Modeling of non-lte atomic physics processes during the interaction of thin foils with short pulse lase

Summary form only given. Atomic physics model of aluminum has been incorporated into a 2D3V PIC code to study the interaction of an intense laser with thin solid targets. Each ionization stage of Al contains one ground and one lumped excited state, for which atomic physics processes such as optical field and collisional ionization, excitation, de-excitation and radiative decay describe the population density. Radiation emitted during the laser-target interaction is computed by accounting for both bound-bound transitions and Bremsstrahlung radiation. Using 2D PIC simulations for laser pulses with intensity 3×10²⁰ W/cm², duration 40 fs, spot size 5 μm and energy 1 J interacting with ultrathin (0.2 μm) Al foil, we demonstrate that the radiation signature of laser-produced plasma can be used as a complementary tool to other diagnostic techniques used in laser-plasma interactions.