Efficient gamma-ray source from solid-state microstructures irradiated by relativistic laser pulses

The use of rectangular-shaped microstructures at the front surface of a solid target is shown to improve gamma-ray generation by 2-3 orders of magnitude, compared to the case of a planar target, when irradiated by laser pulses with an intensity of 1.13 × 1022 W cm−2. Also, it is observed that the la...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plasma physics and controlled fusion 2019-07, Vol.61 (7), p.74007
Main Authors: Serebryakov, D A, Volkova, T M, Nerush, E N, Kostyukov, I Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
gamma-ray generation
laser pulse absorption
laser-solid interaction
microstructured targets
nanostructured targets
particle-in-cell simulations
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Summary:The use of rectangular-shaped microstructures at the front surface of a solid target is shown to improve gamma-ray generation by 2-3 orders of magnitude, compared to the case of a planar target, when irradiated by laser pulses with an intensity of 1.13 × 1022 W cm−2. Also, it is observed that the laser energy absorption rate increases more than 10 times, up to 57%. The analysis of the simulation results suggests that in the case of relatively narrow microstructure elements, the gamma-ray generation mechanism is similar to that in the case of laser pulse normally incident onto a planar target, but with differences in the electron trajectories. The optimal dimensions of rectangular-shaped microstructured target have been found with the help of 3D particle-in-cell simulations.
ISSN:0741-3335
1361-6587
DOI:10.1088/1361-6587/ab209b