1
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Han LQ, Cai J, Shou YR, Liu XD, Yu JQ, Yan XQ. Linear Breit-Wheeler process driven by compact lasers. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:055208. [PMID: 38115494 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.055208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
We report a proposal to observe the two-photon Breit-Wheeler process in plasma driven by compact lasers. A high-charge electron bunch can be generated from laser plasma wakefield acceleration when a tightly focused laser pulse propagates in a subcritical density plasma. The electron bunch scatters with the laser pulse coming from the opposite direction and resulting in the emission of high brilliance x-ray pulses. In a three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation with a laser pulse of ∼10 J, one could produce an x-ray pulse with a photon number higher than 3×10^{11} and brilliance above 1.6×10^{23} photons/s/mm^{2}/mrad^{2}/0.1%BW at 1 MeV. The x-ray pulses collide in the plasma and create more than 1.1×10^{5} electron-positron pairs per shot. It is also found that the positrons can be accelerated transversely by a transverse electric field generated in the plasma, which enables the safe detection in the direction away from the laser pulses. This proposal enables the observation of the linear Breit-Wheeler process in a compact device with a single shot.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Q Han
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of High-Energy Scale Physics and Applications, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - J Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Y R Shou
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - X D Liu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of High-Energy Scale Physics and Applications, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - J Q Yu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of High-Energy Scale Physics and Applications, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - X Q Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, China
- Guangdong Laser Plasma Institute, Guangzhou, 510540, China
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2
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Huang R, Han L, Shou Y, Wang D, Yu T, Yu J, Yan X. High-flux and bright betatron X-ray source generated from femtosecond laser pulse interaction with sub-critical density plasma. OPTICS LETTERS 2023; 48:819-822. [PMID: 36723597 DOI: 10.1364/ol.480553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent progress on betatron X-ray source enables the exploration of new physics in fundamental science; however, the application range is still limited by the source flux and brightness. In this Letter, we show the generation of more than 1 × 1012 photons (energy > 1 keV) with a peak brightness of 7.8 × 1022 photons/(s mm2 mrad2) at 0.1% bandwidth (BW) at 10 keV, driven by a femtosecond laser pulse of ≈5.5 J and a sub-critical density plasma (SCDP). The source flux is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that from typical laser wakefield electron acceleration. This method to produce high-flux and bright X-ray source would open a wide range of applications.
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3
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Gong Z, Mackenroth F, Wang T, Yan XQ, Toncian T, Arefiev AV. Direct laser acceleration of electrons assisted by strong laser-driven azimuthal plasma magnetic fields. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:013206. [PMID: 32795027 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.013206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A high-intensity laser beam propagating through a dense plasma drives a strong current that robustly sustains a strong quasistatic azimuthal magnetic field. The laser field efficiently accelerates electrons in such a field that confines the transverse motion and deflects the electrons in the forward direction. Its advantage is a threshold rather than resonant behavior, accelerating electrons to high energies for sufficiently strong laser-driven currents. We study the electron dynamics via a test-electron model, specifically deriving the corresponding critical current density. We confirm the model's predictions by numerical simulations, indicating energy gains two orders of magnitude higher than achievable without the magnetic field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Gong
- SKLNPT, KLHEDP and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Center for High Energy Density Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - F Mackenroth
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - T Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - X Q Yan
- SKLNPT, KLHEDP and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - T Toncian
- Institute for Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - A V Arefiev
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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4
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Gong Z, Mackenroth F, Yan XQ, Arefiev AV. Radiation reaction as an energy enhancement mechanism for laser-irradiated electrons in a strong plasma magnetic field. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17181. [PMID: 31748597 PMCID: PMC6868192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53644-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Conventionally, friction is understood as a mechanism depleting a physical system of energy and as an unavoidable feature of any realistic device involving moving parts. In this work, we demonstrate that this intuitive picture loses validity in nonlinear quantum electrodynamics, exemplified in a scenario where spatially random friction counter-intuitively results in a highly directional energy flow. This peculiar behavior is caused by radiation friction, i.e., the energy loss of an accelerated charge due to the emission of radiation. We demonstrate analytically and numerically how radiation friction can dramatically enhance the energy gain by electrons from a laser pulse in a strong magnetic field that naturally arises in dense laser-irradiated plasma. We find the directional energy boost to be due to the transverse electron momentum being reduced through friction whence the driving laser can accelerate the electron more efficiently. In the considered example, the energy of the laser-accelerated electrons is enhanced by orders of magnitude, which then leads to highly directional emission of gamma-rays induced by the plasma magnetic field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Gong
