Laser ion acceleration using a solid target coupled with a low density layer

We investigate by particle-in-cell simulations in two and three dimensions the laser-plasma interaction and the proton acceleration in multilayer targets where a low density "near-critical" layer of a few micron thickness is added on the illuminated side of a thin, high density layer. This target design can be obtained by depositing a "foam" layer on a thin metallic foil. The presence of the near-critical plasma strongly increases both the conversion efficiency and the energy of electrons and leads to enhanced acceleration of proton from a rear side layer via the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration mechanism. The electrons of the foam are strongly accelerated in the forward direction and propagate on the rear side of the target building up a high electric field with a relatively flat longitudinal profile. In these conditions the maximum proton energy is up to three times higher than in the case of the bare solid target.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures. Submitted to Physical Review

Tilting vehicle and control system thereof

The patent is relative to architecture and control laws of a steer and tilt by-wire system for tilting vehicles. It is constituted by steer and tilting actuators which are driven by an electronic control unit to minimize the load transfer during cornering. With respect to traditional steer by wire systems, a mechanical link between the steer command and the wheels is maintained: this is a mechanical backup in case of electromechanical faults of the system

THERMODYNAMIC ORC CYCLE DESIGN OPTIMIZATION FOR MEDIUM-LOW TEMPERATURE ENERGY SOURCES

In the large spectrum of organic fluids suitable for Rankine cycles, a fluid that is already wellknown and available on industrial scale but currently excluded from this kind of application has been selected. This choice is due to the remarkable characteristics of the fluid, such as its high molecular weight, good thermal stability, non-flammability, and atoxicity. Compared to those fluids nowadays common in the ORC market, its thermodynamic properties and fluid dynamic behavior lead to a peculiar configuration of the cycle: • Supercritical cycle, when heat input is at medium-high temperature; • Massive regeneration, to obtain higher efficiency; • Low specific work of the turbine; • Relatively high volumetric expansion ratio and relatively low absolute inlet volumetric flow; Accordingly, an innovative cycle design has been developed, including a once-through Hairpin primary heat exchanger and a multi-stage radial outflow expander. This last innovative component has been designed to get the best performance with the chosen fluid: • The high inlet/outlet volumetric flow ratio is well combined with the change in cross section across the radius; • Compared to an axial turbine, the lower inlet volumetric flow is compensated by higher blades at the first stage. It is feasible thanks to the change in section available along the radius, so that there is no need for partial admission; • The prismatic blade leads to constant velocity diagrams across the blade span; • It minimizes tip leakages and disk friction losses, due to the single disk / multi-stage configuration; • The intrinsical limit of a radial outflow expander to develop high enthalpy drop is not relevant for this cycle, presenting itself a very low enthalpy drop. Moreover the tip speed is limited by the low speed of sound and consequently this kind of expander suits well with this cycle arrangement. The results of this study, conducted through thermodynamic simulations, CFD, stress analysis and economic optimization show an ORC system that reaches high efficiencies, comparable to those typical of existing system

Pressure-induced Jahn-Teller switch in the homoleptic hybrid perovskite [(CH3)(2)NH2]Cu(HCOO)(3): orbital reordering by unconventional degrees of freedom

Through in situ, high-pressure X-ray diffraction experiments we have shown that the homoleptic perovskite-like coordination polymer [(CH3)2NH2]Cu(HCOO)3 undergoes a pressure-induced orbital reordering phase transition above 5.20 GPa. This transition is distinct from previously reported Jahn–Teller switching in coordination polymers, which required at least two different ligands that crystallize in a reverse spectrochemical series. We show that the orbital reordering phase transition in [(CH3)2NH2]Cu(HCOO)3 is instead primarily driven by unconventional octahedral tilts and shifts in the framework, and/or a reconfiguration of A-site cation ordering. These structural instabilities are unique to the coordination polymer perovskites, and may form the basis for undiscovered orbital reorientation phenomena in this broad family of materials

Radiation Pressure Acceleration by Ultraintense Laser Pulses

The future applications of the short-duration, multi-MeV ion beams produced in the interaction of high-intensity laser pulses with solid targets will require improvements in the conversion efficiency, peak ion energy, beam monochromaticity, and collimation. Regimes based on Radiation Pressure Acceleration (RPA) might be the dominant ones at ultrahigh intensities and be most suitable for specific applications. This regime may be reached already with present-day intensities using circularly polarized (CP) pulses thanks to the suppression of fast electron generation, so that RPA dominates over sheath acceleration at any intensity. We present a brief review of previous work on RPA with CP pulses and a few recent results. Parametric studies in one dimension were performed to identify the optimal thickness of foil targets for RPA and to study the effect of a short-scalelength preplasma. Three-dimensional simulations showed the importance of ``flat-top'' radial intensity profiles to minimise the rarefaction of thin targets and to address the issue of angular momentum conservation and absorption.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication to the special issue "EPS 2008" of PPC

Surface Oscillations in Overdense Plasmas Irradiated by Ultrashort Laser Pulses

The generation of electron surface oscillations in overdense plasmas irradiated at normal incidence by an intense laser pulse is investigated. Two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell simulations show a transition from a planar, electrostatic oscillation at $2\omega$, with $\omega$ the laser frequency, to a 2D electromagnetic oscillation at frequency $\omega$ and wavevector $k>\omega/c$. A new electron parametric instability, involving the decay of a 1D electrostatic oscillation into two surface waves, is introduced to explain the basic features of the 2D oscillations. This effect leads to the rippling of the plasma surface within a few laser cycles, and is likely to have a strong impact on laser interaction with solid targets.Comment: 9 pages (LaTeX, Revtex4), 4 GIF color figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let