X-ray phase-contrast imaging for laser-induced shock waves
X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) is a versatile technique with applications in
many fields, including fundamental physics, biology and medicine. Where X-ray absorption radiography
requires high density ratios for effective imaging, the image contrast for XPCI is a function
of the density gradient. In this letter, we apply XPCI to the study of laser-driven shock waves.
Our experiment was conducted at the Petawatt High-Energy Laser for Heavy Ion EXperiments
(PHELIX) at GSI. Two laser beams were used: one to launch a shock wave and the other to
generate an X-ray source for phase-contrast imaging. Our results suggest that this technique
is suitable for the study of warm dense matter (WDM), inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and
laboratory astrophysics.