Experimental investigations of fast-proton production in a picosecond laser plasma

Results of experimental investigations of fast-proton production in a laser plasma are presented for the case where the intensity of laser radiation at the targets is 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm². Three processes of fast-proton acceleration in laser plasma are investigated: (1) the acceleration of protons from the front surface toward the laser pulse, (ii) the acceleration of protons from the front surface of the target toward its interior, and (iii) the acceleration of protons from the rear foil surface in the outward direction. The activation procedure and CR-39 tracker detectors featuring a set of various-thickness aluminum filters were used to record fast protons. It turned out that the proton-acceleration process is the most efficient in the case of proton acceleration from the rear foil surface in the outward direction. Experimental results revealed that about N _p = 10⁷ protons of energy in the region E _p > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated from the target surface toward a laser ray, N _p = 4× 10⁷ protons of energy in the region E _p > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated fromthe front surface of the target toward its interior, and N _p = 4×10⁸ protons of energy in the region E _p > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated from the rear foil surface in the outward direction are generated at a laser-radiation intensity of 2 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² at the surface of aluminum, copper, and titanium targets. Experimental investigations aimed at optimizing the process of proton acceleration from the rear surface of aluminum foils were performed by varying the foil thickness over the range between 1 and 100 μm. The results of these experiments showed that there is an optimum foil thickness of 10 μm, in which case protons of maximum energy 5 MeV are generated.     

Enhancement of proton acceleration by hot-electron recirculation in thin foils irradiated by ultraintense laser pulses

MeV-proton production from solid targets irradiated by 100-fs laser pulses at intensities above 1x10(20) W cm(-2) has been studied as a function of initial target thickness. For foils 100 microm thick the proton beam was characterized by an energy spectrum of temperature 1.4 MeV with a cutoff at 6.5 MeV. When the target thickness was reduced to 3 microm the temperature was 3.2+/-0.3 MeV with a cutoff at 24 MeV. These observations are consistent with modeling showing an enhanced density of MeV electrons at the rear surface for the thinnest targets, which predicts an increased acceleration and higher proton energies.     

超短超强激光与薄膜靶相互作用中不同价态碳离子的来源

研究了超短超强激光与不同厚度薄膜Al靶相互作用中靶背法线方向碳离子的最初来源. 通过对比分析碰撞电离率和场致电离率所起的作用, 发现C⁴⁺ 及更低价态的碳离子主要由场致电离产生, 而高价态的C⁵⁺和C⁶⁺ 离子主要来自于超热电子与靶表面的碰撞电离. 关键词： 超短超强激光与等离子体相互作用 离子加速 场致电离 碰撞电离     

High-intensity laser induced ion acceleration from heavy-water droplets

Fusion neutrons from a heavy water droplet target irradiated with laser pulses of 3 x 10(19) W/cm(2) and from a deuterated secondary target are observed by a time-of-flight (TOF) neutron spectrometer. The observed TOF spectrum can be explained by fusion of deuterium ions simultaneously originating from two different sources: ion acceleration in the laser focus by ponderomotively induced charge separation and target-normal sheath acceleration off the target rear surface. The experimental findings agree well with 3D particle-in-cell simulations.     

Heavy-ion LINAC development for the US RIA project

The Nuclear Science Community in the Unites States has unanimously concluded that developments in both nuclear science and its supporting technologies make building a world-leading Rare-Isotope Accelerator (RIA) facility for production of radioactive beams the top priority. The RIA development effort involves several US Laboratories (ANL, JLAB, LBNL, MSU, ORNL). The RIA facility includes a CW 1.4 GeV driver LINAC and a 100 MV post-accelerator both based on superconducting (SC) cavities operating at frequencies from 48 MHz to 805 MHz. An initial acceleration in both LINACs is provided by room temperature RFQs. The driver LINAC is designed for acceleration of any ion species; from protons up to 900 MeV to uranium up to 400 MeV/u. The novel feature of the driver LINAC is an acceleration of multiple charge-state heavy-ion beams in order to achieve 400 kW beam power. Basic design concepts of the driver LINAC are given. Several new conceptual solutions in beam dynamics, room temperature and SC accelerating structures for heavy ion accelerator applications are discussed.     

Investigation of the effect of plasma waves excitation on target normal sheath ion acceleration using fs laser‐irradiating hydrogenated structures

Measurements of ion acceleration in polymethylmethacrylate foils covered by a thin copper film irradiated by fs laser in target normal sheath acceleration regime are presented. The ion acceleration depends on the laser parameters, such as the pulse energy; depends on the irradiation conditions, such as the focal point position of the laser with respect to the target surface; and depends on the target properties, such as the metallic film thickness. The proton acceleration increases in the presence of the metallic film enhancing the plasma electron density, reaching about 1.6 MeV energy for a focal position on the target surface. The plasma diagnostics uses SiC detectors, absorber foils, Faraday cups, and gafchromic films. Employing p‐polarized laser light and a suitable oblique incidence, it is possible to increase the proton acceleration up to about 2.0 MeV thanks to the effects of laser absorption resonance due to plasma waves excitation.     