- SKLNPT, KLHEDP and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.,Center for High Energy Density Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - F Mackenroth
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - X Q Yan
- SKLNPT, KLHEDP and CAPT, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - A V Arefiev
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. .,Center for Energy Research, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
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5
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Ma WJ, Kim IJ, Yu JQ, Choi IW, Singh PK, Lee HW, Sung JH, Lee SK, Lin C, Liao Q, Zhu JG, Lu HY, Liu B, Wang HY, Xu RF, He XT, Chen JE, Zepf M, Schreiber J, Yan XQ, Nam CH. Laser Acceleration of Highly Energetic Carbon Ions Using a Double-Layer Target Composed of Slightly Underdense Plasma and Ultrathin Foil. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:014803. [PMID: 31012707 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.014803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report the experimental generation of highly energetic carbon ions up to 48 MeV per nucleon by shooting double-layer targets composed of well-controlled slightly underdense plasma and ultrathin foils with ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses. Particle-in-cell simulations reveal that carbon ions are ejected from the ultrathin foils due to radiation pressure and then accelerated in an enhanced sheath field established by the superponderomotive electron flow. Such a cascaded acceleration is especially suited for heavy ion acceleration with femtosecond laser pulses. The breakthrough of heavy ion energy up to many tens of MeV/u at a high repetition rate would be able to trigger significant advances in nuclear physics, high energy density physics, and medical physics.
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Affiliation(s)
- W J Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - I Jong Kim
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Korea
| | - J Q Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Il Woo Choi
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Korea
| | - P K Singh
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
| | - Hwang Woon Lee
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
| | - Jae Hee Sung
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Korea
| | - Seong Ku Lee
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 61005, Korea
| | - C Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Q Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - J G Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - H Y Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - B Liu
- Max-Planck-Institute für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - H Y Wang
- School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - R F Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - X T He
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - J E Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - M Zepf
- Helmholtz-Institut-Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - J Schreiber
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - X Q Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Chang Hee Nam
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, GIST, Gwangju 61005, Korea
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6
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Abstract
Compact acceleration of a tightly collimated relativistic electron beam with high charge from a laser-plasma interaction has many unique applications. However, currently the well-known schemes, including laser wakefield acceleration from gases and vacuum laser acceleration from solids, often produce electron beams either with low charge or with large divergence angles. In this work, we report the generation of highly collimated electron beams with a divergence angle of a few degrees, nonthermal spectra peaked at the megaelectronvolt level, and extremely high charge (∼100 nC) via a powerful subpicosecond laser pulse interacting with a solid target in grazing incidence. Particle-in-cell simulations illustrate a direct laser acceleration scenario, in which the self-filamentation is triggered in a large-scale near-critical-density plasma and electron bunches are accelerated periodically and collimated by the ultraintense electromagnetic field. The energy density of such electron beams in high-Z materials reaches to [Formula: see text], making it a promising tool to drive warm or even hot dense matter states.
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7
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Fedeli L, Formenti A, Cialfi L, Pazzaglia A, Passoni M. Ultra-intense laser interaction with nanostructured near-critical plasmas. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3834. [PMID: 29497130 PMCID: PMC5832818 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22147-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Near-critical plasmas irradiated at ultra-high laser intensities (I > 1018W/cm2) allow to improve the performances of laser-driven particle and radiation sources and to explore scenarios of great astrophysical interest. Near-critical plasmas with controlled properties can be obtained with nanostructured low-density materials. By means of 3D Particle-In-Cell simulations, we investigate how realistic nanostructures influence the interaction of an ultra-intense laser with a plasma having a near-critical average electron density. We find that the presence of a nanostructure strongly reduces the effect of pulse polarization and enhances the energy absorbed by the ion population, while generally leading to a significant decrease of the electron temperature with respect to a homogeneous near-critical plasma. We also observe an effect of the nanostructure morphology. These results are relevant both for a fundamental understanding and for the foreseen applications of laser-plasma interaction in the near-critical regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Fedeli
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, Milano, 20133, Italy.
