Aluminum ion plasma monitored by SiC detectors from low to high laser intensity and from ns up to fs pulse duration

Abstract

Thick and thin films of Al targets were irradiated in vacuum with different IR lasers at intensities between 1010 W/cm 2 and 1019 W/cm2, with pulse duration ranging between 3 ns and 45 fs. The laser-generated plasma was monitored in forward and backward directions, from thin and thick targets, by using SiC detectors, ion collectors, ion energy analyzer, optical spectrometer, Thomson parabola spectrometer and X-ray streak camera. Ion emission shows a maximum ion acceleration proportional to the laser intensity, which reaches about 1 MeV per charge state at 1016 W/cm2. Using fs laser, Al ion acceleration occurs at energies up to about 26 MeV and protons are accelerated at energies up to about 2.0 MeV.In the used experimental conditions, the maximum ion acceleration can be controlled by the laser parameters, irradiation conditions, and target geometry, such as the pulse energy, the focal position and the target thickness. Although different lasers and irradiation conditions were employed, the produced ion charges per solid angle of detection remain comparable, as it will be discussed.