Abstract
We address the problem of energy dispersion of radiation pressure accelerated (RPA) ion beams emerging from a thin target. Two different acceleration regimes, namely phase-stable acceleration and multistage acceleration, are considered by means of analytical modeling and one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Our investigations offer a deeper understanding of RPA and allow us to derive some guidelines for generating monoenergetic ion beams.
Highlights
Interaction of ultra-intense laser pulses with thin foils offers interesting possibilities to generate energetic charged particles
In contrast to target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) [1, 2], where ions are accelerated from the target rear surface in the electrostatic field built up by the laser-created hot electrons, radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) of ion beams relies on the efficient momentum transfer from laser photons to ions in a thin dense target, which reflects the incident laser pulse
The description proposed here allows for a greater insight in the details of RPA of thin foils than that available from the standard macroscopic light-sail model
Summary
Interaction of ultra-intense laser pulses with thin foils offers interesting possibilities to generate energetic charged particles. We first recall the basic modelling of RPA of a thin foil and provide scaling laws concerning the maximum ion energy that can be reached as a function of the laser intensity or power (Sec. 2). Beyond this simple (macroscopic) modelling, we discuss the details of RPA of a thin foil as following from two complementary processes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
