Fundamental Architecture and Analysis of an Antimatter Ultra-Intense Laser Derived Pulsed Space Propulsion System

Antimatter has been generated in large quantities by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Titan laser. The Titan laser is an ultra-intense laser system on the order of approximately 1020W/cm2 with pulse durations of roughly 1ps. With the Titan laser incident on a high atomic number target, such as gold, antimatter on the scale of 2 × 1010 positrons are generated. Roughly 90% of the generated positrons are ejected anisotropic and aft to the respective target. The mechanisms for the laser-derived positron antimatter generation involve electron interaction with the nuclei based on bremsstrahlung photons that yield electron-positron pairs as a consequence of the Bethe-Heitler process, which predominates the Trident process. Given the constraints of the current and near future technology space, a pulsed space propulsion configuration is advocated for antimatter derived space propulsion, similar in concept to pulsed radioisotope propulsion. Antimatter is generated through an ultra-intense laser on the scale of a Titan laser incident on a gold target and annihilated in a closed chamber, representative of a combustion chamber. Upon reaching a temperature threshold, the closed chamber opens, producing a pulse of thrust. The implication of the pulsed space propulsion antimatter architecture is that the energy source for the antimatter propulsion system can be decoupled from the actual spacecraft. In contrast to conventional chemical propulsion systems, which require storage of its respective propulsive chemical potential energy, the proposed antimatter propulsion architecture may have the energy source at a disparate location from the spacecraft. The ultra-intense laser could convey its laser energy over a distance to the actual spacecraft equipped with the positron antimatter pulsed space propulsion system. Hydrogen is considered as the propulsive fluid, in light of its low molecular weight. Fundamental analysis is applied to preliminarily define the performance of the positron antimatter derived pulsed space propulsion system. The fundamental performance analysis of the antimatter pulsed space propulsion system successfully reveals the architecture is viable for further evaluation.

Advanced Concept Ramjet Propulsion System Utilizing In-Situ Positron Antimatter Derived from Ultra-Intense Laser with Fundamental Performance Analysis

The fundamental performance analysis of an advanced concept ramjet propulsion system using antimatter is presented. Antimatter is generated by ultra-intense laser pulses incident on a gold target. The scientific foundation for the generation of antimatter by an ultra-intense laser was established in the early 1970’s and later demonstrated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 2008 to 2009. Antimatter on the scale of 2 × 1010 positrons were generated through a ~1 ps pulse from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Titan laser that has an intensity of ~1020 W/cm2. The predominant mechanism is the Bethe-Heitler process, which involves high-energy bremsstrahlung photons as a result of electron-nuclei interaction. Propulsion involving lasers through chemical rather than non-chemical interaction has been previously advocated by Phipps. The major utilities of the ultra-intense laser derived antimatter ramjet are the capability to generate antimatter without a complex storage system and the ability to decouple the antimatter ramjet propulsion system from the energy source. For instance the ultra-intense laser and energy source could be terrestrial, while the ramjet could be mounted to a UAV as a propulsion system. With the extrapolation of current technologies, a sufficient number of pulses by ultra-intense lasers are eventually anticipated for the generation of antimatter to heat the propulsive flow of a ramjet. Fundamental performance analysis is provided based on an ideal ramjet derivation that is modified to address the proposed antimatter ramjet architecture.

Fundamental Architecture and Performance Analysis of Photofission Pulsed Space Propulsion System Using Ultra-Intense Laser

Photofission enables a unique capability for the domain of non-chemical space propulsion. An ultra-intense laser enables the capacity to induce nuclear fission through the development of bre- msstrahlung photons. A fundamental architecture and performance analysis of a photofission pulsed space propulsion system through the operation of an ultra-intense laser is presented. A historical perspective of previous conceptual nuclear fission propulsion systems is addressed. These applications use neutron derived nuclear fission;however, there is inherent complexity that has precluded further development. The background of photofission is detailed. The conceptual architecture of photofission pulsed space propulsion and fundamental performance parameters are established. The implications are the energy source and ultra-intense laser can be situated far remote from the propulsion system. Advances in supporting laser technologies are anticipated to increase the potential for photofission pulsed space propulsion. The fundamental performance analysis of the photofission pulsed space propulsion system indicates the architecture is feasible for further evaluation.

