Three dimensional effects on proton acceleration by intense laser solid target interaction
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)
- East-West Space Science Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)
Multi-dimensional effects on ion acceleration by a normally incident linearly polarized intense laser pulse interacting with a thin solid target have been investigated numerically, where the laser has the peak intensity of 1.37×10{sup 20} W/cm{sup 2}, focused spot size of 6 μm, pulse duration of 33 fs, and total pulse energy about 3 J, which are commercially available now. We have checked the effects of simulation geometries by running one, two, and three dimensional (1D, 2D, 3D) particle-in-cell simulations. 3D simulation results show that, in the case of using a relatively thick target (in the opaque regime, i.e., 2 μm) with the so-called target normal sheath field acceleration mechanism, electrons spread almost uniformly along two transverse directions. While in the case of using an ultra-thin target (in the relativistic-induced transparent regime, i.e., 100 nm) with the so-called break-out afterburner mechanism, electrons spread more quickly along the direction orthogonal to the laser polarization direction especially at the early stage. The transverse spreading of electrons strongly decreases the electron density at the rear side of the target. Such an effect causes different estimation of electron temperatures in different simulation geometries. Usually, 1D and 2D simulations overestimate the temperature; and as a result, the maximum proton energy observed in 1D and 2D simulations is, respectively, about 3 and 2 times of that observed in 3D simulation.
- OSTI ID:
- 22228050
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATION
ACCELERATORS
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRONS
ION TEMPERATURE
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LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
LASERS
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA GUNS
PLASMA SHEATH
PLASMA SIMULATION
POLARIZATION
PROTONS
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS