Compressed shell conditions extracted from spectroscopic analysis of Ti K-shell absorption spectra with evaluation of line self-emission

Ti-doped tracer layers embedded in the shell at varying distances from the fuel-shell interface serve as a spectroscopic diagnostic for direct-drive experiments conducted at OMEGA. Detailed modeling of Ti K-shell absorption spectra produced in the tracer layer considers n = 1–2 transitions in F- through Li-like Ti ions in the 4400–4800 eV range, both including and excluding line self-emission. Testing the model on synthetic spectra generated from 1-D LILAC hydrodynamic simulations reveals that the model including self-emission best reproduces the simulation, while the model excluding self-emission overestimates electron temperature Te and density Ne to a higher degree for layers closer to the core. The prediction of the simulation that the magnitude of Te and duration of Ti absorption will be strongly tied to the distance of the layer from the core is consistent with the idea that regions of the shell close to the core are more significantly heated by thermal transport out of the hot dense core, but more distant regions are less affected by it. The simulation predicts more time variation in the observed Te, Ne conditions in the compressed shell than is observed in the experiment, analysis of which reveals conditions remain in the range Te = 400–600 eV and Ne = 3.0–10.0 × 1024 cm−3 for all but the most distant Ti-doped layer, with error bars ∼5% Te value and ∼10% Ne on average. The Te, Ne conditions of the simulation lead to a greater degree of ionization for zones close to the core than occurs experimentally, and less ionization for zones far from the core.