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

Document Type

Article

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.