Surface acceleration of fast electrons with relativistic self-focusing in preformed plasma

We report an observation of surface acceleration of fast electrons in intense laser-plasma interactions. When a preformed plasma is presented in front of a solid target with a higher laser intensity, the emission direction of fast electrons is changed to the target surface direction from the laser and specular directions. This feature could be caused by the formation of a strong static magnetic field along the target surface which traps and holds fast electrons on the surface. In our experiment, the increase in the laser intensity due to relativistic self-focusing in plasma plays an important role for the formation. The strength of the magnetic field is calculated from the bent angle of the electrons, resulting in tens of percent of laser magnetic field, which agrees well with a two-dimensional particle-in-cell calculation. The strong surface current explains the high conversion efficiency on the cone-guided fast ignitor experiments.     

飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生快电子发射的实验和模拟研究

采用实验和数值模拟研究了飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生的快电子发射.实验中,在主脉冲前加上一个预脉冲产生预等离子体,然后主脉冲与预等离子体作用产生快电子.在激光反射方向附近,实验测量的快电子束发射与数值模拟的结果高度地一致;在靶背面,发射的快电子的数目小于数值模拟的结果,原因在于快电子在靶内输运受到电荷分离场和碰撞的影响;在数值模拟中未出现的,沿靶表面发射的快电子束,是由表面准静态电磁场的禁闭效应产生.     

飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生快电子发射的实验和模拟研究

采用实验和数值模拟研究了飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生的快电子发射。实验中,在主脉冲前加上一个预脉冲产生预等离子体,然后主脉冲与预等离子体作用产生快电子。在激光反射方向附近,实验测量的快电子束发射与数值模拟的结果高度地一致;在靶背面,发射的快电子的数目小于数值模拟的结果,原因在于快电子在靶内输运受到电荷分离场和碰撞的影响;在数值模拟中未出现的,沿靶表面发射的快电子束,是由表面准静态电磁场的禁闭效应产生。     

近相对论强度激光与薄膜靶相互作用中靶厚度对超热电子发射方向的影响

研究了近相对论强度的激光脉冲与薄膜靶相互作用中，靶厚度对超热电子发射方向的影响.实验发现，随着靶厚度的增加，靶后超热电子的发射方向向靶的法线方向移动，同时电子束的发散角变大.结果分析表明，靶背面电荷分离场强度的变化是影响电子发射方向的主要原因. 关键词： 飞秒激光脉冲 超热电子 靶厚度     

通道靶对超强激光加速质子束的聚焦效应

发散角过大是制约超强激光与固体靶相互作用加速产生高能质子束应用的一个重大物理难题.本文提出了一种结构化的通道靶型,与超强激光相互作用可提高质子束的发散特性,通道壁上产生的横向电荷分离静电场可对质子有效聚焦.采用二维particle-in-cell粒子模拟程序对激光通道靶相互作用过程进行了研究,分析了加速质子束的性能特点.模拟结果表明,与传统平面靶相比,通道靶可以在不过多损失能量的情况下产生具有更好准直性的质子束,尤其当通道靶的直径与激光焦斑尺寸和质子源尺寸相当时,横向静电场能够有效聚焦质子束,并且可保证相对较高的激光能量利用率.     

强激光与固体靶作用产生的表面电子加速和辐射研究

利用单电子在固体靶表面准静态电磁场中运动的模型和非线性汤姆孙散射理论,研究了以大角度斜入射的强激光照射在固体靶表面产生的沿靶面方向发射的高能超热电子的运动及其产生的电磁辐射脉冲. 数值模拟表明,靶表面的电子在靶面附近的准静态电磁场和反射的激光场中作振荡. 当电子振荡频率接近激光频率时,电子被有效加速,被加速的电子主要沿靶面方向运动并产生向前的阿秒脉冲辐射. 讨论了电子在加速前的不同初始速度分布对辐射脉冲的时间和空间特性的影响,模拟了不同初始状态的多电子相干辐射脉冲的频谱特性. 关键词： 表面准静态电磁场 超热电子 阿秒脉冲 相干辐射     

