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 ope...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.Finally,the feasibility is demonstrated for generating monoenergetic proton beams with energy peak atℰ≈20–40 MeV and a narrow energy spread ofΔℰ/ℰ≈18%–28.6%confined within a divergence angle of∼175 mrad at a reasonable laser peak intensity of I0≃5.4×10^(20)W/cm^(2).展开更多
基金supported by the IMPULSE project,which receives funding from the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement No.871161.ELI-ALPSsupported by the European Union and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund(ERDF)(Grant No.GINOP-2.3.6-15-2015-00001)+2 种基金S.K.and S.M.acknowledge Project No.2020-1.2.4-TÉT-IPARI-2021-00018has been implemented with support provided by the National Research,Development and Innovation Office of Hungary and financed under the Grant No.2020-1.2.4-TET-IPARI-CN funding scheme.S.C.D.M.S.K.acknowledge the High Performance Computation(HPC)facility/service at ELI-ALPS.
文摘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.Finally,the feasibility is demonstrated for generating monoenergetic proton beams with energy peak atℰ≈20–40 MeV and a narrow energy spread ofΔℰ/ℰ≈18%–28.6%confined within a divergence angle of∼175 mrad at a reasonable laser peak intensity of I0≃5.4×10^(20)W/cm^(2).
