Heating mechanisms in short-pulse laser-driven cone targets

The fast ignitor is a modern approach to laser fusion that uses a short-pulse laser to initiate thermonuclear burn. In its simplest form the laser launches relativistic electrons that carry its energy to a precompressed fusion target. Cones have been used to give the light access to the dense target core through the low-density ablative cloud surrounding it. Here the ANTHEM implicit hybrid simulation model shows that the peak ion temperatures measured in recent cone target experiments arose chiefly from return current joule heating, mildly supplemented by relativistic electron drag. Magnetic fields augment this heating only slightly, but capture hot electrons near the cone surface and force the hot electron stream into filaments.     

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。     

次稠密等离子体对激光与锥形靶相互作用的影响

利用三维粒子模拟程序模拟了强激光在锥形靶内的传播情况.发现锥内次稠密等离子体的存在使激光在锥顶部的最大聚焦强度有所降低，产生的相对论电子的最大能量和数目增加.激光在锥壁激发起强的电流和磁场，次稠密的存在还使锥内产生强的准静态磁场，磁场的存在使相对论电子速度分布在垂直激光传播方向上表现出各向同性. 关键词： 超强激光脉冲 锥形靶 快点火 粒子模拟     

Optimum hot electron production with low-density foams for laser fusion by fast ignition

We propose a foam cone-in-shell target design aiming at optimum hot electron production for the fast ignition. A thin low-density foam is proposed to cover the inner tip of a gold cone inserted in a fuel shell. An intense laser is then focused on the foam to generate hot electrons for the fast ignition. Element experiments demonstrate increased laser energy coupling efficiency into hot electrons without increasing the electron temperature and beam divergence with foam coated targets in comparison with solid targets. This may enhance the laser energy deposition in the compressed fuel plasma.     

超相对论强度激光与薄膜靶作用中0.4 nm以下X射线阿秒脉冲的产生

用一维粒子模拟程序对功率密度在10²² W/cm²以上的超强激光驱动薄膜靶产生的相对论电子层及其经过汤姆孙散射产生的阿秒X射线进行了研究. 结果表明, 在超相对论强度范围下增大驱动激光强度, 相应减小等离子体密度及厚度可使电子层获得更高纵向动量, 使汤姆孙散射光明显向更短波长移动. 优化相关参数得到了波长为 1.168 nm的阿秒脉冲. 经过对倍频探测光方案与驱动光以及薄膜靶参数进行综合考虑和优化, 得到的X射线相干辐射波长有效减小到0.4 nm以下, 产生的光子能量达到2 keV以上. 关键词： 超相对论强度激光 阿秒X射线 相对论电子层 汤姆孙后向散射     

Enhanced Beat Wave Saturation Amplitude in an Ionizing Plasma

The excitation of a plasma wave by two laser beams, whose frequency difference is near the plasma frequency, is studied in a plasma with a density that is slowly increasing with time due to ongoing ionization as appropriate for experiments done in laser breakdown plasmas. Numerical integration of the relativistic equation for the evolution of the wave amplitude reveals that for a rate of increase of the plasma density of approximately 1017 cm-3/ns at a laser intensity I = 1014 W/cm2, the wave amplitude can rise considerably above the relativistic saturation limit of Rosenbluth and Liu which was obtained for a plasma of constant density. This increase in plasma density compensates the reduction in plasma frequency caused by the relativistic electron mass increase when the wave amplitude is large. The frequency and phase excursions of the plasma wave are reduced for an optimum time increasing density. We find that moderate damping can stabilize both the amplitude and the phase of the plasma wave with respect to the pump.     

Angular distribution of electrons in the field of a short laser pulse of relativistic intensity

Based on the dynamics of the electron in the field of a laser pulse of relativistic intensity, the electron emission angles with respect to the laser pulse propagation axis are calculated. The angular distribution of accelerated electrons is analyzed together with their energy spectrum. It is shown that fast electrons forming the high-energy spectral region are emitted into a fixed angular cone.     

