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Abstract
Laser-driven ion sources are interesting for many potential applications, from nuclear medicine to material science. A promising strategy to enhance both ion energy and number is given by Double-Layer Targets (DLTs), i.e. micrometric foils coated by a near-critical density layer. Optimization of DLT parameters for a given laser setup requires a deep and thorough understanding of the physics at play. In this work, we investigate the acceleration process with DLTs by combining analytical modeling of pulse propagation and hot electron generation together with Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations in two and three dimensions. Model results and predictions are confirmed by PIC simulations—which also provide numerical values to the free model parameters—and compared to experimental findings from the literature. Finally, we analytically find the optimal values for near-critical layer thickness and density as a function of laser parameters; this result should provide useful insights for the design of experiments involving DLTs.
Highlights
Laser-driven ion sources are interesting for many potential applications, from nuclear medicine to material science
We present a theoretical description of laser–Double-Layer Targets (DLTs) interaction and the consequential ion acceleration process
We identify a set of optimal DLT parameters which maximize the ion energy enhancement with respect to the uncoated target case
Summary
Laser-driven ion sources are interesting for many potential applications, from nuclear medicine to material science. A viable route to overcome this limit may be to use double-layer targets (DLTs) consisting of a thin solid foil coated with a near-critical density layer, where the critical density nc 1⁄4 meω2=4πe[2] marks the transparency threshold for the propagation of an electromagnetic wave with frequency ω (me is the electron mass and e is the elementary charge) Both numerical simulations[19,20,21,22] and experiments[23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31] have demonstrated that a laser pulse strongly interacts with the near-critical layer, generating a larger number of energetic electrons and increasing the ions energy and number with respect to an uncoated target. Our results provide a convenient guide both for the design of engineered DLTs and for the interpretation of laserdriven ion acceleration
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