Ultrafast plasma dynamics in laser-irradiated nanowire arrays probed with an X-ray free-electron laser
Nanowire arrays are excellent nanostructured target materials for high-energy density (HED) science and applications because of their enhanced energy absorption properties. However, investigations of the spatiotemporal dynamics of laser-irradiated nanowire arrays remain limited, since conventional time-resolved diagnostics cannot capture the rapid plasma-state transitions. This study reports spatiotemporally resolved measurements of laser energy absorption and electron transport in laser-irradiated nanowire arrays using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL). The XFEL measurements showed that the nanowire array is promptly heated to an electron temperature of ~ 120 eV at the main-pulse interaction peak, followed by a further increase to ~ 140 eV around 10 ps, which was associated with wire collapse. The experimental results also confirmed that further enlargement of the heated area was suppressed by the restricted electron transport in nanowire arrays. These observations advance our understanding of HED plasma formation and evolution within the laser-irradiated nanowire arrays, laying a foundation for various applications.
Authors
- Daisuke Tanaka
- Y. Sentoku (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2093-7100)
- Ichiro Nishii
- Keiichi Sueda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7343-1982)
- T. Yabuuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0638-7640)
- Norimasa Ozaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7320-9871)
- Toshihiro Somekawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-3205)
- Hiroshi Sawada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7972-9894)
- T. Idesaka
- Shoso Shingubara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2134-1691)
- Kohei Yamanoi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4492-4099)
- Sota Matsuura
- Kohei Miyanishi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6477-3710)
- Tomohiro Shimizu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5767-858X)
- C. Nakatsuji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2172-0080)
- Shun Horimoto
- Takuya Honda
- Yuuichi Inubushi
- Keisuke Shigemori
Institutions
- University of Nevada, Reno (US)
- Institute for Laser Technology (JP)
- SPring-8 (JP)
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JP)
- Museum of Japanese Art Yamato Bunkakan (JP)
- Kansai University (JP)
- The University of Osaka (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47126-0
- Primary Topic
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science