激光功率密度对Al膜靶后表面快电子发射的影响

 报道了在20 TW皮秒激光器上完成的p偏振激光与等离子体相互作用过程中产生的快电子的角分布和能谱测量结果。实验得到：当激光功率密度小于10¹⁷ W/cm²时,电子发射没有明显定向性,在激光入射面内多峰发射;当激光功率密度大于10¹⁷ W/cm2,小于10¹⁸ W/cm²时,电子主要沿靶面法线方向发射;当激光功率密度达到相对论强度时,电子主要沿激光传播方向发射;激光功率密度未达到相对论强度时,靶后表面法线方向快电子能谱拟合平均温度符合共振吸收温度定标率;激光功率密度达相对论强度以上时,靶后表面法线方向快电子能谱拟合平均温度高于已有的温度定标率。     

Magnetic surface levels

As is well known, the energy spectrum of conduction electrons in a metal in a magnetic field is split into the Landau levels. These levels give rise to several phenomena whose essence is in the oscillatory dependence of some property of the metal characteristics on the strength of the magnetic field, in the range of strong and medium fields. Of these the most famous are the de Haas-van Alphen effect, and the Shubnikov-de Haas effect. Electronic transitions between the Landau levels give rise to the cyclotron resonance.

In a surface layer of a metal placed in a weak magnetic field another system of levels appears for electrons moving along shallow arcs, with their ends resting upon the surface of the metal. These levels originate from the quantized periodic motion of electrons along such ‘skipping’ trajectories due to a specular reflection at the metal surface. The spectrum of the system of magnetic surface levels manifests itself in an oscillatory dependence of the surface impedance on a weak magnetic field. The oscillations are due to a resonant absorption of microwave radiation in transitions of electrons between the magnetic levels occurring at discrete values of the magnetic field.

This new quantum effect discovered in several metals in both the normal and superconducting states should, in principle, be common to all the conductors. Studies of the effect are being extended rapidly, and one foresees a discovery of some new phenomena due to the surface bound states of charged quasiparticles, arising in a conductor when exposed to a weak magnetic field.     

激光入射角对靶面方向超热电子发射的影响

实验研究了超短超强激光脉冲与薄膜靶相互作用中产生的超热电子角分布随激光入射角的变化.在靶面方向观测到一束方向性很好的高能超热电子.该高能超热电子束的电子数目随着激光入射角的增大而增大.对结果的分析表明，表面准静态磁场是导致表面电子产生的主要原因. 关键词： 超热电子 表面准静态磁场 超强激光脉冲与等离子体相互作用     

超强激光与泡沫微结构靶相互作用提高强流电子束产额模拟研究

利用二维粒子模拟方法,本文研究了超强激光与泡沫微结构镀层靶相互作用产生强流电子束问题.研究发现泡沫区域产生了百兆高斯级准静态磁场,形成具有选能作用的"磁势垒",强流电子束中的低能端电子在"磁势垒"的作用下返回激光作用区域,在鞘场和激光场的共同作用下发生多次加速过程,从而显著提升高能电子产额.还应用单粒子模型,分析了电子在激光场作用下的运动行为,验证了多次加速的物理机理.     

电介质/半导体结构样品电子束感生电流瞬态特性

电子束照射下电介质/半导体样品的电子束感生电流(electron beam induced current,EBIC)是其电子显微检测的重要手段.结合数值模拟和实验测量,研究了高能电子束辐照下SiO2/Si薄膜的瞬态EBIC特性.基于Rutherford模型和快二次电子模型研究电子的散射过程,基于电流连续性方程计算电荷的输运、俘获和复合过程,获得了电荷分布、EBIC和透射电流瞬态特性以及束能和束流对它们的影响.结果表明,由于电子散射效应,自由电子密度沿入射方向逐渐减小.由于二次电子出射,净电荷密度呈现近表面为正、内部为负的特性,空间电场在表面附近为正而在样品内部为负,导致一些电子输运到基底以及一些出射二次电子返回表面.SiO2与Si界面处俘获电子导致界面附近负电荷密度高于周围区域.随电子束照射样品内部净电荷密度逐渐降低,带电强度减弱.同时,负电荷逐渐向基底输运,EBIC和样品电流逐渐增大,电场强度逐渐减小.由于样品带电强度较弱,表面出射电流和透射电流随照射基本保持恒定.EBIC、透射电流及表面出射电流均随束流呈现近似正比例关系.对于本文SiO2/Si薄膜,透射电流随束能的升高逐渐增大并接近于束流值,EBIC在束能约15 keV时呈现极大值.     