Energetic heavy-Ion and proton generation from ultraintense laser-plasma interactions with solids

Heavy ions with energies up to 430+/-40 MeV have been measured from laser-solid interactions at focused intensities of up to 5x10(19) W/cm(2). Observations of proton emission indicate significant structure in the energy spectrum as well as an angular emission profile which varies with energy. Two qualitatively different components of ion emission are observed: (i) a high-energy component which is likely generated by a combination of "Coulomb explosion" and acceleration by the space charge force from hot electrons which escape the plasma, and (ii) a lower-energy component which forms a ring likely created by magnetic fields in the ablated plasma.     

Laser-driven plasma loader for shockless compression and acceleration of samples in the solid state

A new method for shockless compression and acceleration of solid materials is presented. A plasma reservoir pressurized by a laser-driven shock unloads across a vacuum gap and piles up against an Al sample thus providing the drive. The rear surface velocity of the Al was measured with a line VISAR, and used to infer load histories. These peaked between approximately 0.14 and 0.5 Mbar with strain rates approximately 10(6)-10(8) s(-1). Detailed simulations suggest that apart from surface layers the samples can remain close to the room temperature isentrope. The experiments, analysis, and future prospects are discussed.     

The Gyrac: A Proposed Gyro-Resonant Accelerator of Electrons

An analysis of the relativistic electron motion at electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) condition in a magnetic field which is gradually growing in time is accomplished. The results show the existence of a strong mechanism (basically nonrelativistic) which automatically maintains the phase stability during the gyro-resonant acceleration. The conditions in which the gyro-resonant acceleration (up to arbitrarily high energies) is possible are established. The conceptual design of a gyro-resonant accelerator (Gyrac) is proposed. The parameters of possible Gyrac devices for the energies of 5 GeV, 1 GeV, 100 MeV, and 10 MeV with peak powers of accelerated electron bunches (e-vortex) correspondingly 2.5 TW, 0.5 TW, 25 GW, and 0.4 GW are given.     

Beam Dynamics Simulation in the LINAC-100 Accelerator Driver for the DERICA Project

The results of uranium ion beam dynamics simulation in front-end and superconducting sections of the accelerator-driver LINAC-100 for the new rare isotope facility DERICA (JINR, Dubna) are presented. The optimum parameters are chosen for the buncher accelerator with radiofrequency quadrupole focusing (RFQ) for uranium ion beam acceleration from the ion source up to the energy of 570 keV/nucleon. LINAC-100 modular superconducting part layout for uranium beam acceleration from 3 to 100 MeV/nucleon is obtained. The energies for the stripper section installation are chosen.

     

The REX-ISOLDE project

The Radioactive Beam Experiment REX-ISOLDE [1–3] is a pilot experiment at ISOLDE (CERN) testing the new concept of post acceleration of radioactive ion beams by using charge breeding of the ions in a high charge state ion source and the efficient acceleration of the highly charged ions in a short LINAC using modern ion accelerator structures. In order to prepare the ions for the experiments singly charged radioactive ions from the on-line mass separator ISOLDE will be cooled and bunched in a Penning trap, charge bred in an electron beam ion source (EBIS) and finally accelerated in the LINAC. The LINAC consists of a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, which accelerates the ions up to 0.3 MeV/u, an interdigital H-type (IH) structure with a final energy between 1.1 and 1.2 MeV/u and three seven gap resonators, which allow the variation of the final energy. With an energy of the radioactive beams between 0.8 MeV/u and 2.2 MeV/u a wide range of experiments in the field of nuclear spectroscopy, astrophysics and solid state physics will be addressed by REX-ISOLDE. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

Ion acceleration by collisionless shocks in high-intensity-laser-underdense-plasma interaction

Ion acceleration by the interaction of an ultraintense short-pulse laser with an underdense-plasma has been studied at intensities up to 3 x 10(20) W/cm(2). Helium ions having a maximum energy of 13.2+/-1.0 MeV were measured at an angle of 100 degrees from the laser propagation direction. The maximum ion energy scaled with plasma density as n(0.70+/-0.05)(e). Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations suggest that multiple collisionless shocks are formed at high density. The interaction of shocks is responsible for the observed plateau structure in the ion spectrum and leads to an enhanced ion acceleration beyond that possible by the ponderomotive potential of the laser alone.     