| | - Arianna Formenti
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, Milano, 20133, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Cialfi
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, Milano, 20133, Italy
| | - Andrea Pazzaglia
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, Milano, 20133, Italy
| | - Matteo Passoni
- Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, Milano, 20133, Italy
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8
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Huang TW, Zhou CT, Zhang H, Wu SZ, Qiao B, He XT, Ruan SC. Relativistic laser hosing instability suppression and electron acceleration in a preformed plasma channel. Phys Rev E 2017; 95:043207. [PMID: 28505773 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.95.043207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The hosing processes of a relativistic laser pulse, electron acceleration, and betatron radiation in a parabolic plasma channel are investigated in the direct laser acceleration regime. It is shown that the laser hosing instability would result in the generation of a randomly directed off-axis electron beam and radiation source with a large divergence angle. While employing a preformed parabolic plasma channel, the restoring force provided by the plasma channel would correct the perturbed laser wave front and thus suppress the hosing instability. As a result, the accelerated electron beam and the emitted photons are well guided and concentrated along the channel axis. The employment of a proper plasma density channel can stably guide the relativistically intense laser pulse and greatly improve the properties of the electron beam and radiation source. This scheme is of great interest for the generation of high quality electron beams and radiation sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- T W Huang
- College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - C T Zhou
- College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China.,College of New Energy and New Materials, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, People's Republic of China.,HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - H Zhang
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - S Z Wu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - B Qiao
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - X T He
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - S C Ruan
- College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China.,College of New Energy and New Materials, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, People's Republic of China
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9
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Chang HX, Qiao B, Huang TW, Xu Z, Zhou CT, Gu YQ, Yan XQ, Zepf M, He XT. Brilliant petawatt gamma-ray pulse generation in quantum electrodynamic laser-plasma interaction. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45031. [PMID: 28338010 PMCID: PMC5364473 DOI: 10.1038/srep45031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We show a new resonance acceleration scheme for generating ultradense relativistic electron bunches in helical motions and hence emitting brilliant vortical γ-ray pulses in the quantum electrodynamic (QED) regime of circularly-polarized (CP) laser-plasma interactions. Here the combined effects of the radiation reaction recoil force and the self-generated magnetic fields result in not only trapping of a great amount of electrons in laser-produced plasma channel, but also significant broadening of the resonance bandwidth between laser frequency and that of electron betatron oscillation in the channel, which eventually leads to formation of the ultradense electron bunch under resonant helical motion in CP laser fields. Three-dimensional PIC simulations show that a brilliant γ-ray pulse with unprecedented power of 6.7 PW and peak brightness of 1025 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1% BW (at 15 MeV) is emitted at laser intensity of 1.9 × 1023 W/cm2.
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Affiliation(s)
- H X Chang
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - 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
| | - T W Huang
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Z Xu
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - C T Zhou
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, China
| | - Y Q Gu
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - X Q Yan
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - M Zepf
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, 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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10
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Huang TW, Robinson APL, Zhou CT, Qiao B, Liu B, Ruan SC, He XT, Norreys PA. Characteristics of betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons. Phys Rev E 2016; 93:063203. [PMID: 27415373 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.93.063203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons is characterized analytically and numerically. It is shown here that the electron dynamics is strongly dependent on a self-similar parameter S(≡n_{e}/n_{c}a_{0}). Both the electron transverse momentum and energy are proportional to the normalized amplitude of laser field (a_{0}) for a fixed value of S. As a result, the total number of radiated photons scales as a_{0}^{2}/sqrt[S] and the energy conversion efficiency of photons from the accelerated electrons scales as a_{0}^{3}/S. The particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the analytical scalings. It is suggested that a tunable high-energy and high-flux radiation source can be achieved by exploiting this regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- T W Huang
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - A P L Robinson
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - C T Zhou
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China.,College of Electronic Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - B Qiao
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - B Liu
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - S C Ruan
- College of Electronic Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - X T He
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - P A Norreys
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom.,Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
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11
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Shou Y, Lu H, Hu R, Lin C, Wang H, Zhou M, He X, Chen JE, Yan X. Near-diffraction-limited laser focusing with a near-critical density plasma lens. OPTICS LETTERS 2016; 41:139-142. [PMID: 26696178 DOI: 10.1364/ol.41.000139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In this Letter, we investigate the feasibility of focusing relativistic laser pulses toward diffraction limit by near-critical density plasma lenses. A theoretical model is developed to estimate the focal length of the plasma lens. Particle-in-cell simulations with various pulse parameters, such as pulse duration, beam waist, and intensity, are performed to show the robustness of plasma lenses. The results prove that the near-critical density plasma lenses can be deployed to obtain higher laser peak intensities with sub-wavelength focal spots in experiments.
