1
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Paradkar BS. Improved energy spread in the radiation pressure acceleration of protons with a linearly polarized laser. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:025203. [PMID: 37723803 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.025203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Degradation in the energy spread of accelerated protons due to the transverse instability induced transparency is one of the critical issues in the laser-driven radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) scheme. This issue is more severe for linearly polarized lasers due to enhanced heating of electrons. Therefore, in spite of being experimentally challenging, most of the numerical studies are performed with circularly polarized lasers. In this work, through particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate a significant improvement in the energy spread of the accelerated protons when a multilayered target is irradiated by a linearly polarized laser. This multilayered target consists of a near-critical-density (NCD) layer, sandwiched between a thick metallic foil and a thin RPA target. The role of the NCD target is to suppress the laser transparency to increase the coupling of laser momentum to the RPA protons. On the other hand, the metallic foil utilizes the kinetic energy of the escaping fast electrons to form an electrostatic sheath to filter the low-energy RPA protons. This results in significant improvement in the accelerated proton spectrum, even with a linearly polarized laser.
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Affiliation(s)
- B S Paradkar
- UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai, Mumbai 400098, India
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2
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Alejo A, Ahmed H, Krygier AG, Clarke R, Freeman RR, Fuchs J, Green A, Green JS, Jung D, Kleinschmidt A, Morrison JT, Najmudin Z, Nakamura H, Norreys P, Notley M, Oliver M, Roth M, Vassura L, Zepf M, Borghesi M, Kar S. Stabilized Radiation Pressure Acceleration and Neutron Generation in Ultrathin Deuterated Foils. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 129:114801. [PMID: 36154426 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.114801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Premature relativistic transparency of ultrathin, laser-irradiated targets is recognized as an obstacle to achieving a stable radiation pressure acceleration in the "light sail" (LS) mode. Experimental data, corroborated by 2D PIC simulations, show that a few-nm thick overcoat surface layer of high Z material significantly improves ion bunching at high energies during the acceleration. This is diagnosed by simultaneous ion and neutron spectroscopy following irradiation of deuterated plastic targets. In particular, copious and directional neutron production (significantly larger than for other in-target schemes) arises, under optimal parameters, as a signature of plasma layer integrity during the acceleration.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Alejo
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
- Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain
| | - H Ahmed
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - A G Krygier
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - R Clarke
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - R R Freeman
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - J Fuchs
- LULI-CNRS, CEA, UPMC Univ Paris 06: Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau cedex, France
| | - A Green
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - J S Green
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - D Jung
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - A Kleinschmidt
- Institut für Kernphysik, TU Darmstadt, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - J T Morrison
- Propulsion Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Lab, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, USA
| | - Z Najmudin
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - H Nakamura
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - P Norreys
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - M Notley
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - M Oliver
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - M Roth
- Institut für Kernphysik, TU Darmstadt, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - L Vassura
- LULI-CNRS, CEA, UPMC Univ Paris 06: Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau cedex, France
| | - M Zepf
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - M Borghesi
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - S Kar
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
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3
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Wani R, Mir A, Batool F, Tiwari S. Rayleigh-Taylor instability in strongly coupled plasma. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11557. [PMID: 35798786 PMCID: PMC9262965 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15725-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) is the prominent energy mixing mechanism when heavy fluid lies on top of light fluid under the gravity. In this work, the RTI is studied in strongly coupled plasmas using two-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations. The motivation is to understand the evolution of the instability with the increasing correlation (Coulomb coupling) that happens when the average Coulombic potential energy becomes comparable to the average thermal energy. We report the suppression of the RTI due to a decrease in growth rate with increasing coupling strength. The caging effect is expected a physical mechanism for the growth suppression observed in both the exponential and the quadratic growth regimes. We also report that the increase in shielding due to background charges increases the growth rate of the instability. Moreover, the increase in the Atwood number, an entity to quantify the density gradient, shows the enhancement of the growth of the instability. The dispersion relation obtained from the molecular dynamics simulation of strongly coupled plasma shows a slight growth enhancement compared to the hydrodynamic viscous fluid. The RTI and its eventual impact on turbulent mixing can be significant in energy dumping mechanisms in inertial confinement fusion where, during the compressed phases, the coupling strength approaches unity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rauoof Wani
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jammu, 181221, India
| | - Ajaz Mir
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jammu, 181221, India
| | - Farida Batool
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jammu, 181221, India
| | - Sanat Tiwari
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jammu, 181221, India.
