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     

无碰撞等离子体中电子束流不稳定性的时空演化

强激光在冕区等离子体中传播到临界面附近生成相对论电子和相对论电子束流在随后较长一段稠密等离子体区的能量传输是快点火中的关键问题。对快点火条件下的激光等离子体参数，临界面附近产生的前向快电子电流往往超过阿尔芬极限电流，必须在稠密等离子体中产生中和回流，快电子流才能在稠密等离子体中向前输运。横向电磁不稳定性（类Weibel不稳定性，WI）和纵向静电双流不稳定性（TSI）很容易在这种电子双流体系中激发，前向电子束会被调制或成丝状结构，同时激发电磁场，粒子部分动能会转化为电磁场能量。不稳定性在非线性饱和后，发生电流丝的合并、磁场重联等过程，部分电磁场能量会再转化为粒子能量，表现为对离子体的横向加热。Weibel不稳定性的作用可能形成围绕传播电子束的磁通道，对快电子的定向和准直传播是重要的。TSI激发的纵向静电场对磁场通道会有明显的调制甚至破坏作用，直接影响高能电子流从激光吸收区到燃料压缩区的准直传播。     

激光入射双层等离子体靶产生的表面等离子体波及应用

表面等离子体波的存在可以显著改变激光与等离子体的耦合效率,这在激光驱动粒子加速、强X射线产生、温稠密物质态等领域研究有重要应用.本文利用二维粒子模拟程序,研究了强激光入射双层等离子体靶激发的表面等离子体波.模拟结果表明,不同于单层靶情形,大角度入射的强激光脉冲达到一定强度阈值后,可驱动等离子体表面中的电子形成周期结构,激发静电波,其波长与入射波波长相近,传播速度接近光速;表明双层等离子体更有利于表面波的激发,传播范围更大;双层靶的表面波强度与入射激光强度的比值明显不同于单层靶的理论结果,呈现非线性关系;表面波的存在可以显著增强后续激光脉冲的透射,使后续激光脉冲突破稠密等离子体形成的“黑障”,在远高于临界密度的薄靶后被观察到.     

飞秒激光等离子体中电子热传导现象的数值模拟

采用相对论电磁粒子模拟程序研究了飞秒激光等离子体相互作用中产生的电流密度、电场和自生磁场的发展演化过程。介绍了电子的非局域热输运的基本特性以及激光加热过程中温度烧蚀前沿稠密等离子体子区的预热效应、临界面附近的限流效应,以及冕区的反扩散与限流效应,得到了经典Spitzer-Harm理论描述的电子热传导随自生磁场的演化情形。数值模拟表明：在线性强激光作用下,由于电子初始时刻的无规则热运动,在等离子体上激发电磁不稳定性,而不稳定性激发的强电磁场使电子束在非常短的距离内沉积能量,同时对在激光有质动力推开电子时形成的超热电子能量输运产生抑制作用。     

飞秒激光等离子体中电子热传导现象的数值模拟

采用相对论电磁粒子模拟程序研究了飞秒激光等离子体相互作用中产生的电流密度、电场和自生磁场的发展演化过程。介绍了电子的非局域热输运的基本特性以及激光加热过程中温度烧蚀前沿稠密等离子体子区的预热效应、临界面附近的限流效应,以及冕区的反扩散与限流效应,得到了经典Spitzer-Harm理论描述的电子热传导随自生磁场的演化情形。数值模拟表明:在线性强激光作用下,由于电子初始时刻的无规则热运动,在等离子体上激发电磁不稳定性,而不稳定性激发的强电磁场使电子束在非常短的距离内沉积能量,同时对在激光有质动力推开电子时形成的超热电子能量输运产生抑制作用。     

超强激光等离子体中钻孔效应的二维粒子模拟

当非均匀超短脉冲强激光照射均匀分布的过稠密等离子体时, 相对论效应导致电子质量增大,相对论电子等离子体频率减小,激光能更深地进入等离子体产生强烈吸收。由于入射激光的径向不均匀性,钻孔效应显著。通过二维粒子模拟结果清晰地观察到了等离子体通道的产生。     

超强激光等离子体中钻孔效应的二维粒子模拟

 当非均匀超短脉冲强激光照射均匀分布的过稠密等离子体时, 相对论效应导致电子质量增大,相对论电子等离子体频率减小,激光能更深地进入等离子体产生强烈吸收。由于入射激光的径向不均匀性,钻孔效应显著。通过二维粒子模拟结果清晰地观察到了等离子体通道的产生。     

欠稠密等离子体中诱发的偶次相对论谐波

在自生磁场或背景磁场的作用下,等离子体被磁化.磁化后的欠稠密等离子在超强激光的辐射下诱发相对论相干谐波辐射.由于磁场的影响,诱发的相对论相干谐波辐射中产生偶次谐波辐射.从理论上研究了这一现象,导出了谐波辐射的一般性方程,并特别研究了二次谐波辐射的有关参数 关键词： 二次谐波辐射 自生磁场 强激光 欠稠密等离子体     

自生磁场对相对论谐波辐射的影响

分析了自生磁场对相对论谐波辐射的影响，得出结论，自生磁场对强激光在欠稠密等离子 产生的相对论相干波辐射有重要作用，自生磁场激发偶次谐波辐射，并对奇次谐波辐射产生影响，对二次，三次谐波作了详细分析，发现，自生磁场激发二次谐波辐射，而对三次谐波辐射有削弱作用，并且它还使谐波的失相时间延长。     

激光等离子体不稳定性的入射光强度效应

用3维粒子模拟程序研究了相对论强激光和高密度等离子体相互作用引起的电磁不稳定。数值模拟表明,在线偏振强激光作用下,等离子体表面出现了电磁不稳定性。形成的不稳定结构随时间发展和激光功率密度的增加进一步深入到等离子体内部,最终使等离子体表面处激发饱和自生磁场。这种由电子速度各向异性而产生的自生磁场对激光有质动力推开电子时所形成的电子热流产生抑制作用,并将直接影响电子加速效率。     

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.     

