Collisionless shocks driven by 800 nm laser pulses generate high-energy carbon ions

Journal Article · Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4907194· OSTI ID:22408025

Zhang, H.; Wang, W. P.; Xu, Y.; Liu, Y. Q.; Liang, X. Y.; Leng, Y. X.; Xu, Z. Z. ^[1]; Yan, X. Q.; Chen, J. E. ^[2]

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1. State Key Laboratory of High Filed Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China)
2. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Institute of Heavy Ion Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

We present experimental studies on ion acceleration from diamond-like carbon (DLC) foils irradiated by 800 nm, linearly polarized laser pulses with peak intensity of 1.7 × 10{sup 19 }W/cm{sup 2} to 3.5 × 10{sup 19 }W/cm{sup 2} at oblique incidence. Diamond-like carbon foils are heated by the prepulse of a high-contrast laser pulse and expand to form plasmas of near-critical density caused by thermal effect before the arrival of the main pulse. It is demonstrated that carbon ions are accelerated by a collisionless shock wave in slightly overdense plasma excited by forward-moving hot electrons generated by the main pulse.

• OSTI ID: 22408025
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; 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
ACCELERATION
CARBON IONS
DENSITY
DIAMONDS
ELECTRONS
IRRADIATION
LASERS
PLASMA
PULSES
SHOCK WAVES