Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions

D Del Sorbo; D R Blackman; R Capdessus; K Small; C Slade-Lowther; W Lou; M J Duff; A P L Robinson; P McKenna; Z-M Sheng; J Pasley; C P Ridgers

doi:10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61

Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions

D Del Sorbo, D R Blackman, R Capdessus, K Small, C Slade-Lowther, W Lou, M J Duff, A P L Robinson, P McKenna, Z-M Sheng, J Pasley, C P Ridgers

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Abstract

The radiation pressure of next generation ultra-high intensity ( > 10²³ W/cm² ) lasers could efficiently accelerate ions to GeV energies. However, nonlinear quantum-electrodynamic effects play an important role in the interaction of these laser pulses with matter. Here we show that these effects may lead to the production of an ex- tremely dense (∼10²⁴ cm⁻³) pair-plasma which absorbs the laser pulse consequently reducing the accelerated ion energy and laser to ion conversion efficiency by up to 30-50% & 50-65%, respectively. Thus we identify the regimes of laser-matter interaction, where either ions are efficiently accelerated to high energy or dense pair-plasmas are produced as a guide for future experiments.

Original language	English
Article number	033014
Number of pages	9
Journal	New Journal of Physics
Volume	20
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61
Publication status	Published - 26 Mar 2018

Keywords

lasers
plasma
ion acceleration

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10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61Licence: CC BY 3.0

Del-Sorbo-etal-NJP2018-Efficient-ion-acceleration-and-dense-electron-positron-plasmaFinal published version, 606 KBLicence: CC BY 3.0

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Del Sorbo, D., Blackman, D. R., Capdessus, R., Small, K., Slade-Lowther, C., Lou, W., Duff, M. J., Robinson, A. P. L., McKenna, P., Sheng, Z.-M., Pasley, J., & Ridgers, C. P. (2018). Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions. New Journal of Physics, 20, Article 033014. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61

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title = "Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions",

abstract = "The radiation pressure of next generation ultra-high intensity ( > 1023 W/cm2 ) lasers could efficiently accelerate ions to GeV energies. However, nonlinear quantum-electrodynamic effects play an important role in the interaction of these laser pulses with matter. Here we show that these effects may lead to the production of an ex- tremely dense (∼1024 cm−3) pair-plasma which absorbs the laser pulse consequently reducing the accelerated ion energy and laser to ion conversion efficiency by up to 30-50% & 50-65%, respectively. Thus we identify the regimes of laser-matter interaction, where either ions are efficiently accelerated to high energy or dense pair-plasmas are produced as a guide for future experiments.",

keywords = "lasers, plasma, ion acceleration",

author = "{Del Sorbo}, D and Blackman, {D R} and R Capdessus and K Small and C Slade-Lowther and W Lou and Duff, {M J} and Robinson, {A P L} and P McKenna and Z-M Sheng and J Pasley and Ridgers, {C P}",

year = "2018",

month = mar,

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doi = "10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61",

language = "English",

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T1 - Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions

AU - Del Sorbo, D

AU - Blackman, D R

AU - Capdessus, R

AU - Small, K

AU - Slade-Lowther, C

AU - Lou, W

AU - Duff, M J

AU - Robinson, A P L

AU - McKenna, P

AU - Sheng, Z-M

AU - Pasley, J

AU - Ridgers, C P

PY - 2018/3/26

Y1 - 2018/3/26

N2 - The radiation pressure of next generation ultra-high intensity ( > 1023 W/cm2 ) lasers could efficiently accelerate ions to GeV energies. However, nonlinear quantum-electrodynamic effects play an important role in the interaction of these laser pulses with matter. Here we show that these effects may lead to the production of an ex- tremely dense (∼1024 cm−3) pair-plasma which absorbs the laser pulse consequently reducing the accelerated ion energy and laser to ion conversion efficiency by up to 30-50% & 50-65%, respectively. Thus we identify the regimes of laser-matter interaction, where either ions are efficiently accelerated to high energy or dense pair-plasmas are produced as a guide for future experiments.

AB - The radiation pressure of next generation ultra-high intensity ( > 1023 W/cm2 ) lasers could efficiently accelerate ions to GeV energies. However, nonlinear quantum-electrodynamic effects play an important role in the interaction of these laser pulses with matter. Here we show that these effects may lead to the production of an ex- tremely dense (∼1024 cm−3) pair-plasma which absorbs the laser pulse consequently reducing the accelerated ion energy and laser to ion conversion efficiency by up to 30-50% & 50-65%, respectively. Thus we identify the regimes of laser-matter interaction, where either ions are efficiently accelerated to high energy or dense pair-plasmas are produced as a guide for future experiments.

KW - lasers

KW - plasma

KW - ion acceleration

UR - http://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1367-2630

U2 - 10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61

DO - 10.1088/1367-2630/aaae61

M3 - Article

SN - 1367-2630

VL - 20

JO - New Journal of Physics

JF - New Journal of Physics

M1 - 033014

ER -

Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions

Abstract

Keywords

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Theoretical and numerical investigations of collective effects in extreme laser-plasma interactions

Laser-Plasma Interactions at the Intensity Frontier: the Transition to the QED-Plasma Regime

Data for: "Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions"

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Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions

Abstract

Keywords

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Other files and links

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Projects

Theoretical and numerical investigations of collective effects in extreme laser-plasma interactions

Laser-Plasma Interactions at the Intensity Frontier: the Transition to the QED-Plasma Regime

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Data for: "Efficient ion acceleration and dense electron-positron plasma creation in ultra-high intensity laser-solid interactions"

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