Progress on a Double Ablation Front Scheme for Iron Spectral Opacity Measurements in Solar Conditions

We propose a new method to verify the radiation transport properties of the plasma at the base of the solar convection zone. The method is designed for high power lasers, and exploits the temporal and spatial stability of hydrodynamic parameters in counter-propagating double ablation front (DAF) structures. One-dimensional radiative hydrodynamic simulations of a symmetric DAF structure are studied in the presence of tracer layers. In this framework an iron sample with electron number density n(e) similar to 2 x 10(23) cm(-3) can be taken to an electron temperature of Te 200 eV. These conditions are obtained for 500 ps with small longitudinal gradients and with matter very near to local thermodynamical equilibrium. These results led to an experimental design compatible with the OMEGA laser of Boehly et al. (1997). We discuss the findings of a preliminary campaign conducted in 2017.