Influence of prepulse plasma formation on neutron production from the laser-target interaction
- Naval Research Laboratory, Plasma Physics Division, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)
The interaction of an intense ultrashort pulse laser with a planar uniform target was studied with a two-dimensional relativistic electromagnetic particle-in-cell method to determine the acceleration of deuterons and production of neutrons. A Au-CD{sub 2} double-layer planar target with thickness of {approx}1 {mu}m and a preplasma of variable length was used to generate high-energy deuterons as a precursor for neutron production. The deuteron energy and angular distributions and the neutron production from D(d,n)-{sup 3}He nuclear fusion reactions were studied as a function of the preplasma scale length and target thickness. For very thin (submicron) targets the preplasma increases the neutron yield only marginally, but for realistic targets with thickness of a few microns the preplasma enhances the neutron yield by two orders of magnitude. Both the average deuteron energy and neutron yield peak at an optimum preplasma scale length L{sub p}{sup opt}{approx_equal}1/k{sub 0} (k{sub 0} laser wave vector), which is of the order of one inverse laser wave vector.
- OSTI ID:
- 21120536
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 15; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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