Project New Orion: Pulsed Nuclear Space Propulsion Using Photofission Activated by Ultra-Intense Laser

Project New Orion entails a pulsed nuclear space propulsion system that utilizes photofission through the implementation of an ultra-intense laser. The historical origins derive from the endeavors of Project Orion, which utilized thermonuclear devices to impart a considerable velocity increment on the respective spacecraft. The shear magnitude of Project Orion significantly detracts from the likelihood of progressive research development testing and evaluation. Project New Orion incorporates a more feasible pathway for the progressive research development testing and evaluation of the pulsed nuclear space propulsion system. Photofission through the application of an ultra-intense laser enables a much more controllable and scalable nuclear yield. The energy source for the ultra-intense laser is derived from a first stage liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen chemical propulsion system. A portion of the thermal/kinetic energy of the rocket propulsive fluid is converted to electrical energy through a magneto-hydrodynamic generator with cryogenic propellant densification for facilitating the integral superconducting magnets. Fundamental analysis of Project New Orion demonstrates the capacity to impart a meaningful velocity increment through ultra-intense laser derived photofission on a small spacecraft.

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.

Numerical studies on pair production in ultra-intense laser interaction with a thin solid-foil

A theoretical and numerical model of photon and electron–positron pair production in strong-field quantum electrodynamics（QED） is described. Two processes are contained in our QED theoretical model, one is photon emission in the interaction of ultra-intense laser with relativistic electron（or positron）, and the other is pair production by a gamma-ray photon interacting with the laser field.This model has been included in a PIC/MCC simulation code named BUMBLEBEE 1 D, which is used to simulate the laser plasma interaction. Using this code, the evolutions of electron–positron pair and gamma-ray photon production in ultra-intense laser interaction with aluminum foil target are simulated and analyzed. The simulation results revealed that more positrons are moved in the opposite direction to the incident direction of the laser under the charge separation field.

Self-Thomson Backscattering of Ultra-Intense Laser from Thin Foil Target

An electromagnetic solitary structure in attosecond regime is identified, costreaming with electron bunch. It is observed via nonlinear process of Self-Thomson backscattering of an ultra-intense laser from thin foil target. The process is termed as Self-Thomson Backscattering since the counter propagating electron sheets are generated by the drive laser itself. The radiation pressure acceleration model is considered for the interaction of a super-intense linearly polarized laser pulse with a thin foil in one-dimensional (1D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations.

Positron Induced Fusion Pulsed Space Propulsion through an Ultra-Intense Laser

A pulsed space propulsion system using position antimatter to induce Deuterium-Tritium fusion through an ultra-intense laser incident on a gold target is conceptually presented through fundamental performance analysis. As opposed to traditional strategies positron antimatter is considered rather than antiproton antimatter. Positron antimatter can be produced by an ultra- intense laser incident on a high atomic number target, such as gold. The ultra-intense laser production of positron antimatter mechanism greatly alleviates constraints, such as requirements for antimatter storage imperative for antiproton antimatter. Also the ultra-intense laser and associated energy source can be stationary or positioned remote while the pulsed space propulsion system using position antimatter to induce Deuterium-Tritium fusion is in flight. Various mechanisms for antimatter catalyzed fusion are considered, for which the preferred mechanism is the antiproton hotspot ignition strategy. Fundamental performance analysis is subsequently applied to derive positron antimatter generation requirements and associated propulsion performance. The characteristics of the pulsed space propulsion system using position antimatter to induce Deuterium-Tritium fusion through an ultra-intense laser incident on a gold target imply a promising non-chemical propulsion alternative for the transport of bulk cargo to support space missions.

Controlled Fusion Strategy Using Ultra-Intense Laser Derived Positron Generation for Initiation

A controllable strategy for eliciting nuclear fusion is presented through ultra-intenselaser derived positron generation by a conceptual first physics perspective. The capability to generate positrons on demand in a controlled manner through an ultra-intense laser incident on a high atomic number target, such as gold, is the intrinsic core to the foundation of controllable nuclear fusion. Positron antimatter generated from the periphery of the fusion fuel pellet provides the basis for initiating the fusion reaction, which is regulated by controlling the operation of the ultra-intense laser. A dual pulsed Fast Ignition mechanism is selected to achieve the fusion reaction. Based on first physics performance analysis the controllable strategy for eliciting nuclear fusion through ultra-intenselaser derived positron generation offers a realizable means for achieving regulated nuclear fusion. A future perspective of the controllable fusion strategy addresses the opportunities and concerns of a pathway toward regulated nuclear fusion.

