Generation of high pressures by short-pulse low-energy laser irradiation

The goal of this paper is twofold: first, we demonstrate shock generation with ultra-short (24 fs) and low-energy (J) laser pulse, following the energy deposition in the target by fast electrons; second, we show that such shocks can be used to provide information on compressed matter. For a target with $50\ \mu \text{m}$ thickness we have clearly inferred the formation of a shock wave with pressure ${\ge}100\ \text{Mbar}$ . We have also measured the color temperature of the emitting target rear side at breakout time $(T \approx 0.6\ \text{eV})$ , which is in good agreement with predictions from equation-of-state models (SESAME tables) and hydrodynamic simulations