Energy Gain Investigation in Fast Ignition ICF with Electron Ignition Beam by Changing Fuel Characteristics

Fast ignition is a method in inertial confinement fusion （ICF） in which an ignition spark in pre-compression fuel is formed by an ultra-intense laser beam. In applying this method, a hot spot is built by relative electrons which are produced by the ultra-intense laser beam. For a better understanding, a fuel energy gain curve based on density is drawn and it can be observed that the ignition by an electron beam has the maximum energy gain. The maximum energy gain has been observed in equimolar DT fuel with a density of 500g/cma and in fuel with tritium （10%） with a density of 1000g/cm^3.     

Preliminary design of a laser accelerator beam line

A compact laser plasma accelerator(CLAPA) is being built at Peking University, which is based on an RPA-PSA mechanism or other acceleration mechanisms. The beam produced by this laser accelerator has the characteristics of short duration, high pulse current, large divergence angle, and wide energy spectrum. The beam cannot be produced by a normal ion source and accelerator. The space charge field in the initial is very strong.According to the beam parameters from preparatory experiments and theoretical simulations, a compact beam line is preliminarily designed. The beam line mainly consists of common transport elements to deliver proton beam with the energy of 1–50 MeV, energy spread of 0–±1% and current of 0–108 proton per pulse to satisfy the requirement of different experiments. The simulation result of a 15 MeV proton beam with an energy spread of ±1%, current of 400 m A, and final spot radius of 9 mm is presented in this paper.     

Monte Carlo simulation of electron beam air plasma characteristics

A high-energy electron beam generator is used to generate a plasma in atmosphere. Based on a Monte Carlo toolkit named GEANT4, a model including complete physics processes is established to simulate the passage of the electron beam in air. Based on the model, the characteristics of the electron beam air plasma are calculated. The energy distribution of beam electrons (BEs) indicates that high-energy electrons almost reside in the centre region of the beam, but low-energy electrons always live in the fringe area. The energy deposition is calculated in two cases, i.e., with and without secondary electrons (SEs). Analysis indicates that the energy deposition of SEs accounts for a large part of the total energy deposition. The results of the energy spectrum show that the electrons in the inlet layer of the low-pressure chamber (LPC) are monoenergetic, but the energy spectrum of the electrons in the outlet layer is not pure. The SEs are largely generated at the outlet of the LPC. Moreover, both the energy distribution of BEs and the magnitude of the density of SEs are closely related to the pressure of LPC. Thus, a conclusion is drawn that a low magnitude of LPC pressure is helpful for reducing the energy loss in the LPC and also useful for greatly increasing the secondary electron density in dense air.     

Experimental research on application of Hartmann micro-lens array in coherent beam combination of two-dimensional laser array

We demonstrate experimentally the application of a phase error detection method in the coherent beam combination (CBC) of a laser array. The method is based on the Hartmann micro-lens array. Both the piston and tilt errors can be detected and corrected simultaneously by combining this method with adaptive optics-correcting technology. The far-field intensity pattern of the combined beam has high energy concentration and good beam quality. The power encircled in the main lobe of the far-field pattern is 41.3%, and the contrast of the pattern reaches 81.8%. Experimental results show the great potential of the Hartmann phasing method for use in the CBC of a large number of laser beams.     

Broadband energy harvesting via magnetic coupling between two movable magnets

Harvesting energy from ambient mechanical vibrations by the piezoelectric effect has been proposed for powering microelectromechanical systems and replacing batteries that have a finite life span. A conventional piezoelectric energy harvester （PEH） is usually designed as a linear resonator, and suffers from a narrow operating bandwidth. To achieve broadband energy harvesting, in this paper we introduce a concept and describe the realization of a novel nonlinear PEH. The proposed PEH consists of a primary piezoelectric cantilever beam coupled to an auxiliary piezoelectric cantilever beam through two movable magnets. For predicting the nonlinear response from the proposed PEH, lumped parameter models are established for the two beams. Both simulation and experiment reveal that for the primary beam, the introduction of magnetic coupling can expand the operating bandwidth as well as improve the output voltage. For the auxiliary beam, the magnitude of the output voltage is slightly reduced, but additional output is observed at off-resonance frequencies. Therefore, broadband energy harvesting can be obtained from both the primary beam and the auxiliary beam.     

