Nuclear Fusion Effects Induced in Intense Laser-Generated Plasmas

Deutered polyethylene (CD2)n thin and thick targets were irradiated in high vacuum by infrared laser pulses at 1015W/cm2 intensity. The high laser energy transferred to the polymer generates plasma, expanding in vacuum at supersonic velocity, accelerating hydrogen and carbon ions. Deuterium ions at kinetic energies above 4 MeV have been measured by using ion collectors and SiC detectors in time-of-flight configuration. At these energies the deuterium–deuterium collisions may induce over threshold fusion effects, in agreement with the high D-D cross-section valuesaround 3 MeV energy. At the first instants of the plasma generation, during which high temperature, density and ionacceleration occur, the D-D fusions occur as confirmed by the detection of mono-energetic protonsand neutrons with a kinetic energy of 3.0 MeV and 2.5 MeV, respectively, produced by the nuclear reaction. The number of fusion events depends strongly on the experimental set-up, i.e. on the laser parameters (intensity, wavelength, focal spot dimension), target conditions (thickness, chemical composition, absorption coefficient, presence of secondary targets) and used geometry (incidence angle, laser spot, secondary target positions).A number of D-D fusion events of the order of 106÷7 per laser shot has been measured

POLYMERS CONTAINING Cu NANOPARTICLES IRRADIATED BY LASER TO ENHANCE THE ION ACCELERATION

Target Normal Sheath Acceleration method was employed at PALS to accelerate ions from laser-generated plasma at intensities above 1015 W/cm2. Laser parameters, irradiation conditions and target geometry and composition control the plasma properties and the electric field driving the ion acceleration. Cu nanoparticles deposited on the polymer promote resonant absorption effects increasing the plasma electron density and enhancing the proton acceleration. Protons can be accelerated in forward direction at kinetic energies up to about 3.5 MeV. The optimal target thickness, the maximum acceleration energy and the angular distribution of emitted particles have been measured using ion collectors, X-ray CCD streak camera, SiC detectors and Thomson Parabola Spectrometer

Nuclear Fusion Effects Induced in Intense Laser-Generated Plasmas

Deutered polyethylene (CD2)n thin and thick targets were irradiated in high vacuum by infrared laser pulses at 1015W/cm2 intensity. The high laser energy transferred to the polymer generates plasma, expanding in vacuum at supersonic velocity, accelerating hydrogen and carbon ions. Deuterium ions at kinetic energies above 4 MeV have been measured by using ion collectors and SiC detectors in time-of-flight configuration. At these energies the deuterium–deuterium collisions may induce over threshold fusion effects, in agreement with the high D-D cross-section valuesaround 3 MeV energy. At the first instants of the plasma generation, during which high temperature, density and ionacceleration occur, the D-D fusions occur as confirmed by the detection of mono-energetic protonsand neutrons with a kinetic energy of 3.0 MeV and 2.5 MeV, respectively, produced by the nuclear reaction. The number of fusion events depends strongly on the experimental set-up, i.e. on the laser parameters (intensity, wavelength, focal spot dimension), target conditions (thickness, chemical composition, absorption coefficient, presence of secondary targets) and used geometry (incidence angle, laser spot, secondary target positions).A number of D-D fusion events of the order of 106÷7 per laser shot has been measured

POLYMERS CONTAINING Cu NANOPARTICLES IRRADIATED BY LASER TO ENHANCE THE ION ACCELERATION

Target Normal Sheath Acceleration method was employed at PALS to accelerate ions from laser-generated plasma at intensities above 1015 W/cm2. Laser parameters, irradiation conditions and target geometry and composition control the plasma properties and the electric field driving the ion acceleration. Cu nanoparticles deposited on the polymer promote resonant absorption effects increasing the plasma electron density and enhancing the proton acceleration. Protons can be accelerated in forward direction at kinetic energies up to about 3.5 MeV. The optimal target thickness, the maximum acceleration energy and the angular distribution of emitted particles have been measured using ion collectors, X-ray CCD streak camera, SiC detectors and Thomson Parabola Spectrometer

