Model experiment of cosmic ray acceleration due to an incoherent wakefield induced by an intense laser pulse

Journal Article · Sat Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3528434· OSTI ID:21532153

Kuramitsu, Y; Sakawa, Y; Takeda, K; Tampo, M; Takabe, H ^[1]; Nakanii, N; Kondo, K; Tsuji, K; Kimura, K; Fukumochi, S; Kashihara, M; Tanimoto, T; Nakamura, H; Ishikura, T; Kodama, R; Mima, K; Tanaka, K A ^[1]; Mori, Y ^[1]; Miura, E ^[2]; Kitagawa, Y ^[3]

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1. Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)
2. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)
3. Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-1202 (Japan)

The first report on a model experiment of cosmic ray acceleration by using intense laser pulses is presented. Large amplitude light waves are considered to be excited in the upstream regions of relativistic astrophysical shocks and the wakefield acceleration of cosmic rays can take place. By substituting an intense laser pulse for the large amplitude light waves, such shock environments were modeled in a laboratory plasma. A plasma tube, which is created by imploding a hollow polystyrene cylinder, was irradiated by an intense laser pulse. Nonthermal electrons were generated by the wakefield acceleration and the energy distribution functions of the electrons have a power-law component with an index of {approx}2. The maximum attainable energy of the electrons in the experiment is discussed by a simple analytic model. In the incoherent wakefield the maximum energy can be much larger than one in the coherent field due to the momentum space diffusion or the energy diffusion of electrons.

• OSTI ID: 21532153
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3528434; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ACCELERATION
ASTROPHYSICS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RAY PROPAGATION
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
ELECTRONS
ENERGY SPECTRA
LASERS
PLASMA
SHOCK WAVES
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATORS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FUNCTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
PHYSICS
RADIATIONS
SPECTRA