激光驱动强流电子束产生和控制

在惯性约束聚变(ICF)电子束快点火物理方案中,需要超强拍瓦激光脉冲驱动MeV能量的强流电子束,并沉积数十kJ能量到压缩氘氚芯区。强流电子束的束流品质是影响点火成功的关键因素之一,为深入了解强流电子束产生物理过程,研制成了三维高性能、适应上万CPU核规模的并行粒子模拟程序,并开展了大规模数值模拟研究,探索了强流电子束的产生机制和输运规律。回顾了近几年来快点火研究团队围绕强流电子束产生和控制开展的研究,介绍了导致束流品质差的两大物理原因:预等离子体效应和束流不稳定性磁场的随机散射。针对这两个物理原因,提出了四种提高强流电子束品质的方法:(1)双层金锥靶减弱预等离子体的负面效应;(2)输运丝产生环向磁场准直强流电子束;(3)外加磁场导引强流电子束提高耦合效率;(4)抑制束流不稳定性以降低随机磁场对电子束流的散射。     

Intense short-pulse lasers irradiating wire and hollow plasma fibers

When an intense laser pulse irradiates a solid-density foil target, electrons produced at the relativistic critical density can be accelerated to relativistic energy by the ponderomotive force. When a plasma fiber is attached to the back of the foil, the produced relativistic electrons are guided to propagate along the fiber for a long distance, because the high-current electron beam induces strong radial electric fields in the fiber. Transport and heating of intense laser-driven relativistic electrons in both wire and hollow plasma fibers are compared theoretically and numerically. We found that the coupling efficiency from the laser to the plasma fiber depends on the fiber structure. Because of the enhanced return currents in the wire fiber, the temperature in the wire fiber is higher than that in the hollow fiber.     

Bright multi-keV harmonic generation from relativistically oscillating plasma surfaces

The first evidence of x-ray harmonic radiation extending to 3.3 A, 3.8 keV (order n>3200) from petawatt class laser-solid interactions is presented, exhibiting relativistic limit efficiency scaling (eta approximately n{-2.5}-n{-3}) at multi-keV energies. This scaling holds up to a maximum order, n{RO} approximately 8{1/2}gamma;{3}, where gamma is the relativistic Lorentz factor, above which the first evidence of an intensity dependent efficiency rollover is observed. The coherent nature of the generated harmonics is demonstrated by the highly directional beamed emission, which for photon energy hnu>1 keV is found to be into a cone angle approximately 4 degrees , significantly less than that of the incident laser cone (20 degrees ).     

Evidence of ultrashort electron bunches in laser-plasma interactions at relativistic intensities

The second harmonic of the laser light (2omega(0)) is observed on the rear side of thick solid targets irradiated by a laser beam at relativistic intensities. This emission is explained by the acceleration by the laser pulse in front of the target of short bunches of electrons separated by the period (or half the period) of the laser light. When reaching the rear side of the target, these electron bunches emit coherent transition radiation at 2omega(0). The observations indicate that, in our conditions, the minimum fraction of the laser energy transferred to these electron bunches is of the order of 1%.     

Photonuclear fission from high energy electrons from ultraintense laser-solid interactions

A new regime of laser-matter interactions in which the quiver motion of plasma electrons is fully relativistic, with energies extending well above the threshold for nuclear processes, is studied using a petawatt laser system. In solid target experiments with focused intensities exceeding 10(20) W/cm(2), high energy electron generation, hard bremsstrahlung, and nuclear phenomena have been observed. We report here a quantitative comparison of the high energy electrons and the bremsstrahlung spectrum, as measured by photonuclear reaction yields, including the photoinduced fission of 238U.     

The effect of the relativistic Hartree-Fock-Roothaan momentum distribution in the binary encounter approximation for inner shell ionization

K- and L-shell ionization cross sections of gold due to impact of proton and alpha particles have been calculated in the binary encounter approximation incorporating the effects of Coulomb deflection of the projectile, of increase in binding of the target electron, and of polarization and relativity. Relativistic Hartree-Fock-Roothaan (RHFR) momentum distributions for the target electron along with an approximate relativistic correction to the collision dynamics have been used in the present calculations. A comparison with the corresponding calculations using non-relativistic Hartree-Fock-Roothaan wave functions, experimental results and other available calculations is presented.     

