Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: When a circularly polarized laser pulse interacts with a foil target, there are three stages: pre-hole-boring, hole-boring and light sail acceleration. We study the electron and ion dynamics in the first stage and find the minimum foil thickness requirement for a given laser intensity. Based on this analysis, we propose using a shaped foil for ion acceleration, whose thickness varies transversely to match the laser intensity. Then, the target evolves into three regions: the acceleration, transparency and deformation regions. In the acceleration region, the target can be uniformly accelerated producing a mono-energetic and spatially collimated ion beam. Detailed numerical simulations are performed to check the feasibility and robustness of this scheme, such as the influence of shape factors and surface roughness. A GeV mono-energetic proton beam is observed in three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations when a laser pulse with a focus intensity of 10 22 W cm −2 is used. The energy conversion efficiency of the laser pulse to the accelerated proton beam with the simulation parameters is more than 23%.
Source: New Journal of Physics
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,610
OpenAlex ID: W2045272045