Optimized laser pulse profile for efficient radiation pressure acceleration of ions

Journal Article · Sat Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4752214· OSTI ID:22086165

Bulanov, S S ^[1]; Schroeder, C B; Esarey, E ^[2]; Leemans, W P ^[1]

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1. University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

The radiation pressure acceleration regime of laser ion acceleration requires high intensity laser pulses to function efficiently. Moreover, the foil should be opaque for incident radiation during the interaction to ensure maximum momentum transfer from the pulse to the foil, which requires proper matching of the target to the laser pulse. However, in the ultrarelativistic regime, this leads to large acceleration distances, over which the high laser intensity for a Gaussian laser pulse must be maintained. It is shown that proper tailoring of the laser pulse profile can significantly reduce the acceleration distance, leading to a compact laser ion accelerator, requiring less energy to operate.

• OSTI ID: 22086165
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 9; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATION
DISTANCE
FOILS
IONS
LASERS
MOMENTUM TRANSFER
PULSES
RADIATION PRESSURE
RELATIVISTIC RANGE