What is it about?
A controlled transition between two different ion acceleration mechanisms would pave the way to achieving different ion energies and spectral features within the same experimental set up, depending on the region of operation. Based on numerical simulations conducted over a wide range of experimentally achievable parameter space, reported here is a comprehensive investigation of the different facets of ion acceleration by relativistically intense circularly polarized laser pulses interacting with thin near-critical-density plasma targets. The results show that the plasma thickness, exponential density gradient, and laser frequency chirp can be controlled to switch the interaction from the transparent operating regime to the opaque one, thereby enabling the choice of a Maxwellian-like ion energy distribution with a cutoff energy in the relativistically transparent regime or a quasi-monoenergetic spectrum in the opaque regime. Next, it is established that a multispecies target configuration can be used effectively for optimal generation of quasi-monoenergetic ion bunches of a desired species.
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Why is it important?
We define rules to all optically accelerate quasi-monoenergetic ions from a laser excited thin target. This is important, since applications like cancer therapy demands ion sources that are controllable, scalable and low cost and laser generated ion sources satisfy some of these properties. The present work, gives a comprehensive guideline for future experiments in these directions.
Perspectives
Leading the project and writing this article was a great learning experience. Not only that we developed numerical and post processing skills but also the fact stands out that, we could clearly identify trends in a multidimensional laser plasma parameter space, which is notoriously difficult due to the complexity of nonlinear interactions.
Subhendu KAHALY
Extreme Light Infrastructure Hu Nonprofit Ltd
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Controlled transition to different proton acceleration regimes: Near-critical-density plasmas driven by circularly polarized few-cycle pulses, Matter and Radiation at Extremes, July 2023, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0151751.
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