Whispering Gallery Effect in Relativistic Optics

A relativistic laser pulse, confined in a cylindrical-like target, under specific conditions may perform multiple scattering along the internal target surface. This results in the confinement of the laser light, leading to a very efficient interaction. The demonstrated propagation of the laser pulse along the curved surface is just yet another example of the “whispering gallery” effect, although nonideal due to laser–plasma coupling. In the relativistic domain its important feature is a gradual intensity decrease, leading to changes in the interaction conditions. The process may pronounce itself in plenty of physical phenomena, including very efficient electron acceleration and generation of relativistic magnetized plasma structures.     

强激光与细锥靶相互作用产生强流高能电子束的研究

本文提出采用了强激光与细锥形靶作用, 产生大量定向高能电子, 用于快点火激光聚变方案研究. 通过PIC 模拟, 研究了细锥靶和激光脉冲的各项参数, 对产生高能电子的影响. 模拟发现, 细锥靶开口10° 时能够产生较多的高能电子, 当开口角度逐渐增大时, 高能电子的能量和数目都有一定程度下降. 若为细锥靶加上预等离子体, 产生的高能电子的数目将大大提高, 而最高的电子能量将会下降. 中等能量的电子加速主要由于激光有质动力加速, 而高能量的电子加速主要由于电子感应加速. 随着激光脉宽的增加, 高能电子的数量直线上升. 关键词： 细锥形靶 电子加速 感应共振加速     

High brightness keV harmonics from relativistically oscillating plasma surfaces

X-ray harmonic radiation extending to 3.3 Å, 3.8 keV from Petawatt class laser-solid interactions is presented. The harmonic spectra display a relativistic limit scaling up to ~3000th order, above which an intensity dependent scaling roll-over is observed. Highly directional beamed emission for harmonic photon energy hν > 1 keV is found to be into a cone angle < 4°, significantly less than that of the incident laser cone (20°).     

Coherent transition radiation from thin targets irradiated by high intensity laser pulses

A theoretical examination on coherent transition radiations (CTR) from the surface of thin solid density target irradiated by high intensity laser is presented. The theory is extended to consider the expansion dynamics of thin foils. The motion of target surfaces leads to the modulation on the temporal structure of micro bunches in the electron beam as well as the spectrum of CTR. The spectral shifts of radiation are owing to the enhancement of electron bunch separation and the relativistic Doppler effects. The radiation power distribution is strongly affected by the temporal coherence of electron beam structure, so thus the electron temperature and velocity dispersions. With these effects accounted for, the spectral properties of coherent transition radiation can provide insights into the expansion of thin foil targets irradiated by intense laser pulse as well as the fast electron transport through it.     

Laser-based optical emission studies of barium plasma

We present the optical emission characteristics of the barium plasma produced at the surface of barium hydroxide Ba(OH)₂, also known as baryta, generated by the first harmonic (1,064 nm) of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The laser beam was focused on target material by placing it in air at atmospheric pressure. The experimentally observed line profiles of neutral barium have been used to extract the electron temperature using the Boltzmann plot method, whereas the electron number density has been determined from the Stark broadening. The electron temperature is calculated by varying distance from the target surface along the line of propagation of plasma plume and also by varying the laser energy. Besides, we have studied the variation of number density as a function of laser energy as well as its variation with distance from the target surface. It is observed that electron temperature and electron number density increase as laser energy increases.     

激光同步辐射作为阿秒X射线辐射源的特性研究

 研究了逆流相对论电子与激光脉冲相互作用获得激光同步辐射的频率上移、微分散射截面等特性。发现逆流相对论电子与短脉冲激光相互作用，可以获得阿秒X射线辐射脉冲。短脉冲激光条件下得到的后向散射光的频率上移与长脉冲激光条件下得到的后向散射光的频率上移是完全一致的，同时发现随着入射电子初始能量的增加，散射光的准直性越来越好，后向散射光脉冲的脉宽越来越短。     

0.351μm激光辐照靶角度和时间分辨的侧向散射研究

 建立了一套角度和时间同时分辨的散射光诊断系统,利用星光Ⅱ装置输出的0.351μm激光辐照平面靶,研究了激光与靶作用产生的侧向散射光的时间行为,实验对金盘靶、CH膜靶和泡沫CH靶与激光作用产生的散射激光进行了研究,在多个角度获得了时间分辨的散射光信息,由角分布的结构得到了等离子体密度分布的一些重要信息。