Instantaneous electron beam emittance measurement system based on the optical transition radiation principle

One kind of instantaneous electron beam emittance measurement system based on the optical transition radiation principle and double imaging optical method has been set up. It is mainly adopted in the test for the intense electron-beam produced by a linear induction accelerator. The system features two characteristics. The first one concerns the system synchronization signal triggered by the following edge of the main output waveform from a Blumlein switch. The synchronous precision of about 1 ns between the electron beam and the image capture time can be reached in this way so that the electron beam emittance at the desired time point can be obtained. The other advantage of the system is the ability to obtain the beam spot and beam divergence in one measurement so that the calculated result is the true beam emittance at that time, which can explain the electron beam condition. It provides to be a powerful beam diagnostic method for a 2.5 kA, 18.5 MeV, 90 ns (FWHM) electron beam pulse produced by Dragon I. The ability of the instantaneous measurement is about 3 ns and it can measure the beam emittance at any time point during one beam pulse. A series of beam emittances have been obtained for Dragon I. The typical beam spot is 9.0 mm (FWHM) in diameter and the corresponding beam divergence is about 10.5 mrad.     

Fourier-Mellin expansion coefficients of scaled pupils

The experimental performance of beam smoothing by combined one-dimensional(1D) spectral dispersion and lens array(LA) technology is presented,as applied in the ninth beam of SG-II.Using 3ω spectral dispersion with a bandwidth of 270 GHz and a line dispersion that is 24.9 times the beam’s diffractionlimited width decreases the focal spot non-uniformity of 80% energy concentration from 46% to 17%.The multiple-beam interference properties of the LA are theoretically and experimentally validated by spatial power spectral density analysis.Peak-spectra suppression ratios of 20 and 10 dB are achieved in the dispersion and orthogonal directions,respectively.     

Experimental investigation on beam smoothing by combined spectral dispersion and lens array technology

The experimental performance of beam smoothing by combined one-dimensional （1D） spectral dispersion and lens array （LA） technology is presented, as applied in the ninth beam of SG-II. Using 3w spectral dispersion with a bandwidth of 270 GHz and a line dispersion that is 24.9 times the beam＇s diffraction- limited width decreases the focal spot non-uniformity of 80% energy concentration from 46% to 17%. The multiple-beam interference properties of the LA are theoretically and experimentally validated by spatial power spectral density analysis. Peak-spectra suppression ratios of 20 and 10 dB are achieved in the dispersion and orthogonal directions, respectively.     

Geometry and optics calibration of WFCTA prototype telescopes using star light

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) project is proposed to study high energy gamma ray astronomy (40 GeV--1 PeV) and cosmic ray physics (20 TeV--1 EeV). The wide field of view Cherenkov telescope array, as a component of the LHAASO project, will be used to study the energy spectrum and composition of cosmic rays by measuring the total Cherenkov light generated by air showers and the shower maximum depth. Two prototype telescopes have been in operation since 2008. The pointing accuracy of each telescope is crucial for the direction reconstruction of the primary particles. On the other hand, the primary energy reconstruction relies on the shape of the Cherenkov image on the camera and the unrecorded photons due to the imperfect connections between the photomultiplier tubes. UV bright stars are used as point-like objects to calibrate the pointing and to study the optical properties of the camera, the spot size and the fractions of unrecorded photons in the insensitive areas of the camera.     

Spatial chirp in Ti:sapphire multipass amplifier

The spatial chirp generated in the Ti:sapphire multipass amplifier is numerically investigated based on the onedimensional(1D) and two-dimensional(2D) Frantz–Nodvik equations. The simulation indicates that the spatial chirp is induced by the spatially inhomogeneous gain, and it can be almost eliminated by utilization of proper beam profiles and spot sizes of the signal and pump pulses, for example, the pump pulse has a top-hatted beam profile and the signal pulse has a super-Gaussian beam profile with a relatively larger spot size. In this way, a clear understanding of spatial chirp mechanisms in the Ti:sapphire multipass amplifier is proposed, therefore we can effectively almost eliminate the spatial chirp and improve the beam quality of a high-power Ti:sapphire chirped pulse amplifier system.     

