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

Protons accelerated in the target normal sheath acceleration regime by a femtosecond laser

Advanced targets based on thin films of graphene oxide covered by metallic layers have been irradiated at high laser intensity (∼1019 W/cm2) with 40 fs laser pulses to investigate the forward ion acceleration in the target normal sheath acceleration regime. A time-of-flight technique was employed with silicon-carbide detectors and ion collectors as fast on-line plasma diagnostics. At the optimized conditions of the laser focus position with respect to the target surface was measured the maximum proton energy using Au metallic films. A maximum proton energy of 2.85 MeV was measured using the Au metallization of 200 nm. The presence of graphene oxide facilitates the electron crossing of the foil minimizing the electron scattering and increasing the electric field driving the ion acceleration. The effect of plasma electron density control using the graphene oxide is presented and discussed

Investigation of the effect of plasma waves excitation on target normal sheath ion acceleration using fs laser-irradiating hydrogenated structures

Measurements of ion acceleration in polymethylmethacrylate foils covered by a thin copper film irradiated by fs laser in target normal sheath acceleration regime are presented. The ion acceleration depends on the laser parameters, such as the pulse energy; depends on the irradiation conditions, such as the focal point position of the laser with respect to the target surface; and depends on the target properties, such as the metallic film thickness. The proton acceleration increases in the presence of the metallic film enhancing the plasma electron density, reaching about 1.6 MeV energy for a focal position on the target surface. The plasma diagnostics uses SiC detectors, absorber foils, Faraday cups, and gafchromic films. Employing p-polarized laser light and a suitable oblique incidence, it is possible to increase the proton acceleration up to about 2.0 MeV thanks to the effects of laser absorption resonance due to plasma waves excitation

Resonant absorption effects induced by polarized laser ligth irradiating thin foils in the tnsa regime of ion acceleration

Thin foilswere irradiated by short pulsed lasers at intensities of 1016-19 W/cm2 in order to produce non-equilibrium plasmas and ion acceleration from the target-normal-sheath-acceleration (TNSA) regime. Ion acceleration in forward direction was measured by SiC detectors and ion collectors used in the time-of-flight configuration. Laser irradiations were employed using p-polarized light at different incidence angles with respect to the target surface and at different focal distances from the target surface. Measurements demonstrate that resonant absorption effects, due to the plasmawave excitations, enhance the plasma temperature and the ion acceleration with respect to those performed without to use of p-polarized light. Dependences of the ion flux characteristics on the laser energy, wavelength, focal distance and incidence angle will be reported and discussed

Nanostructured targets for TNSA laser ion acceleration

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

Target normal sheath ion acceleration by fs laser irradiating metal/reduced graphene oxide targets

Target normal sheath ion acceleration is applied with a high contrast fs laser irradiating advanced targets based on thin metallic films (Al, Cu, Ag and Au) covering micrometric foils of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The laser intensity is of about 1018 W/cm2 and the laser focal position with respect to the target surface is optimized to have the maximum proton acceleration. Plasma diagnostics are investigated using time-of-flight technique employing SiC detectors, ion collectors, and gaf-chromic films. Micrometric aluminum absorbers were employed to separate the faster proton detection by other accelerated ions. At the optimized laser focal position, the maximum proton acceleration of 2.5 MeV and 3.0 MeV energy was obtained using Ag(200 nm) and Au(200 nm) covering rGO(7 μm) targets, respectively. The high proton energy is due to the high electrical and thermal conductivity and high mechanical resistance of the used rGO foils and to the high plasma electron density of the target

Nanostructured targets for TNSA laser ion acceleration

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 fl ight (TOF) confi guration. 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

Near-3-MeV protons from target-normal-sheath-acceleration femtosecond laser irradiating advanced targets

Advanced targets based on graphene oxide and gold thin film were irradiated at high laser intensity (1018–1019 W/cm2) with 50-fs laser pulses and high contrast (108) to investigate ion acceleration in the target-normal-sheath-acceleration regime. Time-of-flight technique was employed with SiC semiconductor detectors and ion collectors in order to measure the ion kinetic energy and to control the properties of the generated plasma. It was found that, at the optimized laser focus position with respect to the target, maximum proton acceleration up to about 3 MeV energy and low angular divergence could be generated. The high proton energy is explained as due to the high electrical and thermal conductivity of the reduced graphene oxide structure. Dependence of the maximum proton energy on the target focal position and thickness is presented and discussed

Acceleration of protons in plasma produced from a thin plastic or aluminum target by a femtosecond laser

The acceleration of protons in plasma produced from thin mylar (3.5 μm) and aluminum (2 μm) targets by a 45-fs laser pulses with the energy of 400 mJ and the intensity of up to 1019 W/cm2 was investigated. Characteristics of forward-accelerated protons were measured by the time-of-flight method. In the measurements, special attention was paid to the dependence of proton beam parameters on the laser focus position (FP) in relation to the target surface which resulted in the intensity change within a factor of ∼ 10. It was observed that in the case of using the Mylar target, the dependence of both the maximum (Epmax) and the mean ('Ep') proton energy on |Δx| is clearly non-symmetric with regard to the point where FP = 0 (the focal plane on the target surface) and highest proton energies are achieved when the focal plane is situated in front of the target. In particular, for the target with the thickness of 3.5 μm Epmax reached 2.2 MeV for FP = +50 μm while for FP = 0 and FP = -100 μm the maximum proton energies reached only 1.6 MeV and 1.3MeV, respectively. For the aluminum target of 2 μm thickness Ep changed only within ∼ 40% and the highest proton energies reached 2.4 MeV