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Production of multi-MeV per nucleon ions in the controlled amount of matter mode (CAM) by using causally isolated targets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

C. STRANGIO
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
A. CARUSO
Affiliation:
Università Kore, Enna, Italy
D. NEELY
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facilities, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
P.L. ANDREOLI
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
R. ANZALONE
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
R. CLARKE
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facilities, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
G. CRISTOFARI
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
E. DEL PRETE
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
G. DI GIORGIO
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
C. MURPHY
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facilities, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
C. RICCI
Affiliation:
Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione ENEA-Frascati, Italy
R. STEVENS
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facilities, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
M. TOLLEY
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facilities, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK

Abstract

In several experiments, faster ions were produced from the backside of solid targets irradiated by powerful laser pulses. The ion acceleration was considered due to the negative electrostatic sheath formed on the backside of the target (TNSA), or to the expansion wave starting at the backside surface, or to the expansion wave and to its embedded electrostatic rarefaction shock. In this experiment, ions have been generated by transferring energy to a controlled amount of mass before the target become transparent by gas dynamic expansion (controlled amount of mass mode (CAM)). The targets used were thin transparent disks causally isolated from the holder to trim down, during the interaction process, unwanted effects due to the surrounding parts. Two kinds of target corresponding to a different set of parameters were designed (LARGE and SMALL). Both targets were conceived to survive, in the actual contrast conditions, to the low power pulse forerunning the giant laser pulse, bigger margin but lower performances being assigned to LARGE. For comparison standard square foils under the same focusing conditions, were also studied (LARGE-LIKE and SMALL-LIKE irradiation).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

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