Ultraintense laser interaction with nanoscale targets: a simple model for layer expansion and ion acceleration
B J Albright; L Yin; B M Hegelich; K J Bowers; C Huang; A Henig; J C Fernández; K A Flippo; S A Gaillard; T J T Kwan; X Q Yan; T Tajima; D Habs
Журнал:
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Дата:
2010-08-01
Аннотация:
A simple model has been derived for expansion of a thin (up to 100s of nm thickness) target initially of solid density irradiated by an ultraintense laser. In this regime, ion acceleration mechanisms, such as the Break-Out Afterburner (BOA) [1], emerge with the potential for dramatically improved energy, efficiency, and energy spread. Ion beams have been proposed [2] as drivers for fast ignition inertial confinement fusion [3]. Analysis of kinetic simulations of the BOA shows the period of enhanced acceleration occurs between times t<sub>1</sub>, when the target becomes relativistically transparent to the laser, and t<sub>2</sub>, when the target becomes classically underdense and the enhanced acceleration terminates. A simple model for target expansion has been derived that contains early, one-dimensional (1D) expansion of the target and three-dimensional (3D) expansion at late times. The model assumes expansion is slab-like at the instantaneous ion sound speed and requires as input target composition, laser intensity, laser spot area, and the efficiency of laser absorption into electron thermal energy.
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