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

Laser-driven high-power X- and gamma-ray ultra-short pulse source

A novel ultra-bright high-intensity source of X-ray and gamma radiation is suggested. It is based on the double Doppler effect, where a relativistic flying mirror reflects a counter-propagating electromagnetic radiation causing its frequency multiplication and intensification, and on the inverse double Doppler effect, where the mirror acquires energy from an ultra-intense co-propagating electromagnetic wave. The role of the flying mirror is played by a high-density thin plasma slab accelerating in the radiation pressure dominant regime. Frequencies of high harmonics generated at the flying mirror by a relativistically strong counter-propagating radiation undergo multiplication with the same factor as the fundamental frequency of the reflected radiation, approximately equal to the quadruple of the square of the mirror Lorentz factor.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Presented at the ELI Workshop and School on "Fundamental Physics with Ultra-High Fields" 29.09.-02.10.2008, in Frauenworth Monastery, Bavaria, German

On extreme field limits in high power laser matter interactions: radiation dominant regimes in high intensity electromagnetic wave interaction with electrons

We discuss the key important regimes of electromagnetic field interaction with charged particles. Main attention is paid to the nonlinear Thomson/Compton scattering regime with the radiation friction and quantum electrodynamics effects taken into account. This process opens a channel of high efficiency electromagnetic energy conversion into hard electromagnetic radiation in the form of ultra short high power gamma ray flashes.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, invited talk presented at the SPIE-2013 conference, Prague, Czech Republic, Apr. 15, 201