Effects of Laser Polarization on Target Focusing and Acceleration in a Laser-Ion Lens and Accelerator

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Hauptverfasser: Rajawat, Roopendra Singh, Wang, Tianhong, Khudik, V., Shvets, G.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Rajawat, Roopendra Singh
Wang, Tianhong
Khudik, V.
Shvets, G.
author_facet Rajawat, Roopendra Singh
Wang, Tianhong
Khudik, V.
Shvets, G.
contents We present the process of ion acceleration using ultra-thin foils irradiated by elliptically polarized, high-intensity laser pulses. Recently, efficient generation of monoenergetic ion beams was introduced using the concept of laser-ion lensing and acceleration (LILA). LILA is an innovative technique where the target's radially varying thickness enables simultaneous acceleration and focusing of a proton beam. In this work, we extend the LILA framework to incorporate elliptically polarized (EP) laser pulses. While it's commonly assumed that EP lasers are unsuitable for radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) due to excessive electron heating that compromises ion acceleration, our multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations challenge this notion. We show that, with proper optimization of the target's average thickness, EP laser pulses can successfully drive the LILA mechanism. We also demonstrate that with a non-uniform thickness target, even linearly polarized laser pulses can efficiently generate low-emittance focused ion beams, with the overall laser-to-ions energy conversion comparable to those predicted for circularly polarized laser pulses.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_06547
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Effects of Laser Polarization on Target Focusing and Acceleration in a Laser-Ion Lens and Accelerator
Rajawat, Roopendra Singh
Wang, Tianhong
Khudik, V.
Shvets, G.
Plasma Physics
We present the process of ion acceleration using ultra-thin foils irradiated by elliptically polarized, high-intensity laser pulses. Recently, efficient generation of monoenergetic ion beams was introduced using the concept of laser-ion lensing and acceleration (LILA). LILA is an innovative technique where the target's radially varying thickness enables simultaneous acceleration and focusing of a proton beam. In this work, we extend the LILA framework to incorporate elliptically polarized (EP) laser pulses. While it's commonly assumed that EP lasers are unsuitable for radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) due to excessive electron heating that compromises ion acceleration, our multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations challenge this notion. We show that, with proper optimization of the target's average thickness, EP laser pulses can successfully drive the LILA mechanism. We also demonstrate that with a non-uniform thickness target, even linearly polarized laser pulses can efficiently generate low-emittance focused ion beams, with the overall laser-to-ions energy conversion comparable to those predicted for circularly polarized laser pulses.
title Effects of Laser Polarization on Target Focusing and Acceleration in a Laser-Ion Lens and Accelerator
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.06547