Homogeneity of laser radiation energy release in a plasma corona of a spherical target

An investigation is reported of laser radiation power absorbed in a spherical shell microtarget irradiated with six laser beams. Hydrodynamic processes in the resultant plasma, refraction of the heating radiation, inverse-bremsstrahlung and resonant absorption of the laser radiation, and deformation of the plasma density profile by the optical pressure forces are all taken into account. A study is made of the influence of the irradiation geometry and of the integral absorption coefficient. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data obtained using the six-channel PROGRESS laser facility.