Filamentary structures can form within the beam of protons accelerated during the interaction of an intense laser pulse with an ultrathin foil target. Such behaviour is shown to be dependent upon the formation time of...Filamentary structures can form within the beam of protons accelerated during the interaction of an intense laser pulse with an ultrathin foil target. Such behaviour is shown to be dependent upon the formation time of quasi-static magnetic field structures throughout the target volume and the extent of the rear surface proton expansion over the same period.This is observed via both numerical and experimental investigations. By controlling the intensity profile of the laser drive,via the use of two temporally separated pulses, both the initial rear surface proton expansion and magnetic field formation time can be varied, resulting in modification to the degree of filamentary structure present within the laser-driven proton beam.展开更多
The first experimental measurements of intense(~7 × 1019 W cm-2) laser-driven terahertz(THz) radiation from a solid target which is preheated by an intense pulse of laser-accelerated protons is reported. The tot...The first experimental measurements of intense(~7 × 1019 W cm-2) laser-driven terahertz(THz) radiation from a solid target which is preheated by an intense pulse of laser-accelerated protons is reported. The total energy of the THz radiation is found to decrease by approximately a factor of 2 compared to a cold target reference. This is attributed to an increase in the scale length of the preformed plasma, driven by proton heating, at the front surface of the target,where the THz radiation is generated. The results show the importance of controlling the preplasma scale length for THz production.展开更多
基金supported by EPSRC(grants EP/J003832/1,EP/R006202/1,EP/P007082/1 and EP/K022415/1)the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation program(grant agreement No.654148 Laserlab-Europe)EPSRC grant EP/G054940/1
文摘Filamentary structures can form within the beam of protons accelerated during the interaction of an intense laser pulse with an ultrathin foil target. Such behaviour is shown to be dependent upon the formation time of quasi-static magnetic field structures throughout the target volume and the extent of the rear surface proton expansion over the same period.This is observed via both numerical and experimental investigations. By controlling the intensity profile of the laser drive,via the use of two temporally separated pulses, both the initial rear surface proton expansion and magnetic field formation time can be varied, resulting in modification to the degree of filamentary structure present within the laser-driven proton beam.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (grant nos. 2013CBA01500 and 2014CB339801)National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 11121504, 11205100, 11220101002 and 11135012)+1 种基金the EPSRC (grant nos. EP/J003832/1 and EP/L001357/1)the Swedish Research Council
文摘The first experimental measurements of intense(~7 × 1019 W cm-2) laser-driven terahertz(THz) radiation from a solid target which is preheated by an intense pulse of laser-accelerated protons is reported. The total energy of the THz radiation is found to decrease by approximately a factor of 2 compared to a cold target reference. This is attributed to an increase in the scale length of the preformed plasma, driven by proton heating, at the front surface of the target,where the THz radiation is generated. The results show the importance of controlling the preplasma scale length for THz production.