Electron trajectory evaluation in laser-plasma interaction for effective output beam

Using the ellipsoidal cavity model, the quasi-monoenergetic electron output beam in laser-plasma interaction is described. By the cavity regime the quality of electron beam is improved in comparison with those generated from other methods such as periodic plasma wave field, spheroidal cavity regime and plasma channel guided acceleration. Trajectory of electron motion is described as hyperbolic, parabolic or elliptic paths. We find that the self-generated electron bunch has a smaller energy width and more effective gain in energy spectrum. Initial condition for the ellipsoidal cavity is determined by laser-plasma parameters. The electron trajectory is influenced by its position, energy and cavity electrostatic potential.     

Electron tunneling in single layer graphene with an energy gap

When a single layer graphene is epitaxially grown on silicon carbide,it will exhibit a finite energy gap like a conventional semiconductor,and its energy dispersion is no longer linear in momentum in the low energy regime.In this paper,we have investigated the tunneling characteristics through a two-dimensional barrier in a single layer graphene with an energy gap.It is found that when the electron is at a zero angle of incidence,the transmission probability as a function of incidence energy has a gap.Away from the gap the transmission coefficient oscillates with incidence energy which is analogous to that of a conventional semiconductor.The conductance under zero temperature has a gap.The properties of electron transmission may be useful for developing graphene-based nano-electronics.     

Variational and diffusion Monte Carlo simulations of a hydrogen molecular ion in a spherical box

The variational and diffusion Monte Carlo approaches are used to study the ground-state properties of a hydrogen molecular ion in a spheroidal box. In this work, we successfully treat the zero-point motion of protons in the same formalism with as of electrons and avoid the Born–Oppenheimer approximation in density function theory. The study shows that the total energy increases with the decrease in volume, and that the distance between protons decreases as the pressure increases.Considering the motion of protons, the kinetic energy of the electron is higher than that of the fixed model under the same conditions and increases by 5%. The kinetic energy of the proton is found to be small under high pressure, which is only a fraction of the kinetic energy of the electron.     

Effect of laser spot size on fusion neutron yield in laser--deuterium cluster interactions

The effect of the laser spot size on the neutron yield of table-top nuclear fusion from explosions of a femtosecond intense laser pulse heated deuterium clusters is investigated by using a simplified model, in which the cluster size distribution and the energy attenuation of the laser as it propagates through the cluster jet are taken into account. It has been found that there exists a proper laser spot size for the maximum fusion neutron yield for a given laser pulse and a specific deuterium gas cluster jet. The proper spot size, which is dependent on the laser parameters and the cluster jet parameters, has been calculated and compared with the available experimental data. A reasonable agreement between the calculated results and the published experimental results is found.     

Intense laser beam guiding in self-induced electron cavitation channel in underdense plasmas

In underdense plasmas, the transverse ponderomotive force of an intense laser beam with Gaussian transverse profile expels electrons radially, and it can lead to an electron cavitation. An improved cavitation model with charge conservation constraint is applied to the determination of the width of the electron cavity. The envelope equation for laser spot size derived by using source-dependent expansion method is extended to including the electron cavity. The condition for self-guiding is given and illuminated by an effective potential for the laser spot size. The effects of the laser power, plasma density and energy dissipation on the self-guiding condition are discussed.     

Single-row laser beam with energy strengthened ends for continuous scanning laser surface hardening of large metal components

For laser surface hardening of metal components with large superficies,a binary grating is proposed to generate single-row laser beam with proportional-intensity diffractive orders.To obtain a uniform hardened band distribution and improve the wear resistance of the sample surface,the binary grating is designed to produce single-row laser beam with energy strengthened at the two ends.The profile of the laser beam spot was designed to be strip with high length-width ratio to improve the machining efficiency of the hardening of large surfaces.A new advantage is suggested to obtain proportional intensity spots with evenness.The design results show that the diffractive efficiency of the binary grating is more than 70%,and the uniformity is less than 3%.The surface profile of the grating fabricated was measured,which shows that the fabrication error is less than 2%.The application of the binary grating in the laser surface hardening of metal components with large superficies is experimentally investigated,and the results show that the hardness distribution of the modified layer is more uniform than that hardened by Gaussian laser beam or array spots with equal intensity distribution.     

