Target normal sheath acceleration with a large laser focal diameter
- 1 December 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Physics of Plasmas
- Vol. 27 (12), 123104
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0020609
Abstract
The dependence of the laser-driven ion acceleration from thin titanium foils in the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) regime on target and laser parameters is explored using two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The oblique incidence ( theta L = 45 degrees) and large focal spot size ( w 0 = 40 mu m) are chosen to take an advantage of quasi one-dimensional geometry of sheath fields and effective electron heating. This interaction setup also reveals low and achromatic angular divergence of a proton beam. It is shown that the hot electron temperature deviates from the ponderomotive scaling for short laser pulses and small pre-plasmas. This deviation is mainly due to the laser sweeping, as the short duration laser pulse each moment in time effectively heats only a fraction of a focal spot on the foil. This instantaneous partial heating results in an electron temperature deviation from the ponderomotive scaling and, thus, lower maximum proton energies than it could have been expected from the TNSA theory.Funding Information
- U.S. Department of Energy (DE-AC02-05CH11231)
- U.S. Department of Energy (17-SC-20-SC)
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
This publication has 49 references indexed in Scilit:
- Radiation pressure acceleration: The factors limiting maximum attainable ion energyPhysics of Plasmas, 2016
- CERN Yellow Reports, Vol 1 (2016): Proceedings of the 2014 CAS-CERN Accelerator School: Plasma Wake Acceleration2016
- Laser ion acceleration for hadron therapyPhysics-Uspekhi, 2014
- Ion acceleration by superintense laser-plasma interactionReviews of Modern Physics, 2013
- Review of laser-driven ion sources and their applicationsReports on Progress in Physics, 2012
- Optics in the relativistic regimeReviews of Modern Physics, 2006
- Energetic proton generation in ultra-intense laser–solid interactionsPhysics of Plasmas, 2001
- Intense High-Energy Proton Beams from Petawatt-Laser Irradiation of SolidsPhysical Review Letters, 2000
- Forward Ion Acceleration in Thin Films Driven by a High-Intensity LaserPhysical Review Letters, 2000
- Measurements of Energetic Proton Transport through Magnetized Plasma from Intense Laser Interactions with SolidsPhysical Review Letters, 2000