Opacity effects on hydrogenlike x-ray lines emitted from laser-driven implosions.

Glass microballoons filled with mixtures of argon and neon were imploded using the University of Rochester 24-beam ..cap omega.. laser system. Experimentally observed Lyman-series x-ray lines were analyzed to determine plasma core parameters and the effects of opacity on spectroscopic diagnostics. The analysis produced results which were at odds with some previous assumptions.