Experimental Results for Layered Targets Irradiated by Double Focal Spot

We performed an experiment dedicated to study the interaction of a double-spot laser beam with aluminum foils and with foam-aluminum layered targets. The experiment was performed using the Prague PALS iodine laser working at 0.44 mu m wavelength and irradiance of a few 10(15) W/cm(2). Shock breakouts for pure Al and for foam-Al targets have been recorded using time-resolved self-emission diagnostics and compared to results from numerical simulations. In the case of foam layered targets, we observed a spatial redistribution of the pressure and collision between two shocks originating from two spots. We also observed a significant delay of shock breakout in the shots with foam.