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Proton probing measurement of electric and magnetic fields generated by ns and ps laser-matter interactions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2008

L. Romagnani*
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK
M. Borghesi
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK
C.A. Cecchetti
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK
S. Kar
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK
P. Antici
Affiliation:
Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI), UMR 7605 CNRS-CEA-Ecole Polytechnique-University, Palaiseau, France Dipartimento di Energetica, Università di Roma, La Sapienza, Roma, Italy
P. Audebert
Affiliation:
Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI), UMR 7605 CNRS-CEA-Ecole Polytechnique-University, Palaiseau, France
S. Bandhoupadjay
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
F. Ceccherini
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica “E. Fermi,”Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
T. Cowan
Affiliation:
Physics Department, MS-220, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
J. Fuchs
Affiliation:
Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI), UMR 7605 CNRS-CEA-Ecole Polytechnique-University, Palaiseau, France
M. Galimberti
Affiliation:
Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory, IPCF-CNR, Pisa, Italy
L.A. Gizzi
Affiliation:
Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory, IPCF-CNR, Pisa, Italy
T. Grismayer
Affiliation:
Centre de Physique Theorique, UMR 7644, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France
R. Heathcote
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
R. Jung
Affiliation:
Institut für Laser und Plasma Physik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
T.V. Liseykina
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica “E. Fermi,”Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
A. Macchi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica “E. Fermi,”Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy PolyLAB, CNR-INFM, Pisa, Italy
P. Mora
Affiliation:
Centre de Physique Theorique, UMR 7644, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France
D. Neely
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
M. Notley
Affiliation:
Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
J. Osterholtz
Affiliation:
Institut für Laser und Plasma Physik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
C.A. Pipahl
Affiliation:
Institut für Laser und Plasma Physik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
G. Pretzler
Affiliation:
Institut für Laser und Plasma Physik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
A. Schiavi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Energetica, Università di Roma, La Sapienza, Roma, Italy
G. Schurtz
Affiliation:
Centre d'Etudes des Lasers Intenses et Applications, UMR 5107 Universtity of Bordeaux I-CNRS-CEA, France
T. Toncian
Affiliation:
Institut für Laser und Plasma Physik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
P.A. Wilson
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK
O. Willi
Affiliation:
Institut für Laser und Plasma Physik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany
*
Address correspondence and reprint request to: L. Romagnani, School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The use of laser-accelerated protons as a particle probe for the detection of electric fields in plasmas has led in recent years to a wealth of novel information regarding the ultrafast plasma dynamics following high intensity laser-matter interactions. The high spatial quality and short duration of these beams have been essential to this purpose. We will discuss some of the most recent results obtained with this diagnostic at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK) and at LULI - Ecole Polytechnique (France), also applied to conditions of interest to conventional Inertial Confinement Fusion. In particular, the technique has been used to measure electric fields responsible for proton acceleration from solid targets irradiated with ps pulses, magnetic fields formed by ns pulse irradiation of solid targets, and electric fields associated with the ponderomotive channelling of ps laser pulses in under-dense plasmas.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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