Effect of electron magnetic trapping in a plasma immersion ion implantation system

In this work we describe a two-dimensional computer simulation of magnetic field enhanced plasma immersion implantation system. Negative bias voltage of 10.0 kV is applied to a cylindrical target located on the axis of a grounded vacuum chamber filled with uniform nitrogen plasma. A pair of external coils creates a static magnetic field with main vector component along the axial direction. Thus, a system of crossed E×B field is generated inside the vessel forcing plasma electrons to rotate in azimuthal direction. In addition, the axial variation of the magnetic field intensity produces magnetic mirror effect that enables axial particle confinement. It is found that high-density plasma regions are formed around the target due to intense background gas ionization by the trapped electrons. Effect of the magnetic field on the sheath dynamics and the implantation current density of the PIII system is investigated. By changing the magnetic field axial profile (varying coils separation) an enhancement of about 30% of the retained dose can be achieved. The results of the simulation show that the magnetic mirror configuration brings additional benefits to the PIII process, permitting more precise control of the implanted dose.     

On the role of the surface currents in conducting targets in the formation of the diffraction and transition radiation of relativistic electrons

The surface current method and the pseudophoton method are widely used in the study of the interaction between relativistic electrons and matter. A simple analysis reveals the contradictions between these methods as to the excitation of the currents on the surface of the conducting target. To solve this contradiction, the surface currents on the downstream and upstream surfaces of the conducting target were measured in the geometry of the diffraction radiation. The surface currents were experimentally recorded on the upstream target surface, from which the backward diffraction radiation is generated. At the same time, the surface currents are absent on the downstream target surface, which is conventionally considered as a source of diffraction radiation in the direction of the motion of electrons. Analogous results were obtained in the same geometry in a beam of real photons. On the whole, these results confirm the applicability of the pseudophoton method for the analysis of the effects of the interaction between the field of relativistic photons and the thick (thicker than the skin layer) conducting targets and inapplicability of the surface current method for the radiation in the direction of motion of electrons.     

超强飞秒激光与固体靶产生的超热电子加热机制

 在SILEX-1激光器上测量了超强飞秒激光与Ta靶相互作用产生的出射超热电子能谱及角分布，研究了出射超热电子加热机制。激光脉宽为 30 fs，激光功率密度为8.5×10¹⁸ W/cm²。靶前法线方向超热电子温度为550 keV。从实验结果可知：共振吸收是靶前法线方向超热电子主要加热机制，这与靶前存在大密度标长预等离子体的实验条件吻合。靶厚为6～50 μm时，靶后超热电子沿法线方向出射；靶厚为2 mm时，该发射峰消失。     

Generation of fast protons in moderate-intensity laser－plasma interaction from rear sheath

Forward fast protons are generated by the moderate-intensity laser--foil interaction. Protons with maximum energy 190~keV are measured by using magnetic spectrometer and CR-39 solid state track detectors along the direction normal to the rear surface. The experimental results are also modeled by the particle-in-cell method, investigating the time-varying electron temperature and the rear sheath field. The temporal and spatial structure of the sheath electrical field, revealed in the simulation, suggests that these protons are accelerated by target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) mechanism.     