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12
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Huang TW, Zhou CT, Robinson APL, Qiao B, Zhang H, Wu SZ, Zhuo HB, Norreys PA, He XT. Mitigating the relativistic laser beam filamentation via an elliptical beam profile. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2015; 92:053106. [PMID: 26651801 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.92.053106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
It is shown that the filamentation instability of relativistically intense laser pulses in plasmas can be mitigated in the case where the laser beam has an elliptically distributed beam profile. A high-power elliptical Gaussian laser beam would break up into a regular filamentation pattern-in contrast to the randomly distributed filaments of a circularly distributed laser beam-and much more laser power would be concentrated in the central region. A highly elliptically distributed laser beam experiences anisotropic self-focusing and diffraction processes in the plasma channel ensuring that the unstable diffractive rings of the circular case cannot be produced. The azimuthal modulational instability is thereby suppressed. These findings are verified by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- T W Huang
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - C T Zhou
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
- Science College, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
| | - A P L Robinson
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - B Qiao
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - H Zhang
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - S Z Wu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - H B Zhuo
- Science College, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
| | - P A Norreys
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - X T He
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China
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13
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Hu R, Liu B, Lu H, Zhou M, Lin C, Sheng Z, Chen CE, He X, Yan X. Dense Helical Electron Bunch Generation in Near-Critical Density Plasmas with Ultrarelativistic Laser Intensities. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15499. [PMID: 26503634 PMCID: PMC4621409 DOI: 10.1038/srep15499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism for emergence of helical electron bunch(HEB) from an ultrarelativistic circularly polarized laser pulse propagating in near-critical density(NCD) plasma is investigated. Self-consistent three-dimensional(3D) Particle-in-Cell(PIC) simulations are performed to model all aspects of the laser plasma interaction including laser pulse evolution, electron and ion motions. At a laser intensity of 1022 W/cm2, the accelerated electrons have a broadband spectrum ranging from 300 MeV to 1.3 GeV, with the charge of 22 nano-Coulombs(nC) within a solid-angle of 0.14 Sr. Based on the simulation results, a phase-space dynamics model is developed to explain the helical density structure and the broadband energy spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronghao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Bin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing, 100088, China
| | - Haiyang Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Meilin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Chen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhengming Sheng
- Department of Physics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Chia-erh Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiantu He
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.,Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing, 100088, China
| | - Xueqing Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Laboratory of HEDP of the Ministry of Education, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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Ping YL, Zhong JY, Sheng ZM, Wang XG, Liu B, Li YT, Yan XQ, He XT, Zhang J, Zhao G. Three-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection driven by relativistic ultraintense femtosecond lasers. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2014; 89:031101. [PMID: 24730781 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.89.031101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2012] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection driven by two ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses is investigated by relativistic particle-in-cell simulation, where the two paralleled incident laser beams are shot into a near-critical plasma layer to form a magnetic reconnection configuration in self-generated magnetic fields. A reconnection X point and out-of-plane quadrupole field structures associated with magnetic reconnection are formed. The reconnection rate is found to be faster than that found in previous two-dimensional Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulations and electrostatic turbulence contribution to the reconnection electric field plays an essential role. Both in-plane and out-of-plane electron and ion accelerations up to a few MeV due to the magnetic reconnection process are also obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y L Ping
- Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - J Y Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Z M Sheng
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China and Beijing National Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
| | - X G Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - B Liu
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Y T Li
- Beijing National Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
| | - X Q Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China and Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - X T He
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - J Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China and Beijing National Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
| | - G Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
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