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4
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Boffetta G, Musacchio S. Dimensional effects in Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2022; 380:20210084. [PMID: 35094565 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We study the effects of dimensional confinement on the evolution of incompressible Rayleigh-Taylor mixing both in a bulk flow and in porous media by means of numerical simulations of the transport equations. In both cases, the confinement to two-dimensional flow accelerates the mixing process and increases the speed of the mixing layer. Dimensional confinement also produces stronger correlations between the density and the velocity fields affecting the efficiency of the mass transfer, quantified by the dependence of the Nusselt number on the Rayleigh number. This article is part of the theme issue 'Scaling the turbulence edifice (part 2)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Boffetta
- Department of Physics and INFN, via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Stefano Musacchio
- Department of Physics and INFN, via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
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5
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Boffetta G, Musacchio S. Incompressible Rayleigh-Taylor mixing in circular and spherical geometries. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:025104. [PMID: 35291134 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.025104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We present a numerical investigation of the turbulent evolution of the mixing layer developing from the Rayleigh-Taylor instability for miscible incompressible fluids in circular (in two dimensions) and in spherical (in three dimensions) geometries in the Boussinesq approximation. We show that the main difference caused by the convergent geometry with respect to the planar case is that the center of the mixing layer drifts toward the center of the domain during the evolution of the mixing layer. A similar effect is observed for the radial profile of the density flux. We derive a simple geometrical relation for this inward drift based on mass conservation. In the late stage of the evolution we observe also the appearance of an inward-outward asymmetry in the radial profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Boffetta
- Department of Physics and INFN, University of Torino, via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - S Musacchio
- Department of Physics and INFN, University of Torino, via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
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6
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PIC methods in astrophysics: simulations of relativistic jets and kinetic physics in astrophysical systems. LIVING REVIEWS IN COMPUTATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS 2021; 7:1. [PMID: 34722863 PMCID: PMC8549980 DOI: 10.1007/s41115-021-00012-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method has been developed by Oscar Buneman, Charles Birdsall, Roger W. Hockney, and John Dawson in the 1950s and, with the advances of computing power, has been further developed for several fields such as astrophysical, magnetospheric as well as solar plasmas and recently also for atmospheric and laser-plasma physics. Currently more than 15 semi-public PIC codes are available which we discuss in this review. Its applications have grown extensively with increasing computing power available on high performance computing facilities around the world. These systems allow the study of various topics of astrophysical plasmas, such as magnetic reconnection, pulsars and black hole magnetosphere, non-relativistic and relativistic shocks, relativistic jets, and laser-plasma physics. We review a plethora of astrophysical phenomena such as relativistic jets, instabilities, magnetic reconnection, pulsars, as well as PIC simulations of laser-plasma physics (until 2021) emphasizing the physics involved in the simulations. Finally, we give an outlook of the future simulations of jets associated to neutron stars, black holes and their merging and discuss the future of PIC simulations in the light of petascale and exascale computing.
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7
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Shen XF, Qiao B, Pukhov A, Kar S, Zhu SP, Borghesi M, He XT. Scaling laws for laser-driven ion acceleration from nanometer-scale ultrathin foils. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:025210. [PMID: 34525575 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.025210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Laser-driven ion acceleration has attracted global interest for its potential towards the development of a new generation of compact, low-cost accelerators. Remarkable advances have been seen in recent years with a substantial proton energy increase in experiments, when nanometer-scale ultrathin foil targets and high-contrast intense lasers are applied. However, the exact acceleration dynamics and particularly the ion energy scaling laws in this novel regime are complex and still unclear. Here, we derive a scaling law for the attainable maximum ion energy from such laser-irradiated nanometer-scale foils based on analytical theory and multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations, and further show that this scaling law can be used to accurately describe experimental data over a large range of laser and target parameters on different facilities. This provides crucial references for parameter design and experimentation of the future laser devices towards various potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- X F Shen
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - B Qiao
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - A Pukhov
- Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - S Kar
- Center for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - S P Zhu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, China
| | - M Borghesi
- Center for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - X T He
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, China
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8
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Wan Y, Andriyash IA, Lu W, Mori WB, Malka V. Effects of the Transverse Instability and Wave Breaking on the Laser-Driven Thin Foil Acceleration. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:104801. [PMID: 32955303 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.104801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Acceleration of ultrathin foils by the laser radiation pressure promises a compact alternative to the conventional ion sources. Among the challenges on the way to practical realization, one fundamental is a strong transverse plasma instability, which develops density perturbations and breaks the acceleration. In this Letter, we develop a theoretical model supported by three-dimensional numerical simulations to explain the transverse instability growth from noise to wave breaking and its crucial effect on stopping the acceleration. The wave-broken nonlinear mode triggers rapid stochastic heating that finally explodes the target. Possible paths to mitigate this problem for getting efficient ion acceleration are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wan
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - I A Andriyash
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - W Lu
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - W B Mori
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - V Malka
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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9
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Gong Z, Shou Y, Tang Y, Hu R, Yu J, Ma W, Lin C, Yan X. Proton sheet crossing in thin relativistic plasma irradiated by a femtosecond petawatt laser pulse. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:013207. [PMID: 32795002 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.013207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Leveraging on analyses of Hamiltonian dynamics to examine the ion motion, we explicitly demonstrate that the proton sheet crossing and plateau-type energy spectrum are two intrinsic features of the effectively accelerated proton beams driven by a drift quasistatic longitudinal electric field. Via two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we show the emergence of proton sheet crossing in a relativistically transparent plasma foil irradiated by a linearly polarized short pulse with the power of one petawatt. Instead of successively blowing the whole foil forward, the incident laser pulse readily penetrates through the plasma bulk, where the proton sheet crossing takes place and the merged self-generated longitudinal electric field traps and reflects the protons to yield a group of protons with plateau-type energy spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, KLHEDP, and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yinren Shou
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, KLHEDP, and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuhui Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, KLHEDP, and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ronghao Hu
- College of Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Jinqing Yu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Wenjun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, KLHEDP, and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, KLHEDP, and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xueqing Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, KLHEDP, and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
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10
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Wan Y, Pai CH, Zhang CJ, Li F, Wu YP, Hua JF, Lu W, Joshi C, Mori WB, Malka V. Physical mechanism of the electron-ion coupled transverse instability in laser pressure ion acceleration for different regimes. Phys Rev E 2018; 98:013202. [PMID: 30110864 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.98.013202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In radiation pressure ion acceleration (RPA) research, the transverse stability within laser plasma interaction has been a long-standing, crucial problem over the past decades. In this paper, we present a one-dimensional two-fluid theory extended from a recent work Wan et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 234801 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.117.234801 to clearly clarify the origin of the intrinsic transverse instability in the RPA process. It is demonstrated that the purely growing density fluctuations are more likely induced due to the strong coupling between the fast oscillating electrons and quasistatic ions via the ponderomotive force with spatial variations. The theory contains a full analysis of both electrostatic (ES) and electromagnetic modes and confirms that the ES mode actually dominates the whole RPA process at the early linear stage. By using this theory one can predict the mode structure and growth rate of the transverse instability in terms of a wide range of laser plasma parameters. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are systematically carried out to verify the theory and formulas in different regimes, and good agreements have been obtained, indicating that the electron-ion coupled instability is the major factor that contributes the transverse breakup of the target in RPA process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wan
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - C-H Pai
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - C J Zhang
- University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - F Li
- University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Y P Wu
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - J F Hua
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - W Lu
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - C Joshi
- University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - W B Mori
- University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - V Malka
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA-CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, UMR7639, 91761 Palaiseau, France
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11
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Grassi A, Grech M, Amiranoff F, Macchi A, Riconda C. Radiation-pressure-driven ion Weibel instability and collisionless shocks. Phys Rev E 2017; 96:033204. [PMID: 29347053 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.96.033204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The Weibel instability from counterstreaming plasma flows is a basic process highly relevant for collisionless shock formation in astrophysics. In this paper we investigate, via two- and three-dimensional simulations, suitable configurations for laboratory investigations of the ion Weibel instability (IWI) driven by a fast quasineutral plasma flow launched into the target via the radiation pressure of an ultra-high-intensity laser pulse ("hole-boring" process). The use of S-polarized light at oblique incidence is found to be an optimal configuration for driving IWI, as it prevents the development of surface rippling observed at normal incidence that would lead to strong electron heating and would favor competing instabilities. Conditions for the evolution of IWI into a collisionless shock are also investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Grassi
- LULI, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
- Dipartimento di Fisica Enrico Fermi, Università di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR/INO), u.o.s. Adriano Gozzini, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - M Grech
- LULI, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, Palaiseau, France
| | - F Amiranoff
- LULI, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
| | - A Macchi
- Dipartimento di Fisica Enrico Fermi, Università di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR/INO), u.o.s. Adriano Gozzini, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - C Riconda
- LULI, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
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12
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Göde S, Rödel C, Zeil K, Mishra R, Gauthier M, Brack FE, Kluge T, MacDonald MJ, Metzkes J, Obst L, Rehwald M, Ruyer C, Schlenvoigt HP, Schumaker W, Sommer P, Cowan TE, Schramm U, Glenzer S, Fiuza F. Relativistic Electron Streaming Instabilities Modulate Proton Beams Accelerated in Laser-Plasma Interactions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:194801. [PMID: 28548516 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.194801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report experimental evidence that multi-MeV protons accelerated in relativistic laser-plasma interactions are modulated by strong filamentary electromagnetic fields. Modulations are observed when a preplasma is developed on the rear side of a μm-scale solid-density hydrogen target. Under such conditions, electromagnetic fields are amplified by the relativistic electron Weibel instability and are maximized at the critical density region of the target. The analysis of the spatial profile of the protons indicates the generation of B>10 MG and E>0.1 MV/μm fields with a μm-scale wavelength. These results are in good agreement with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations and analytical estimates, which further confirm that this process is dominant for different target materials provided that a preplasma is formed on the rear side with scale length ≳0.13λ_{0}sqrt[a_{0}]. These findings impose important constraints on the preplasma levels required for high-quality proton acceleration for multipurpose applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Göde
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - C Rödel
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - K Zeil
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - R Mishra
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - M Gauthier
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - F-E Brack
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - T Kluge
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - M J MacDonald
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - J Metzkes
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - L Obst
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - M Rehwald
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - C Ruyer
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
| | - H-P Schlenvoigt
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - W Schumaker
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - P Sommer
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - T E Cowan
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - U Schramm
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - S Glenzer
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - F Fiuza
- High Energy Density Science Division, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
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13
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Wan Y, Pai CH, Zhang CJ, Li F, Wu YP, Hua JF, Lu W, Gu YQ, Silva LO, Joshi C, Mori WB. Physical Mechanism of the Transverse Instability in Radiation Pressure Ion Acceleration. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 117:234801. [PMID: 27982647 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.117.234801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The transverse stability of the target is crucial for obtaining high quality ion beams using the laser radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) mechanism. In this Letter, a theoretical model and supporting two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are presented to clarify the physical mechanism of the transverse instability observed in the RPA process. It is shown that the density ripples of the target foil are mainly induced by the coupling between the transverse oscillating electrons and the quasistatic ions, a mechanism similar to the oscillating two stream instability in the inertial confinement fusion research. The predictions of the mode structure and the growth rates from the theory agree well with the results obtained from the PIC simulations in various regimes, indicating the model contains the essence of the underlying physics of the transverse breakup of the target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wan
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Laser Fusion Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan 621900, China
- IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - C-H Pai
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - C J Zhang
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - F Li
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Y P Wu
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - J F Hua
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - W Lu
- Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Y Q Gu
- Laser Fusion Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan 621900, China
| | - L O Silva
- GoLP/instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - C Joshi
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - W B Mori
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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14
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Ter-Avetisyan S, Andreev A, Platonov K, Sung JH, Lee SK, Lee HW, Yoo JY, Singh PK, Ahmed H, Scullion C, Kakolee KF, Jeong TW, Hadjisolomou P, Borghesi M. Surface modulation and back reflection from foil targets irradiated by a Petawatt femtosecond laser pulse at oblique incidence. OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 24:28104-28112. [PMID: 27906375 DOI: 10.1364/oe.24.028104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A significant level of back reflected laser energy was measured during the interaction of ultra-short, high contrast PW laser pulses with solid targets at 30° incidence. 2D PIC simulations carried out for the experimental conditions show that at the laser-target interface a dynamic regular structure is generated during the interaction, which acts as a grating (quasi-grating) and reflects back a significant amount of incident laser energy. With increasing laser intensity above 1018 W/cm2 the back reflected fraction increases due to the growth of the surface modulation to larger amplitudes. Above 1020 W/cm2 this increase results in the partial destruction of the quasi-grating structure and, hence, in the saturation of the back reflection efficiency. The PIC simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings, and, additionally, demonstrate that in presence of a small amount of pre-plasma this regular structure will be smeared out and the back reflection reduced.