Selective Alignment of D2 Induced by Two Ultrashort Laser Pulses

The dynamics of molecular rotational wave packets of D2 induced by ultrashort laser pulses was investigated numerically by solving the time-dependent SchrSdinger equation. Results show that an ultrashort pulse can manipulate a coherent rotational wave packet of D2 se- lectively. In the calculation, a first laser pulse was used to create a coherent rotational wave packet from an initial thermal ensemble of D2 at the temperature of 300 K. The second laser pulse was used to manipulate the rotational wave packet selectively around the first quarter and the three quarters revival. The alignment parameter and its Fourier transform amplitude both illustrate that the relative populations of even and odd rotational states in the final rotational wave packet of D2 can be manipulated by precisely selecting the time delay between the first and the second ultrashort pulse.

Adaptive split-step Fourier method for simulating ultrashort laser pulse propagation in photonic crystal fibres

In this paper, the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation （GNLSE） is solved by an adaptive split-step Fourier method （ASSFM）. It is found that ASSFM must be used to solve GNLSE to ensure precision when the soliton selffrequency shift is remarkable and the photonic crystal fibre （PCF） parameters vary with the frequency considerably. The precision of numerical simulation by using ASSFM is higher than that by using split-step Fourier method in the process of laser pulse propagation in PCFs due to the fact that the variation of fibre parameters with the peak frequency in the pulse spectrum can be taken into account fully.

Visualizing the melting processes in ultrashort intense laser triggered gold mesh with high energy electron radiography

High-energy electron radiography(HEER)is a promising diagnostic tool for high-energy-density physics,as an alternative to tools such as X/γ-ray shadowgraphy and high-energy proton radiography.Impressive progress has been made in the development and application ofHEER in the past fewyears,and its potential for high-resolution imaging of static opaque objects has been proved.In this study,by taking advantage of the short pulse duration and tunable time structure of high-energy electron probes,time-resolved imaging measurements of high-energy-density gold irradiated by ultrashort intense laser pulses are performed.Phenomena at different time scales frompicoseconds to microseconds are observed,thus proving the feasibility of this technique for imaging of static and dynamic objects.

Scattering of ultrashort laser pulses on plasmons in a Maxwellian plasma

On the basis of equations obtained in the framework of second-order quantum-mechanical perturbation theory,the standard approach to the calculation of scattering radiation probability is extended to the case of ultrashort laser pulses.Weinvestigate the mechanism of the appearance of plasmon peaks in the spectrum of the plasma form factor for different parameters of the problem.For the case in which scattering on plasmons dominates over scattering on electron density fluctuations caused by chaotic thermal motion,we derive analytical expressions describing the scattering probability of ultrashort laser pulses on plasmons.Together with this,we obtain a simple expression connecting the frequency of scattered radiation and the energy transmitted from the incident pulse to plasmon,and vice versa.In considering the scattering probability,our emphasis is on the dependence on the pulse duration.Weassess in detail the trends of this dependence for various relations between pulse carrier frequency and plasmon energy.

Theoretical investigation on generating terahertz radiation from gas plasma induced by three-color ultrashort lasers

Generation of intense broadband terahertz(THz) waves from gas plasma induced by tri-color ultrashort(fundamental(ω), second harmonic(2ω), and third harmonic(3ω)) laser pulses is theoretically investigated. Simulation results show that the 3ω laser pulse can greatly enhance or suppress the generation of THz wave at different values of relative phase(θ 3) between the 3ω and ω fields. Moreover, the polarities of the generated THz waves can be controlled by changing θ 3,with the relative phase θ 2(between the 2ω and ω fields) fixed to be a certain value. All of our results show that θ 3 plays a key role in the generation process, which promises to control the intensity as well as the polarity of gas plasma-induced THz radiation.

