"Quenching" of the ion composition and diagnostics of a dense laser plasma

A theoretical analysis is made of the kinetics of the ion composition of a laser plasma during its compression and expansion. It is shown that in a wide range of parameters of a laser plasma the ion composition of the matter in the compressed part of the plasma is quenched in. The effect is used as the basis of several diagnostic methods for the determination of the temperature or density of a plasma at the moment of its maximum compression, and for the investigation of the equation of state of a plasma and the stability of its compression.