Transition from backward to sideward stimulated Raman scattering with broadband lasers in plasmas

Broadband lasers have been proposed as future drivers of inertial confined fusion(ICF)to enhance the laser-target coupling efficiency via the mitigation of various parametric instabilities.The physical mechanisms involved have been explored recently,but are not yet fully understood.Here,stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)as one of the key parametric instabilities is investigated theoretically and numerically for a broadband laser propagating in homogeneous plasma in multidimensional geometry.The linear SRS growth rate is derived as a function of scattering angles for two monochromatic laser beams with a fixed frequency differenceδω.Ifδω/ω_(0)∼1%,withω0 the laser frequency,these two laser beams may be decoupled in stimulating backward SRS while remaining coupled for sideward SRS at the laser intensities typical for ICF.Consequently,side-scattering may dominate over backward SRS for two-color laser light.This finding of SRS transition from backward to sideward SRS is then generalized for a broadband laser with a few-percent bandwidth.Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that with increasing laser bandwidth,the sideward SRS gradually becomes dominant over the backward SRS.Since sideward SRS is very efficient in producing harmful hot electrons,attention needs to be paid on this effect if ultra-broadband lasers are considered as next-generation ICF drivers.

Optimization of hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration of ion beams for fusion ignition

In contrast to ion beams produced by conventional accelerators,ion beams accelerated by ultrashort intense laser pulses have advantages of ultrashort bunch duration and ultrahigh density,which are achieved in compact size.However,it is still challenging to simultaneously enhance their quality and yield for practical applications such as fast ion ignition of inertial confinement fusion.Compared with other mechanisms of laser-driven ion acceleration,the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration has a special advantage in generating high-fluence ion beams suitable for the creation of high energy density state of matters.In this paper,we present a review on some theoretical and numerical studies of the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration.First we discuss the typical field structure associated with this mechanism,its intrinsic feature of oscillations,and the underling physics.Then we will review some recently proposed schemes to enhance the beam quality and the efficiency in the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration,such as matching laser intensity profile with target density profile,and using two-ion-species targets.Based on this,we propose an integrated scheme for efficient high-quality hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration,in which the longitudinal density profile of a composite target as well as the laser transverse intensity profile are tailored according to the matching condition.

Mitigating parametric instabilities in plasmas by sunlight-like lasers

Sunlight-like lasers that have a continuous broad frequency spectrum,random phase spectrum,and random polarization are formulated theoretically.With a sunlight-like laser beam consisting of a sequence of temporal speckles,the resonant three-wave coupling that underlies parametric instabilities in laser–plasma interactions can be greatly degraded owing to the limited duration of each speckle and the frequency shift between two adjacent speckles.The wave coupling can be further weakened by the random polarization of such beams.Numerical simulations demonstrate that the intensity threshold of stimulated Raman scattering in homogeneous plasmas can be doubled by using a sunlight-like laser beam with a relative bandwidth of∼1%as compared with a monochromatic laser beam.Consequently,the hot-electron generation harmful to inertial confinement fusion can be effectively controlled by using sunlight-like laser drivers.Such drivers may be realized in the next generation of broadband lasers by combining two or more broadband beams with independent phase spectra or by applying polarization smoothing to a single broadband beam.

Proton beams from intense laser-solid interaction:Effects of the target materials

We report systematic studies of laser-driven proton beams produced with micrometer-thick solid targets made of aluminum and plastic,respectively.Distinct effects of the target materials are found on the total charge,cutoff energy,and beam spot of protons in the experiments,and these are described well by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations incorporating intrinsic material properties.It is found that with a laser intensity of 8×10^(19) W/cm^(2),target normal sheath acceleration is the dominant mechanism for both types of target.For a plastic target,the higher charge and cutoff energy of the protons are due to the greater energy coupling efficiencies from the intense laser beams,and the larger divergence angle of the protons is due to the deflection of hot electrons during transport in the targets.We also find that the energy loss of hot electrons in targets of different thickness has a significant effect on the proton cutoff energy.The consistent results obtained here further narrow the gap between simulations and experiments.

Depolarization of intense laser beams by dynamic plasma density gratings

As a typical plasma-based optical element that can sustain ultra-high light intensity,plasma density gratings driven by intense laser pulses have been extensively studied for wide applications.Here,we show that the plasma density grating driven by two intersecting driver laser pulses is not only nonuniform in space but also varies over time.Consequently,the probe laser pulse that passes through such a dynamic plasma density grating will be depolarized,that is,its polarization becomes spatially and temporally variable.More importantly,the laser depolarization may spontaneously take place for crossed laser beams if their polarization angles are arranged properly.The laser depolarization by a dynamic plasma density grating may find application in mitigating parametric instabilities in laser-driven inertial confinement fusion.

Fast efficient photon deceleration in plasmas by using two laser pulses at different frequencies

The generation of ultrashort high-power light sources in the mid-infrared(mid-IR)to terahertz(THz)range is of interest for applications in a number of fields,from fundamental research to biology and medicine.Besides conventional laser technology,photon deceleration in plasma wakes provides an alternative approach to the generation of ultrashort mid-IR or THz pulses.Here,we present a photon deceleration scheme for the efficient generation of ultrashort mid-IR or THz pulses by using an intense driver laser pulse with a relatively short wavelength and a signal laser pulse with a relatively long wavelength.The signal pulse trails the driver pulse with an appropriate time delay such that it sits at the front of the second wake bubble that is driven by the driver pulse.Owing to its relatively long wavelength,the signal pulse will be subjected to a large gradient of the refractive index in the plasma wake bubble.Consequently,the photon deceleration in the plasma wake becomes faster and more efficient for signal pulses with longer wavelengths.This greatly enhances the capacity and efficiency of photon deceleration in the generation of ultrashort high-power light sources in the long-wavelength IR and THz spectral ranges.

Effects of target pre-heating and expansion on terahertz radiation production from intense laser-solid interactions

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.