Acceleration of a solid-density plasma projectile to ultrahigh velocities by a short-pulse ultraviolet laser

Abstract

It is shown by means of particle-in-cell simulations that a high-fluence (≥1 GJ/cm2) solid-density plasma projectile can be accelerated up to sub-relativistic velocities by radiation pressure of an ultraviolet (UV) picosecond laser pulse of moderate values of dimensionless laser amplitude a0∼10. The efficiency of acceleration by the UV laser is significantly higher than in the case of long-wavelength (λ ∼ 1 μm) driver of a comparable value of a0, and the motion of the projectile is fairly well described by the “Light Sail” acceleration model.