Favorable target positions for intense laser acceleration of electrons in hydrogen-like, highly-charged ions

Authors

Liang-Wen Pi, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
S. X. Hu, University of RochesterFollow
Anthony F. Starace, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

8-2015

Citation

PHYSICS OF PLASMAS 22, 093111 (2015)

Comments

Copyright (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. Used by permission.

Abstract

Classical relativistic Monte Carlo simulations of petawatt laser acceleration of electrons bound initially in hydrogen-like, highly-charged ions show that both the angles and energies of the laser-accelerated electrons depend on the initial ion positions with respect to the laser focus. Electrons bound in ions located after the laser focus generally acquire higher (≈GeV) energies and are ejected at smaller angles with respect to the laser beam. Our simulations assume a tightly-focused linearly-polarized laser pulse with intensity approaching 10²²W/cm². Up to fifth order corrections to the paraxial approximation of the laser field in the focal region are taken into account. In addition to the laser intensity, the Rayleigh length in the focal region is shown to play a significant role in maximizing the final energy of the accelerated electrons. Results are presented for both Ne⁹⁺ and Ar¹⁷⁺ target ions.