used for experimental investigation of Re near its melting point. Experimental data on the specific enthalpy and thermal expansion of rhenium at the temperatures close to the melting point were obtained during the experiments.