High-energy ion generation in interaction. of short laser pulse with high-density plasma

• DOI: 10.1007/s003400200796
• Publication Date: 2003-11-24T13:43:23Z
• Authors: Y. Sentoku; V.Y. Bychenkov; K. Flippo; A. Maksimchuk; K. Mima; G. Mourou; Z.M. Sheng; D. Umstadter
• Keywords: 52.35.Mw; 52.35.Nx; Physics; Science; 52.75.Di; 530; PACS: 52.40.Nk; 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; Legacy; 0103 physical sciences; 52.25.Gj; Mathematics

Multi-MeV ion production from the interaction of a short laser pulse with a high-density plasma, accompanied by an underdense preplasma, has been studied with a particle-in- cell simulation and good agreement is found with experiment. The mechanism primarily responsible for the acceleration of ions is identified. Comparison with experiments sheds light on the ion-energy dependence on laser intensity, preplasma scale length, and relative ion energies for a multi-species plasma. Two regimes of maximum ion-energy dependence on laser inten- sity, I, have been identified: subrelativistic, ∝ I; and relativistic, ∝ √ I. Simulations show that the energy of the accelerated ions versus the preplasma scale length increases linearly and then saturates. In contrast, the ion energy decreases with the thick- ness of the solid-density plasma.