Work

Intensity and dimensionality-dependent dynamics of laser-proton acceleration in 1D, 2D, and 3D particle-in-cell simulations

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Due to the high computational cost of 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, lower dimensional (2D or 1D) simulations are frequently used in their place. Our work shows that when modeling high-intensity laser ion acceleration, simulation dimensionality interfaces with laser intensity in the dynamics of ion acceleration at every step of the process, from laser absorption through particle acceleration. We expand on previous studies by comparing the behavior of 1D and 2D simulations (of different polarization) with 3D PIC simulations at high resolutions across five orders of magnitude of laser intensity, enabling us to study multiple regimes of laser-proton acceleration. We find that key output metrics such as maximum proton energy depend on a complex interplay of both simulation dimensionality and laser intensity regime. Differences between simulation predictions generally increase for higher laser intensity regimes, making 3D simulations especially important for quantitative predictions of next-generation laser experiments.

Source: Physics of Plasmas

DOI: 10.1063/5.0234889

Authors: Lillian A. Daneshmand, Madeline Aszalos, Scott Feister, Joseph R. Smith

Institutions: University of Iowa, Marietta College, California State University, Channel Islands

Language: English

Topic: Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Ohio Space Grant Consortium, Ohio Supercomputer Center, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Awards: The Plasma-CCP Network, G117723289, G493235935, Multi-scale simulation of intense laser plasma interactions, Multi-scale simulation of intense laser plasma interactions