Instantaneous electron beam emittance measurement system based on the optical transition radiation principle

One kind of instantaneous electron beam emittance measurement system based on the optical transition radiation principle and double imaging optical method has been set up. It is mainly adopted in the test for the intense electron-beam produced by a linear induction accelerator. The system features two characteristics. The first one concerns the system synchronization signal triggered by the following edge of the main output waveform from a Blumlein switch. The synchronous precision of about 1 ns between the electron beam and the image capture time can be reached in this way so that the electron beam emittance at the desired time point can be obtained. The other advantage of the system is the ability to obtain the beam spot and beam divergence in one measurement so that the calculated result is the true beam emittance at that time, which can explain the electron beam condition. It provides to be a powerful beam diagnostic method for a 2.5 kA, 18.5 MeV, 90 ns （FWHM） electron beam pulse produced by Dragon I. The ability of the instantaneous measurement is about 3 ns and it can measure the beam emittance at any time point during one beam pulse. A series of beam emittances have been obtained for Dragon I. The typical beam spot is 9.0 mm （FWHM） in diameter and the corresponding beam divergence is about 10.5 mrad.     

Tuning a nano-pillar array for enhancing the photoluminescence extraction efficiency of GaN-based light-emitting diodes

We demonstrate the fabrication of hexagonal nano-pillar arrays at the surface of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by nanosphere lithography. By varying the oxygen plasma etching time, we could tune the size and shape of the pillar. The nano-pillar has a truncated cone shape. The nano-pillar array serves as a gradual effective refractive index matcher, which reduces the reflection and increases light cone. It is found that the patterned surface absorbs more pumping light. To compare extraction efficiencies of LEDs, it is necessary to normalize the photoluminescence power spectrum with total absorption rate under fixed pumping power, then we could obtain the correct enhancement factor of the photoluminescence extraction efficiency and optimized structure. The highest enhancement factor of the extraction efficiency is 10.6.     

Local electron mean energy profile of positive primary streamer discharge with pin-plate electrodes in oxygen nitrogen mixtures

Local electron mean energy (LEME) has a direct effect on the rates of collisional ionization of molecules and atoms by electrons. Electron-impact ionization plays an important role and is the main process for the production of charged particles in a primary streamer discharge. Detailed research on the LEME profile in a primary streamer discharge is extremely important for a comprehensive understanding of the local physical mechanism of a streamer. In this study, the LEME profile of the primary streamer discharge in oxygen-nitrogen mixtures with a pin-plate gap of 0.5 cm under an impulse voltage is investigated using a fluid model. The fluid model includes the electron mean energy density equation, as well as continuity equations for electrons and ions and Poisson’s electric field equation. The study finds that, except in the initial stage of the primary streamer, the LEME in the primary streamer tip tends to increase as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure decreases. When the primary streamer bridges the gap, the LEME in the primary streamer channel is smaller than the first ionization energies of oxygen and nitrogen. The LEME in the primary streamer channel then decreases as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure increases. The LEME in the primary streamer tip is primarily dependent on the reduced electric field with mole ratios of oxygen-nitrogen given in the oxygen-nitrogen mixtures.     

Effect of normalized plasma frequency on electron phase-space orbits in a free-electron laser

Irregular phase-space orbits of the electrons are harmful to the electron-beam transport quality and hence deteriorate the performance of a free-electron laser （FEL）. In previous literature, it was demonstrated that the irregularity of the electron phase-space orbits could be caused in several ways, such as varying the wiggler amplitude and inducing sidebands. Based on a Hamiltonian model with a set of self-consistent differential equations, it is shown in this paper that the electron- beam normalized plasma frequency functions not only couple the electron motion with the FEL wave, which results in the evolution of the FEL wave field and a possible power saturation at a large beam current, but also cause the irregularity of the electron phase-space orbits when the normalized plasma frequency has a sufficiently large value, even if the initial energy of the electron is equal to the synchronous energy or the FEL wave does not reach power saturation.