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15
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Gonzalez-Izquierdo B, King M, Gray RJ, Wilson R, Dance RJ, Powell H, Maclellan DA, McCreadie J, Butler NMH, Hawkes S, Green JS, Murphy CD, Stockhausen LC, Carroll DC, Booth N, Scott GG, Borghesi M, Neely D, McKenna P. Towards optical polarization control of laser-driven proton acceleration in foils undergoing relativistic transparency. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12891. [PMID: 27624920 PMCID: PMC5027290 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Control of the collective response of plasma particles to intense laser light is intrinsic to relativistic optics, the development of compact laser-driven particle and radiation sources, as well as investigations of some laboratory astrophysics phenomena. We recently demonstrated that a relativistic plasma aperture produced in an ultra-thin foil at the focus of intense laser radiation can induce diffraction, enabling polarization-based control of the collective motion of plasma electrons. Here we show that under these conditions the electron dynamics are mapped into the beam of protons accelerated via strong charge-separation-induced electrostatic fields. It is demonstrated experimentally and numerically via 3D particle-in-cell simulations that the degree of ellipticity of the laser polarization strongly influences the spatial-intensity distribution of the beam of multi-MeV protons. The influence on both sheath-accelerated and radiation pressure-accelerated protons is investigated. This approach opens up a potential new route to control laser-driven ion sources. Intense laser pulse interaction with ultra-thin foils constitutes a promising approach for proton acceleration. Here the authors show that the degree of ellipticity in the laser beam polarization can be used to control the proton beam profile.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin King
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | - Ross J Gray
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | - Robbie Wilson
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | - Rachel J Dance
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | - Haydn Powell
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | - David A Maclellan
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | - John McCreadie
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
| | | | - Steve Hawkes
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK.,Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - James S Green
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Chris D Murphy
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Luca C Stockhausen
- Centro de Láseres Pulsados (CLPU), M5 Parque Científico, 37185 Salamanca, Spain
| | - David C Carroll
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Nicola Booth
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Graeme G Scott
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK.,Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Marco Borghesi
- Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
| | - David Neely
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK.,Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Paul McKenna
- SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
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16
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Mackenroth F, Gonoskov A, Marklund M. Chirped-Standing-Wave Acceleration of Ions with Intense Lasers. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 117:104801. [PMID: 27636480 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.117.104801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We propose a novel mechanism for ion acceleration based on the guided motion of electrons from a thin layer. The electron motion is locked to the moving nodes of a standing wave formed by a chirped laser pulse reflected from a mirror behind the layer. This provides a stable longitudinal field of charge separation, thus giving rise to chirped-standing-wave acceleration of the residual ions of the layer. We demonstrate, both analytically and numerically, that stable proton beams, with energy spectra peaked around 100 MeV, are feasible for pulse energies at the level of 10 J. Moreover, a scaling law for higher laser intensities and layer densities is presented, indicating stable GeV-level energy gains of dense ion bunches, for soon-to-be-available laser intensities.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Mackenroth
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - A Gonoskov
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296 Göteborg, Sweden
- Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod 603950, Russia
- Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod 603950, Russia
| | - M Marklund
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296 Göteborg, Sweden
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17
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Paradkar BS, Krishnagopal S. Electron heating in radiation-pressure-driven proton acceleration with a circularly polarized laser. Phys Rev E 2016; 93:023203. [PMID: 26986428 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.93.023203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Dynamics of electron heating in the radiation-pressure-driven acceleration through self-induced transparency (SIT) is investigated with the help of particle-in-cell simulations. The SIT is achieved through laser filamentation which is seeded by the transverse density modulations due to the Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability. We observe stronger SIT induced electron heating for the longer duration laser pulses leading to deterioration of accelerated ion beam quality (mainly energy spread). Such heating can be controlled to obtain a quasimonoenergetic beam by cascaded foils targets where a second foil behind the main accelerating foil acts as a laser reflector to suppress the SIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- B S Paradkar
- Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai, Mumbai 40098, India
| | - S Krishnagopal
- Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 40085, India
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18
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Wang WQ, Yin Y, Yu TP, Xu H, Zou DB, Shao FQ. Numerical investigation of the transverse instability on the radiation-pressure-driven foil. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2015; 92:063111. [PMID: 26764842 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.92.063111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The development of transverse instability in the radiation-pressure-acceleration dominant laser-foil interaction is numerically examined by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. When a plane laser impinges on a foil with modulated surface, the transverse instability is incited, and periodic perturbations of the proton density develop. The growth rate of the transverse instability is numerically diagnosed. It is found that the linear growth of the transverse instability lasts only a few laser periods, then the instability gets saturated. In order to optimize the modulation wavelength of the target, a method of information entropy is put forward to describe the chaos degree of the transverse instability. With appropriate modulation, the transverse instability shows a low chaos degree, and a quasi-monoenergetic proton beam is produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Q Wang
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
| | - Y Yin
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
| | - T P Yu
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
| | - H Xu
- College of Computer Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410003, People's Republic of China
| | - D B Zou
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
| | - F Q Shao
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
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