411 research outputs found
Optimized laser pulse profile for efficient radiation pressure acceleration of ions
The radiation pressure acceleration regime of laser ion acceleration requires
high intensity laser pulses to function efficiently. Moreover the foil should
be opaque for incident radiation during the interaction to ensure maximum
momentum transfer from the pulse to the foil, which requires proper matching of
the target to the laser pulse. However, in the ultrarelativistic regime, this
leads to large acceleration distances, over which the high laser intensity for
a Gaussian laser pulse must be maintained. It is shown that proper tailoring of
the laser pulse profile can significantly reduce the acceleration distance,
leading to a compact laser ion accelerator, requiring less energy to operate.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Contaminants in Unionid Mussels from the Confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
Unionid mussels were collected from three mussel beds near the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in 2003 to evaluate concentrations of selected elements and organic compounds in three abundant species and to preliminarily investigate the relative contribution of these waterways to observed contaminant burdens. Copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were higher and lead (Pb) concentrations were lower in Amblema plicata collected downstream of the confluence than in those collected upstream. Mean concentrations of nickel (Ni), total mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), Pb, and Zn varied by species. Concentrations of cadmium (Cd) decreased with age in A. plicata from two of three sites. Tissue concentrations of some elements, e.g., arsenic (As), Cd, Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn, were similar to or higher than those previously reported for unionid mussels from areas of contaminated sediment. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in A. plicata were comparable to those collected from the Mississippi River approximately 450 and 900 km upstream from our study sites (Naimo et al. 1992). Although total Hg concentrations we observed were an order of magnitude lower than in that study, MeHg concentrations were above those associated with reductions in soft tissue mass in a study of Elliptio complanata (Salazar et al. 1995). A number of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected in A. plicata tissues, with 85% of detections occurring in mussels from downstream of the confluence. Concentrations of individual PCB congeners were ???33 ng/g ww and the maximum summed PCB congener concentration was 100.2 ng/g ww. Although few persistent pesticides were detected, -hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was detected in each of the species collected from below the confluence of the two rivers, and in A. plicata collected above it on both the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, at a maximum concentration of 103.5 ng/g ww. Aldrin, ??-HCH and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were detected in few of the specimens collected. The findings of this preliminary investigation suggest that unionid mussels from near the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers may be at risk of negative health effects of elevated exposure to certain environmental contaminants. Studies examining the health and productivity of unionid mussels from this area appear warranted.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe
Enhancing proton acceleration by using composite targets
Efficient laser ion acceleration requires high laser intensities, which can
only be obtained by tightly focusing laser radiation. In the radiation pressure
acceleration regime, where the tightly focused laser driver leads to the
appearance of the fundamental limit for the maximum attainable ion energy, this
limit corresponds to the laser pulse group velocity as well as to another limit
connected with the transverse expansion of the accelerated foil and consequent
onset of the foil transparency. These limits can be relaxed by using composite
targets, consisting of a thin foil followed by a near critical density slab.
Such targets provide guiding of a laser pulse inside a self-generated channel
and background electrons, being snowplowed by the pulse, compensate for the
transverse expansion. The use of composite targets results in a significant
increase in maximum ion energy, compared to a single foil target case.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Radiation Pressure Acceleration: the factors limiting maximum attainable ion energy
Radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is a highly efficient mechanism of
laser-driven ion acceleration, with with near complete transfer of the laser
energy to the ions in the relativistic regime. However, there is a fundamental
limit on the maximum attainable ion energy, which is determined by the group
velocity of the laser. The tightly focused laser pulses have group velocities
smaller than the vacuum light speed, and, since they offer the high intensity
needed for the RPA regime, it is plausible that group velocity effects would
manifest themselves in the experiments involving tightly focused pulses and
thin foils. However, in this case, finite spot size effects are important, and
another limiting factor, the transverse expansion of the target, may dominate
over the group velocity effect. As the laser pulse diffracts after passing the
focus, the target expands accordingly due to the transverse intensity profile
of the laser. Due to this expansion, the areal density of the target decreases,
making it transparent for radiation and effectively terminating the
acceleration. The off-normal incidence of the laser on the target, due either
to the experimental setup, or to the deformation of the target, will also lead
to establishing a limit on maximum ion energy.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure
On the Theory of Relativistic Strong Plasma Waves
The influence of motion of ions and electron temperature on nonlinear
one-dimensional plasma waves with velocity close to the speed of light in
vacuum is investigated. It is shown that although the wavebreaking field weakly
depends on mass of ions, the nonlinear relativistic wavelength essentially
changes. The nonlinearity leads to the increase of the strong plasma
wavelength, while the motion of ions leads to the decrease of the wavelength.
Both hydrodynamic approach and kinetic one, based on Vlasov-Poisson equations,
are used to investigate the relativistic strong plasma waves in a warm plasma.
The existence of relativistic solitons in a thermal plasma is predicted.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure
Self-stabilizing positron acceleration in a plasma column
Plasma accelerators sustain extreme field gradients, and potentially enable
future compact linear colliders. Although tremendous progress has been achieved
in accelerating electron beams in a plasma accelerator, positron acceleration
with collider-relevant parameters is challenging. A recently proposed positron
acceleration scheme relying on the wake generated by an electron drive beam in
a plasma column has been shown to be able to accelerate positron witness beams
with low emittance and low energy spread. However, since this scheme relies on
cylindrical symmetry, it is possibly prone to transverse instabilities that
could lead, ultimately, to beam break-up. In this article, we show that the
witness beam itself is subject to various damping mechanisms and, therefore,
this positron acceleration scheme is inherently stable towards misalignment of
the drive and witness beams. This enables stable, high-quality plasma-based
positron acceleration
A high-intensity laser-based positron source
Plasma based acceleration is considered a promising concept for the next
generation of linear electron-positron colliders. Despite the great progress
achieved over last twenty years in laser technology, laser and beam driven
particle acceleration, and special target availability, positron acceleration
remains significantly underdeveloped if compared to electron acceleration. This
is due to both the specifics of the plasma-based acceleration, and the lack of
adequate positron sources tailored for the subsequent plasma based
acceleration. Here a positron source based on the collision of a high energy
electron beam with a high intensity laser pulse is proposed. The source relies
on the subsequent multi-photon Compton and Breit-Wheeleer processes to generate
an electron-positron pair out of a high energy photon emitted by an electron.
Due to the strong dependence of the Breit-Wheeler process rate on photon energy
and field strength, positrons are created with low divergence in a small volume
around the peak of the laser pulse. The resulting low emittance in the
submicron range potentially makes such positron source interesting for collider
applications.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 2 table
- …