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 maximu...

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Published in:Physical review letters 2004-10, Vol.93 (15), p.155003.1-155003.4, Article 155003
Main Authors: WEI, M. S, MANGLES, S. P. D, CLARKE, R. J, HERNANDEZ-GOMEZ, C, NEELY, D, MORI, W, TZOUFRAS, M, KRUSHELNICK, K, NAJMUDIN, Z, WALTON, B, GOPAL, A, TATARAKIS, M, DANGOR, A. E, CLARK, E. L, EVANS, R. G, FRITZLER, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exact sciences and technology
Laser-plasma interactions
Optics
Particle-in-cell method
Physics
Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges
Physics of plasmas and electric discharges
Plasma simulation
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.93.155003