Monoenergetic proton beams accelerated by a radiation pressure driven shock

We report on the acceleration of impurity-free quasimononenergetic proton beams from an initially gaseous hydrogen target driven by an intense infrared (λ=10 μm) laser. The front surface of the target was observed by optical probing to be driven forward by the radiation pressure of the laser. A proton beam of ～MeV energy was simultaneously recorded with narrow energy spread (σ～4%), low normalized emittance (～8 nm), and negligible background. The scaling of proton energy with the ratio of intensity over density (I/n) confirms that the acceleration is due to the radiation pressure driven shock.     

Measurements of energetic proton transport through magnetized plasma from intense laser interactions with solids

Protons with energies up to 18 MeV have been measured from high density laser-plasma interactions at incident laser intensities of 5x10(19) W/cm(2). Up to 10(12) protons with energies greater than 2 MeV were observed to propagate through a 125 &mgr;m thick aluminum target and measurements of their angular deflection were made. It is likely that the protons originate from the front surface of the target and are bent by large magnetic fields which exist in the target interior. To agree with our measurements these fields would be in excess of 30 MG and would be generated by the beam of fast electrons which is also observed.     

Particle-in-cell simulation for experimental ion acceleration by fs laser-generated plasma

ABSTRACT

Particle in cell simulation was applied to fit the measurements of protons and ions acceleration obtained using an fs laser pulse irradiating a thin foil in target-normal-sheath-acceleration regime. The simulation code calculates the maximum electrical field generated in the rear side of the target driving the forward ions acceleration. The electron density versus time and space, and the plasma temperatures are evaluated using a medium contrast laser at an intensity of about 10¹⁹?Wcm^?2. Proton acceleration above 10?MeV was experimentally measured using SiC detectors connected in time-of-flight configuration. A comparison between theoretical aspects and experimental data is reported and discussed.     

Tantalum ion acceleration in laser‐generated plasma and dependence on the pulse duration

The laser irradiation of tantalum targets is presented for different pulsed laser intensities ranging from 10¹⁰ up to about 10¹⁸ W/cm² and pulse durations from 9 ns up to 40 fs. The results show that the produced non‐equilibrium plasma accelerates Ta ions in the backward direction from values of the order of keV up to values of about 5 MeV. In thin foils, the forward plasma, developed behind the target along the direction of incoming laser, at intensities of about 10¹⁶ W/cm² and 300 ps pulse duration, accelerates Ta ions at energies of the order of 4.6 MeV and produces charge states up to about 40+. For fs lasers at intensities of the order of 10¹⁸ W/cm², only proton acceleration occurs up to 2.1 MeV while no Ta ions are accelerated, due to the reduced duration of the electric field and to the too high inertial mass of the Ta ions.     

Particle Acceleration by Shocks in Supernova Remnants

Particle acceleration occurs on a range of scales from AU in the heliosphere to Mpc in clusters of galaxies and to energies ranging from MeV to exaelectronvolt (EeV). A number of acceleration processes have been proposed, but diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) is widely invoked as the predominant mechanism. DSA operates on all these scales and probably to the highest energies. DSA is simple, robust and predicts a universal spectrum. However, there are still many unknowns regarding particle acceleration. This paper focuses on the particular question of whether supernova remnants (SNR) can produce the Galactic cosmic ray (CR) spectrum up to the knee at a few petaelectronvolt (PeV). The answer depends in large part on the detailed physics of diffusive shock acceleration.     

Dynamics of electric fields driving the laser acceleration of multi-MeV protons

The acceleration of multi-MeV protons from the rear surface of thin solid foils irradiated by an intense (approximately 10(18) W/cm2) and short (approximately 1.5 ps) laser pulse has been investigated using transverse proton probing. The structure of the electric field driving the expansion of the proton beam has been resolved with high spatial and temporal resolution. The main features of the experimental observations, namely, an initial intense sheath field and a late time field peaking at the beam front, are consistent with the results from particle-in-cell and fluid simulations of thin plasma expansion into a vacuum.     

On the assessment of CIGS surface passivation by photoluminescence

An optimized test structure to study rear surface passivation in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells by means of photoluminescence (PL) is developed and tested. The structure – illustrated in the abstract figure – is examined from the rear side. To enable such rear PL assessment, a semi‐transparent ultra‐thin Mo layer has been developed and integrated in place of the normal rear contact. The main advantages of this approach are (i) a simplified representation of a rear surface passivated CIGS solar cell is possible, (ii) it is possible to assess PL responses originating close to the probed rear surface, and (iii) a stable PL response as a function of air exposure time is obtained. In this work, PL measurements of such structures with and without rear surface passivation layers have been compared, and the measured improvement in PL intensity for the passivated structures is associated with enhanced CIGS rear interface properties.