Uniform multimegabar shock waves in solids driven by laser-generated thermal radiation

Uniform shock waves were driven into solid gold and aluminum samples via ablation of material by intense thermal radiation. The radiation was generated by laser heating of 1--3 mm size gold cavities to radiation temperatures of up to 150 eV. Shock wave velocity and uniformity were measured using flat, single-step, double-step, and wedge samples. Pressures of up to 20 Mbar were achieved.