Physical Experiments on the HEAVEN-I KrF Laser Facility

The HEAVEN-I KrF excimer laser facility is housed at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing, China. There are six laser beams at this facility, whose combined energy is up to 100 J with a pulsewidth of 28 ns at a wavelength of 248 nm. The uniformity distribution of laser intensity is less than 2%. The diameter of the focal spots was about 500 μm, producing a laser intensity of about 1012 W/cm
²
. HEAVEN-I's capability to provide extremely uniform focal profiles and its deep ultraviolet (UV) wavelength facilitate the conducting of experiments with laser-produced shocks with negligible effects from laser imperfections and laser-plasma instability. Thus, the laser facility was used in the research of high-energy-density physics and other related field physical experiments, such as the shock dynamics and the equation of state at high pressure, simulation of space debris, and direct laser-driven quasi-isentropic compression. Sidelight shadow photography and imaging velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) were developed for the purpose of active diagnostics for physical experiments.