Parameter effect on Kα radiation generated by hot electrons

In the interaction of a high-intensity laser pulse with a solid target, most of the absorbed laser energy is converted into hot electrons. These electrons transport in solid targets, and in the same time can ionize the K-shell electrons, and produce Kα radiation, which can serve as a backlit source to diagnose dense matters by radiography. To achieve high Kα yield, simulations were done with the ITS code to study the Kα radiation. The effects of hot electron temperature, target thickness, and emission angle on the Kα radiation were investigated. It is found that, for fixed laser power density or hot electron temperature, there is an optimal target thickness, at which the yield of Kα photons reaches the maximum. The simulated results explained the experimental results.