Gold M-band x rays produced by irradiating a gold sample with laser light from the Nova laser were used to heat an aluminum foil volumetrically. The hydrodynamic expansion and temperature of the resulting aluminum plasma were measured. The M-band source was characterized spatially and temporally, and provided a nearly uniform bulk heating of the sample. This provided an experimental test of hydrodynamic simulations free from the complications of laser-plasma interactions, multiple shocks, or strength of materials. Experiments and simulations of a simple planar expansion and the collision of two parallel foils are presented.

• Received 12 January 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.58.3739