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Generation of high-energy ion bunches via laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration at ultra-high laser intensities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2014

S. Jabłoński*
Affiliation:
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw, Poland
J. Badziak
Affiliation:
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw, Poland
P. Rączka
Affiliation:
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw, Poland
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Sławomir Jabłoński, Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, 23 Hery Street, 01-497 Warsaw, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

In this paper, a new method for efficient generation of high-energy ion bunches via laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration (LICPA) is examined using one-dimensional particle-in-cell code PIC1D. It is found that for high laser beam intensities of the order of 1022 W/cm2 and for circular light polarization, a substantial increase in parameters of the accelerated ions is obtained when the target is placed inside a special cavity, into which the laser beam is introduced by a small hole. As compared to the pure radiation pressure acceleration scheme, the LICPA scheme leads to an increase in ion energies and the laser-to-ions energy conversion efficiency while the width of the ion energy spectrum are similar for both the schemes. Such a tendency was observed for all carbon targets (from 2 µm to 0.2 µm thick) investigated in the paper. The results of PIC1D simulations agree very well with predictions of the suitably generalized light sail model.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

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