Experimental investigations of fast-proton production in a picosecond laser plasma

Journal Article · Mon Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Physics of Atomic Nuclei

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063778810110037· OSTI ID:21426655

Belyaev, V S; Ribakov, S M; Danilov, V P ^[1]; Krainov, V P ^[2]; Lisitsa, V S ^[3]; Andrianov, V P; Ignatyev, G N ^[4]; Rusitski, A S ^[5]

---

1. Central Research Institute of Machine Building (Russian Federation)
2. Moscow Institute for Physics and Technology (State University) (Russian Federation)
3. Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Institute of Nuclear Fusion (Russian Federation)
4. Research Institute for Pulse Technology (NIIPT) (Russian Federation)
5. Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Institute of Physics (Russian Federation)

Results of experimental investigations of fast-proton production in a laser plasma are presented for the case where the intensity of laser radiation at the targets is 2 x 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}. Three processes of fast-proton acceleration in laser plasma are investigated: (1) the acceleration of protons from the front surface toward the laser pulse, (ii) the acceleration of protons from the front surface of the target toward its interior, and (iii) the acceleration of protons from the rear foil surface in the outward direction. The activation procedure and CR-39 tracker detectors featuring a set of various-thickness aluminum filters were used to record fast protons. It turned out that the proton-acceleration process is the most efficient in the case of proton acceleration from the rear foil surface in the outward direction. Experimental results revealed that about N{sub p} = 10{sup 7} protons of energy in the region E{sub p} > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated from the target surface toward a laser ray, N{sub p} = 4x 10{sup 7} protons of energy in the region E{sub p} > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated fromthe front surface of the target toward its interior, and N{sub p} = 4x10{sup 8} protons of energy in the region E{sub p} > 1.9 MeV that are accelerated from the rear foil surface in the outward direction are generated at a laser-radiation intensity of 2 x 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2} at the surface of aluminum, copper, and titanium targets. Experimental investigations aimed at optimizing the process of proton acceleration from the rear surface of aluminum foils were performed by varying the foil thickness over the range between 1 and 100 {mu}m. The results of these experiments showed that there is an optimum foil thickness of 10 {mu}m, in which case protons of maximum energy 5 MeV are generated.

• OSTI ID: 21426655
• Journal Information: Physics of Atomic Nuclei, Vol. 73, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1134/S1063778810110037; Copyright (c) 2010 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; ISSN 1063-7788
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALUMINIUM
COPPER
FILTERS
FOILS
LASER RADIATION
LASER TARGETS
MEV RANGE
OPTIMIZATION
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PLASMA
PROTONS
PULSES
SURFACES
TITANIUM
BARYONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
FERMIONS
HADRONS
METALS
NUCLEONS
RADIATIONS
TARGETS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS