Thomson scattering in dense plasmas using X-ray laser probe

Summary form only given, as follows. Application of x-ray beams as probes in Thomson scattering experiments allows investigations of plasmas in new regimes of high plasma densities. Compressed fuel in the inertial fusion experiments, ultra short laser pulse produced plasmas for X-ray sources, foam plasmas used in radiation transport studies, shock compressed plasmas for equation of state experiments are examples of ionized gases which can be only diagnosed with short wavelength probes. When fully developed, TS from high density plasmas will justify further development of radiation sources such as x-ray and free electron lasers. Imminent prospect for these advances has motivated our theoretical study. Discussion of the TS cross-section in dense laser produced plasmas will highlight specific issues of laser heated plasmas such as small volumes and inhomogeneity of a scattering region, lack of a coherence in probe beams, required spectral resolution and intensity of the X-ray probe. Sufficient brightness of the probe is necessary to overcome bremsstrahlung emission and absorption in dense plasmas. These limiting factors must be addressed before incoherent TS can be used as an effective diagnostic tool at high densities.