Formation of steep gradients with plasma detachment at grazing B-field incidence at a plasma-wall transition

We use an Eulerian Vlasov code to study the problem of the formation of a plasma sheath with plasma detachment (i.e. no plasma transport to the wall) at a plasma-wall transition, in front of an absorbing wall. The ions are described by a kinetic equation in the full velocity space which integrates exactly the ion orbits. We consider a one-dimensional slab geometry, where the inhomogeneous direction is perpendicular to the wall. The electrons, assumed to only move along the magnetic field lines, are described by a parallel-B kinetic equation. The magnetized electrons are restricted to move along the magnetic field because the surface-parallel diamagnetic and electric drifts are equal and opposite. The present study shows how an ambipolar flow in the direction normal to the wall is established. For very small values of the angleα between the magnetic field and the plane of the wall, steep density and potential gradients are established in front of the plate surface with almost no plasma transport towards the wall. Presented at 5th Workshop “Role of Electric Fields in Plasma Confinement and Exhaust”, Montreux, Switzerland, June 23–24, 2002.     

飞秒激光-固体靶相互作用中超热电子能量分布的实验研究

用3TW飞秒激光器研究了激光-固体靶相互作用中产生的超热电子的能量分布.超热电子构成各向异性的能量分布：在靶法线方向，超热电子能谱呈类麦克斯韦分布，拟合的温度约为206keV，该方向占主导地位的加速机理是共振吸收；在激光反射方向，超热电子能谱先是出现一个局部的平台，然后逐渐衰减，呈现非类麦克斯韦分布，这是由于几种加热机理共同作用的结果，其中占主导地位的是反射激光对电子的加速.在靶法线方向超热电子的温度和产额均大于激光反射方向超热电子的温度和产额，证明共振吸收机理对电子的加速更有效. 关键词： 飞秒激光 等离子体 超热电子 能谱     

Quasi-static surface modes of plasma layer with anisotropic electron temperature

Quasi-static surface wave propagation in a plasma layer with anisotropic electron temperature is considered. The case is analyzed where the electron temperature in the direction normal to the plasma boundary is considered to be zero, while in the direction along the boundary, electrons are described by the Maxwellian velocity distribution. It is shown that the modes of such a layer are described by equations for bulk plasma waves with renormalization of the electron density affecting the surface wave dispersion and damping.     

两种外磁场形式对介质面次级电子倍增的抑制

利用自编1D3V PIC程序,数值研究了不同外加磁场方式对次级电子倍增抑制的物理过程,给出了次级电子数目、平均能量、密度、运动轨迹、渡越时间、介质表面静电场及沉积功率等物理量时空分布关系。模拟结果表明:不同方向外加磁场抑制次级电子倍增的机理有所不同。轴向外加磁场利用电子回旋运动干扰微波电场对电子加速过程,使其碰壁能量降低以达到抑制二次电子倍增的效果;横向外加磁场利用电子回旋漂移过程中,电子半个周期被推离介质表面（不发生次级电子倍增）,半个周期被推回介质表面（降低电子碰撞能量）的作用机理,达到抑制二次电子倍增的效果。讨论了横向磁场在回旋共振下,电子回旋同步加速导致回旋半径增大,电子能量持续增加的特殊过程。两种外加磁场方式都可以通过增加磁场达到进一步抑制次级电子倍增的目的。轴向外加磁场加载容易,但对磁场要求较高;横向外加磁场需要磁场较低,但加载较为困难。     

Pseudospark produced pulsed electron beam for material processing

An intense pulsed electron beam produced by a pseudospark discharge is used for material processing. The electron beam propagates in a self-focused manner in the background gas. Hardly 12 ns after the beginning of the discharge the fraction of space charge neutralization is about 96%. To sustain the neutralization effect high energy electrons (E <500 keV) are accelerated in radial direction at the beam head, due to strong electric field gradients. At current maximum the beam pinches due to its own magnetic field. At peak current of 400 A and charging voltage up to 16 kV power density reaches 10⁹ W/cm ² on the target surface. Some results of copper thin films are presented. Due to the high expansion velocity of 10⁴ m/s of the ablated target material a copper-matrix has been masked