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。     

超短超强激光在稀薄等离子体中的自聚焦传输

开展超短超强激光与次稠密等离子体相互作用实验,采用探针光对激光等离子体相互作用区域进行阴影成像,研究了不同激光功率与临界功率比值及不同激光脉冲长度与等离子体波波长比值下的激光在次稠密等离子体中的自聚焦传输。结果表明:相对论效应是超短脉冲在次稠密等离子体中的主要自聚焦机制,激光功率与临界功率比值是影响超短脉冲在次稠密等离子体中形成自聚焦的关键条件。     

Generation and propagation of hot electrons in laser-plasmas

Hot electrons are generated in the interaction between intense ultrashort laser pulses with targets. The process depends on the laser intensity, polarization, incident angle, scale length of plasmas and target materials. In this paper, the recent progress on generation and propagation of hot electrons in non-relativistic and relativistic laser-plasma interactions at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, are reviewed.     

Pulse chirping effect on controlling the transverse cavity oscillations in nonlinear bubble regime

The propagation of an intense laser pulse in an under-dense plasma induces a plasma wake that is suitable for the acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies. For an ultra-intense laser pulse which has a longitudinal size shorter than the plasma wavelength, λp, instead of a periodic plasma wave, a cavity free from cold plasma electrons, called a bubble, is formed behind the laser pulse. An intense charge separation electric field inside the moving bubble can capture the electrons at the base of the bubble and accelerate them with a narrow energy spread. In the nonlinear bubble regime, due to localized depletion at the front of the pulse during its propagation through the plasma, the phase shift between carrier waves and pulse envelope plays an important role in plasma response. The carrier–envelope phase(CEP) breaks down the symmetric transverse ponderomotive force of the laser pulse that makes the bubble structure unstable. Our studies using a series of two-dimensional(2D) particle-in-cell(PIC) simulations show that the frequency-chirped laser pulses are more effective in controlling the pulse depletion rate and consequently the effect of the CEP in the bubble regime. The results indicate that the utilization of a positively chirped laser pulse leads to an increase in rate of erosion of the leading edge of the pulse that rapidly results in the formation of a steep intensity gradient at the front of the pulse. A more unstable bubble structure, the self-injections in different positions, and high dark current are the results of using a positively chirped laser pulse. For a negatively chirped laser pulse, the pulse depletion process is compensated during the propagation of the pulse in plasma in such a way that results in a more stable bubble shape and therefore, a localized electron bunch is produced during the acceleration process. As a result, by the proper choice of chirping, one can tune the number of self-injected electrons, the size of accelerated bunch and its energy spectrum to the values required for practical applications.     

Interaction of a high-intensity ultrashort laser pulse with extended nanofilaments of dense plasma

Generation and propagation of fast electrons in laser targets consisting of thin nanofilaments are studied numerically and analytically. Such targets completely absorb laser radiation and exhibit a large coefficient of laser-energy conversion to kinetic energy of a flow of fast electrons. Analytical estimates show that the optimal thickness of the filament is on the order of the skin depth of the laser plasma, while an optimal distance between filaments is on the order of the Debye radius of hot electrons. A bunch of relativistic electrons can propagate as far as several hundred micrometers in such targets, while the fastest electrons can propagate several millimeters. Upon bending of filaments, the flow of electrons propagates along the filaments and can be focused by bringing the filaments together. Laser targets of the discussed composition are used as sources of dense bunches of relativistic electrons and subsequent generation of high-intensity X-ray radiation with their help.     

Electron acceleration by a short relativistic laser pulse at the front of solid targets

Acceleration of electrons in a low-density plasma in front of a solid target by a propagating short ultraintense laser pulse is studied. When the laser is reflected at the target surface the accelerated electrons, with energy scaling as the laser intensity, continue to move forward inertially and thus escape from the pulse. Electrons accelerated backwards by the reflected light can attain even higher energies due to their longer acceleration length and their high initial momentum from a relativistic return current.     

强激光部分离化等离子体成丝不稳定性

从部分离化等离子体和通常的全离化等离子体的差异是存在束缚电子出发,分析强激光在部分离化等离子体中的传播和折射指数,其束缚电子加强成丝不稳定性的发展.对钕玻璃三倍频激光金靶等离子体的原子成丝不稳定性进行了计算和分析.结果表明强激光部分离化等离子体的原子成丝不稳定性显著高于相对论成丝不稳定性. 关键词： 激光等离子体相互作用 部分离化等离子体 成丝不稳定性     

Electron Acceleration by Beating of Two Intense Cross-Focused Hollow Gaussian Laser Beams in Plasma

This paper presents propagation of two cross-focused intense hollow Gaussian laser beams(HGBs) in collisionless plasma and its effect on the generation of electron plasma wave(EPW) and electron acceleration process,when relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities are simultaneously operative. Nonlinear differential equations have been set up for beamwidth of laser beams, power of generated EPW, and energy gain by electrons using WKB and paraxial approximations. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the effect of typical laser-plasma parameters on the focusing of laser beams in plasmas and further its effect on power of excited EPW and acceleration of electrons. It is observed that focusing of two laser beams in plasma increases for higher order of hollow Gaussian beams,which significantly enhanced the power of generated EPW and energy gain. The amplitude of EPW and energy gain by electrons is found to enhance with an increase in the intensity of laser beams and plasma density. This study will be useful to plasma beat wave accelerator and in other applications requiring multiple laser beams.     

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.