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Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/12206904
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Record Id 12206904
Title High efficiency proton beam generation through target thickness control in femtosecond laser-plasma interactions
Contributors
Abstract Bright proton beams with maximum energies of up to 30 MeV have been observed in an experiment investigating ion sheath acceleration driven by a short pulse (<50 fs) laser. The scaling of maximum proton energy and total beam energy content at ultra-high intensities of ∼1021 W cm−2 was investigated, with the interplay between target thickness and laser pre-pulse found to be a key factor. While the maximum proton energies observed were maximised for μm-thick targets, the total proton energy content was seen to peak for thinner, 500 nm, foils. The total proton beam energy reached up to 440 mJ (a conversion efficiency of 4%), marking a significant step forward for many laser-driven ion applications. The experimental results are supported by hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell simulations.
Organisation CLF , CLF-HPL , CLF-ASTRA , CI , STFC
Keywords
Funding Information EPSRC (EP/J003832/1)
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Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Journal Article Appl Phys Lett 104, no. 21 (2014): 214101. doi:10.1063/1.4879641 2014