A wide-angle diagnostic method for shock wave velocity is proposed in this paper. An ellipsoidal equation deduced for wide-angle diagnosis by using geometrical optical laws is presented. The combination of an ellipsoidal mirror and a traditional velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) forms a wide-angle VISAR. Several fundamental problems such as assembly, imaging, and interference in the wide-angle VISAR are discussed. The method is proven to be feasible based on the results of an eight-beam laser direct drive experiment at SG-III prototype facility. The diagnostic method is expected to be usable in a wide variety of experiments, especially those related to implosion compression, including high-pressure equation of state experiments, materials characterization experiments, shock characterization for Rayleigh–Taylor experiments, and shock timing experiments for inertial confinement fusion research.
Recent results from experimental studies on laser–plasma coupling in a shock ignition relevant regime