High-energy ion generation in interaction of short laser pulse with high-density plasma

Authors

Y. Sentoku, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
V. Y. Bychenkov, P.N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow 117 924, Russia
K. Flippo, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Anatoly Maksimchuk, University of MichiganFollow
K. Mima, Institute for Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
G. Mourou, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Z. M. Sheng, Institute for Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Donald Umstadter, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2-1-2002

Comments

Published in Applied Physics B 74 (2002), pp. 207–215. Copyright © 2002 Springer-Verlag. Used by permission. http://www.springerlink.com/content/0946-2171

Abstract

Multi-MeV ion production from the interaction of a short laser pulse with a high-density plasma, accompanied by an underdense preplasma, has been studied with a particle-in- cell simulation and good agreement is found with experiment. The mechanism primarily responsible for the acceleration of ions is identified. Comparison with experiments sheds light on the ion-energy dependence on laser intensity, preplasma scale length, and relative ion energies for a multi-species plasma. Two regimes of maximum ion-energy dependence on laser intensity, I, have been identified: subrelativistic, μ I ; and relativistic, μ √I. Simulations show that the energy of the accelerated ions versus the preplasma scale length increases linearly and then saturates. In contrast, the ion energy decreases with the thick­ness of the solid-density plasma.