My PhD, supervised by Dr Erik Wagenaars and Prof Greg Tallents, focuses on the interactions between high-power lasers and solids, specifically ablation – the conversion of solid material to plasma. Experimental investigations will use several state-of-the-art laser systems in the YPI laboratories that vary from the infrared to extreme ultra-violet (EUV) regime. The aim is to produce a more complete picture of the wavelength dependence of this process, with an emphasis on absorption mechanisms. Ablation already has a range of applications at optical wavelengths but only more recently have short-wavelength sources become available in the laboratory, allowing us to investigate behaviour applicable to indirect-drive ICF.