Multi-energy ion implantation from high-intensity laser

Abstract The laser-matter interaction using nominal laser intensity above 1015 W/cm2 generates in vacuum non-equilibrium plasmas accelerating ions at energies from tens keV up to hundreds MeV. From thin targets, using the TNSA regime, plasma is generated in the forward direction accelerating ions above 1 MeV per charge state and inducing high-ionization states. Generally, the ion energies follow a Boltzmann-like distribution characterized by a cutoff at high energy and by a Coulomb-shift towards high energy increasing the ion charge state. The accelerated ions are emitted with the high directivity, depending on the ion charge state and ion mass, along the normal to the target surface. The ion fluencies depend on the ablated mass by laser, indeed it is low for thin targets. Ions accelerated from plasma can be implanted on different substrates such as Si crystals, glassy-carbon and polymers at different fluences. The ion dose increment of implanted substrates is obtainable with repetitive laser shots and with repetitive plasma emissions. Ion beam analytical methods (IBA), such as Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) and proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) can be employed to analyse the implanted species in the substrates. Such analyses represent 'off-line' methods to extrapolate and to character the plasma ion stream emission as well as to investigate the chemical and physical modifications of the implanted surface. The multi-energy and species ion implantation from plasma, at high fluency, changes the physical and chemical properties of the implanted substrates, in fact, many parameters, such as morphology, hardness, optical and mechanical properties, wetting ability and nanostructure generation may be modified through the thermal-assisted implantation by multi-energy ions from laser-generated plasma

Laser-generated plasmas by graphene nanoplatelets embedded into polyethylene

AbstractGraphene micrometric particles have been embedded into polyethylene at different concentrations by using chemical–physical processes. The synthesized material was characterized in terms of mechanical and optical properties, and Raman spectroscopy. Obtained targets were irradiated by using a Nd:YAG laser at intensities of the order of 1010 W/cm2 to generate non-equilibrium plasma expanding in vacuum. The laser–matter interaction produces charge separation effects with consequent acceleration of protons and carbon ions. Plasma was characterized using time-of-flight measurements of the accelerated ions. Applications of the produced targets in order to generate carbon and proton ion beams from laser-generated plasma are presented and discussed

Nanostructured targets for TNSA laser ion acceleration

Abstract Nanostructured targets, based on hydrogenated polymers with embedded nanostructures, were prepared as thin micrometric foils for high-intensity laser irradiation in TNSA regime to produce high-ion acceleration. Experiments were performed at the PALS facility, in Prague, by using 1315 nm wavelength, 300 ps pulse duration and an intensity of 1016 W/cm2 and at the IPPLM, in Warsaw, by using 800 nm wavelength, 40 fs pulse duration, and an intensity of 1019 W/cm2. Forward plasma diagnostic mainly uses SiC detectors and ion collectors in time of flight (TOF) configuration. At these intensities, ions can be accelerated at energies above 1 MeV per nucleon. In presence of Au nanoparticles, and/or under particular irradiation conditions, effects of resonant absorption can induce ion acceleration enhancement up to values of the order of 4 MeV per nucleon

Performance and application of heavy ion nuclear microbeam facility at the Nuclear Physics Institute in Řež, Czech Republic

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Physical investigations on the radiation damage of graphene oxide by IR pulsed laser

Graphene oxide foils were irradiated by Nd:YAG laser at the moderated intensities of the order of 108 W/cm2 in vacuum. Measurements of atomic emission during the laser irradiation were performed with ion collectors and mass spectrometry, demonstrating a strong emission of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Further investigations of the irradiated graphene oxide foils were carried out on pristine and laser irradiated samples by using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results indicate that graphene oxide losses oxygen and hydrogen during the irradiation, changing its carbon content and its chemical and physical properties

Thomson Parabola Spectrometer for Energetic Ions Emitted from Sub-ns Laser Generated Plasmas

Laser-generated plasmas were obtained in high vacuum by irradiating micrometric thin films (Au, Au/Mylar, Mylar) with the Asterix laser at the PALS Research Infrastructure in Prague. Irradiations at the fundamental wavelength, 300 ps pulse duration, at intensities up to about 1016W/cm2, enabled ions to be accelerated in forward direction with kinetic energies of the order of 2 MeV/charge state. Protons above 2 MeV were obtained in the direction orthogonal to the target surface in selffocusing conditions. Gold ions up to about 120 MeV and 60+ charge state were detected. Ion collectors and semiconductor SiC detectors were employed in time-of-flight arrangement in order to measure the ion velocities as a function of the angle around the normal direction to the target surface. A Thomson parabola spectrometer (TPS) with a multi-channel-plate detector was used to separate the different ion contributions to the charge emission in single laser shots, and to get information on the ion charge states, energy and proton acceleration. TPS experimental spectra were compared with accurate TOSCA simulations of TPS parabolas