Controlling the properties of ultraintense laser-proton sources using transverse refluxing of hot electrons in shaped mass-limited targets

O. Tresca, D. C. Carroll, X. H. Yuan, B. Aurand, V. Bagnoud, C. M. Brenner, M. Coury, J. Fils, R. J. Gray, T. Kuehl, C. Li, Y. T. Li, X. X. Lin, M. N. Quinn, R. G. Evans, B. Zielbauer, M. Roth, D. Neely, P. McKenna

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31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report on the transverse refluxing of energetic electrons in mass-limited foil targets irradiated with high intensity (1 x 10(19)Wcm(-2)), picosecond laser pulses. It is shown experimentally that the maximum energies of protons accelerated by sheath fields formed at the rear and at the edges of the target increase with decreasing target size. This is due to the modification of the sheath field by the energetic electrons which spread laterally along the target surface and reflect from the edges. In addition, it is shown that this transverse refluxing of energetic electrons can be used to tailor the spatial-intensity distribution of the proton beam by engineering the shape and size of the target.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105008
Pages (from-to)-
Number of pages9
JournalPlasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Volume53
Issue number10
Early online date15 Sept 2011
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2011

Keywords

  • irradiation
  • solids
  • generation
  • plasma

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