Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Control of Energy Spread and Dark Current in Proton and Ion Beams Generated in High-Contrast Laser Solid Interactions
AU - Dollar, F.
AU - Matsuoka, T.
AU - Petrov, G. M.
AU - Thomas, A. G. R.
AU - Bulanov, S. S.
AU - Chvykov, V.
AU - Davis, J.
AU - Kalinchenko, G.
AU - McGuffey, C.
AU - Willingale, L.
AU - Yanovsky, V.
AU - Maksimchuk, A.
AU - Krushelnick, K.
PY - 2011/8/3
Y1 - 2011/8/3
N2 - By using temporal pulse shaping of high-contrast, short pulse laser interactions with solid density targets at intensities of 2 x 10(21) W cm(-2) at a 45 degrees incident angle, we show that it is possible to reproducibly generate quasimonoenergetic proton and ion energy spectra. The presence of a short pulse prepulse 33 ps prior to the main pulse produced proton spectra with an energy spread between 25% and 60% (Delta E/E) with energy of several MeV, with light ions becoming quasimonoenergetic for 50 nm targets. When the prepulse was removed, the energy spectra was broad. Numerical simulations suggest that expansion of the rear-side contaminant layer allowed for density conditions that prevented the protons from being screened from the sheath field, thus providing a low energy cutoff in the observed spectra normal to the target surface.
AB - By using temporal pulse shaping of high-contrast, short pulse laser interactions with solid density targets at intensities of 2 x 10(21) W cm(-2) at a 45 degrees incident angle, we show that it is possible to reproducibly generate quasimonoenergetic proton and ion energy spectra. The presence of a short pulse prepulse 33 ps prior to the main pulse produced proton spectra with an energy spread between 25% and 60% (Delta E/E) with energy of several MeV, with light ions becoming quasimonoenergetic for 50 nm targets. When the prepulse was removed, the energy spectra was broad. Numerical simulations suggest that expansion of the rear-side contaminant layer allowed for density conditions that prevented the protons from being screened from the sheath field, thus providing a low energy cutoff in the observed spectra normal to the target surface.
KW - PLASMA INTERACTIONS
KW - ACCELERATION
KW - TRANSPORT
KW - ELECTRON
KW - DRIVEN
KW - PULSES
KW - TARGETS
KW - FIELDS
KW - CODE
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.065003
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.065003
M3 - Journal article
VL - 107
JO - Physical review letters
JF - Physical review letters
SN - 1079-7114
IS - 6
M1 - 065003
ER -