Simulation study of indirect positron generation by an ultra-short laser

Positron generation by an ultra-short ultra-intense laser in an indirect manner has been studied with two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. In this generation scheme, positrons are produced with energetic electrons accelerated by an ultra-shot laser pulse propagati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European physical journal. D, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics, 2014, Vol.68 (1), Article 4
Main Authors: Yan, Yonghong, Wu, Yuchi, Dong, Kegong, Zhang, Bo, Zhao, Zongqing, Yao, Zeen, Gu, Yuqiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applications of Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos Theory
Atomic
Exact sciences and technology
Molecular
Monte carlo methods
Optical and Plasma Physics
Particle-in-cell method
Physical Chemistry
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges
Physics of plasmas and electric discharges
Plasma simulation
Quantum Information Technology
Quantum Physics
Regular Article
Spectroscopy/Spectrometry
Spintronics
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Summary:Positron generation by an ultra-short ultra-intense laser in an indirect manner has been studied with two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. In this generation scheme, positrons are produced with energetic electrons accelerated by an ultra-shot laser pulse propagating through an underdense plasma. The dependence of the positron beam properties on the plasma length and secondary target (converter) thickness was investigated in detail. The simulation results reveal that the positron yield is strongly correlated with the total energy of laser-accelerated electrons; both the temperature and divergence of the positron beam are sensitive to the plasma length; and the positron beam has a pulse duration comparable to the incident electron beam. In addition, it is indicated that even with the optimal converter thickness, only a small fraction (11.4%) of positrons can escape out and most of the detected positrons originate from the back edge of the converter.
ISSN:1434-6060
1434-6079
DOI:10.1140/epjd/e2013-40473-x