Speaker
Description
Strong improvement of high energy PW-laser diagnostic potential by application of low density polymer foams
O. N. Rosmej1,2, A. Pukhov3, M. M. Günther1, A. Skobliakov4, N. E. Andreev5,6
1) GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstr.1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
2) Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
3) Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, Düsseldorf, Germany
Dolgoprudny Moscow Region, Russia
4) Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics named by A. I. Alikhanov of NRC "Kurchatov Institute", B. Cheremuschkinskaya 25, 117218 Moscow, Russia
5) Joint Institute for High Temperatures, RAS, Izhorskaya st.13, Bldg. 2, 125412 Moscow, Russia
6) Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Institutskiy Pereulok 9, 141700
We discuss direct laser acceleration of electrons in low density polymer foams as a tool to boost parameters of laser-driven sources of MeV particles and radiation.
Experiments performed at the PHELIX laser facility, GSI Darmstadt and Particle-in-Cell and Monte-Carlo simulations have demonstrated strong increase of MeV particle and photon fluence in interaction of relativistic laser pulse with long-scale plasma of near critical density (NCD). Such kind of plasma can be produced by driving a super-sonic ionization wave in low density polymer foam by a well-defined ns-pulse [1, 2] or a ns ASE- pulse.
Experiments carried out at 1019W/cm2 PHELIX intensity demonstrated advantages of NCD-targets combined with metallic foils in respect to electron, gamma and neutron effective temperature and fluence in comparison with standard foils irradiated at 1021 W/cm2 with twofold higher laser energy.
Simulations performed for the PHELIX-parameters and 20 J energy contained in the FWHM of the laser focal spot show ultra-high fluence of betatron radiation [3] that is comparable with SM LFWA-regime simulated for PETAL [4].
Full 3D PIC- and GEANT-simulations of the direct laser electron acceleration and photons generation were performed also for the 200 J PHELIX up-grade and showed strong increase of electron, gamma and neutron numbers with growing laser energy. The performed experiments and simulations promise a tremendous increase of the diagnostic potential of high energy sub-PW and PW-class laser systems.
REFERENCES:
[1] O N Rosmej et al 2019, Interaction of relativistically intense laser pulses with long-scale NCD plasmas for optimisation of laser based sources of MeV electrons and gamma-rays, New J. Phys. 21, 043044 https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab1047
[2] O.N. Rosmej et al 2020, High-current laser-driven beams of relativistic electrons for high energy density research, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 62, 115024 (15pp) https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/abb24e
[3] X. F. Shen et al 2021, Bright betatron x-rays generation from picosecond laser interactions with long-scale near critical density plasmas, Appl. Phys. Lett. 118, 134102; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0042997
[4] J. Ferri et al 2016, Electron acceleration and generation of high brilliance x-ray radiation in kilojoule, sub-picosecond laser-plasma interactions, Phys. Rev. accelerators and beams 19, 10130
