Kα spectral diagnostics for Mg and Al plasmas irradiated by intense Li beams

Kα spectroscopy can be a valuable diagnostic method for determining plasma conditions in ion beam-heated targets. In intense light ion beam experiments, Kα emission lines can be observed as 2p electrons drop down to fiU1s vacancies created by beam-impact ionization. In this paper, we present results from collisional-radiative equilibrium (CRE) calculations for Al and Mg target tracer layers being irradiated by an intense Li beam. Presently, 9 MeV Li beams with power densities of 1–2 TW/cm² can be generated in Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator-II (PBFA-II) experiments at Sandia National Laboratories. It is shown that both emission and absorption Kα spectra show good sensitivity to temperature and density for the range of plasma conditions typically achieved in present PBFA-II experiments.