Coulomb expansion of deuterated methane clusters irradiated by an ultrashort intense laser pulse

The simulations of three-dimensional particle dynamics show that when irradiated by an ultrashort intense laser pulse, the deuterated methane cluster expands and the majority of deuterons overrun the more slowly expanding carbon ions, resulting in the creation of two separated subelusters. The enhanced deuteron kinetic energy and a narrow peak around the energy maximum in the deuteron energy distribution make a considerable contribution to the efficiency of nuclear fusion compared with the ease of homonuelear deuterium clusters. With the intense laser irradiation, the nuclear fusion yield increases with the increase of the cluster size, so that deuterated heteronuelear clusters with larger sizes are required to achieve a greater neutron yield.

Control of photoassociation reaction F＋H →HF with ultrashort laser pulse

The laser-induced vibrational state-selectivity of product HF in photoassociation reaction H＋F→HF is theoret- ically investigated by using the time-dependent quantum wave packet method. The population transfer process from the continuum state down to the bound vibrational states can be controlled by the driving laser. The effects of laser pulse parameters and the initial momentum of the two collision atoms on the vibrational population of the product HF are discussed in detail. Photodissociation accompanied with the photoassociation process is also described.

Spectrum Blueshifting of Ultrashort UV Laser Pulse Induced by Ionization of Supersonic He and Ar Gas Jets

The predominant spectral blueshifting of a sub-picosecond UV laser pulse induced by ultrafast ionization of noble gases was investigated. Spectral measurements were made at various gas densities. Typical quasi-periodic structures in the blueshifted spectrum were obtained. The observations were in connection with the so-called self-phase modulation of laser pulses in the ultrafast ionization process which was simply simulated with an ADK （Ammosov-Delone-Krainov） ionization model. Some quantitative information can be deduced from the measurements and calculations.

Double Ionization Dynamics of Molecular Hydrogen in Ultrashort Intense Laser Fields

We experimentally investigate the double ionization pulses. The total kinetic energy release of the two of molecular hydrogen subjected to ultrashort intense laser coincident H＋ ions, which provides a diagnosis of different processes to double ionization of H2, is measured for two different pulse durations, i.e., 25 and 5 fs, and various laser intensities. It is found that, for the long pulse duration （i.e., 25 fs）, the double ionization occurs mainly via two processes, i.e., the charge resonance enhanced ionization and recollision-induced double ionization. Moreover, the contributions from these two processes can be significantly modulated by changing the laser intensity. In contrast, for a few-cycle pulse of 5 fs, only the recollsion-induced double ionization survives, and in particular, this process could be solely induced by the first-return reeollision at appropriate laser intensities, providing an efficient way to probe the sub-laser-cycle molecular dynamics.

Stimulated Emission of Gamma Photon from Ultrashort Pulse Intense Laser—Solid—Target Interaction

The efficient production of energetic γ photons is a significant physical process in the relativistic ultrashortpulse laser-plasma inducing photonuclear action. Based on the interaction of laser-solid-target, an analytical theory onstimulated γ photon emission from a hot electron firing the target-nucleus is developed by a relativistic full quantummethod. The emitting power or probability of γ photon in arbitrary space direction can be calculated for laser irradiatingsolid-target normally. It is valid only if the scatter-centre is immovable or its motion can be neglected compared withthat of the scattered electrons.

A Novel Nanotube-Based Fiber Laser for Ultrashort Pulse Generation and Fast Measurements

We propose a nanotube-based erbium-doped fiber laser that can deliver conventional soliton (CS) and stretched pulse (SP) based on D-shaped fiber saturable absorber (DF-SA) where evanescent-field interaction works. The novel Nanotube-based Fiber Laser can generate SP or CS by tuning pump power and polarization controller (PC) properly. The net cavity dispersion of laser is slightly negative. In our experiment, by optimizing the PC in the cavity, CS and SP can be obtained at the central wavelengths of 1530.6 nm and 1530.3 nm due to on carbon nanotubes and the spectral filtering effect induced by nonlinear polarization rotation. Although the acquired CS and SP nearly have the same central wavelengths, they show distinct optical spectra, 3-dB bandwidths. The proposed fiber laser with switchable CS and SP is attractive for ultrashort pulse generation and fast measurements in practical applications.