Abstract.  Interactions of plasma jets with solid surfaces are extensively studied in context with development of future fusion devices. In experiments carried out on the iodine laser system PALS, the energetic ions were produced at burnt-through foils with low-to-high atomic numbers (Al, Ag, Ta). The formation of plasma jets was optimized using the three-frame interferometry, their interaction with solids (generally known as plasma–wall interaction, PWI) was studied via temporally–resolved x–ray imaging, optical spectroscopy, high–resolution x–ray spectroscopy, and analysis of craters created at surfaces of secondary targets. With respect to the found optimum conditions for the jet production, alternative experimental schemes are discussed. The examples of jets applications for investigating the transition phenomena at surfaces of plasma-exposed solids are presented. The measured diagnostic data is interpreted in terms of the plasma jets interpenetration, ion stagnation and trapping close to the secondary target. The observations are compared with conclusions of the numerical modeling based on the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian code PALE. The obtained results demonstrate the potential and usefulness of the energetic plasma jets in PWI investigation.

This research was supported by the Czech Science Foundation Grant P205/10/0814 and the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports projects No. MSM 6840770022 and LC528.