Highly efficient generation of ultraintense high-energy ion beams using laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration

Abstract

Results of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of fast ion generation in the recently proposed laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration (LICPA) scheme in which a picosecond circularly polarized laser pulse of intensity ∼1021 W/cm2 irradiates a carbon target placed in a cavity are presented. It is shown that due to circulation of the laser pulse in the cavity, the laser-ions energy conversion efficiency in the LICPA scheme is more than twice as high as that for the conventional (without a cavity) radiation pressure acceleration scheme and a quasi-monoenergetic carbon ion beam of the mean ion energy ∼0.5 GeV and the energy fluence ∼0.5 GJ/cm2 is produced with the efficiency ∼40%. The results of PIC simulations are found to be in fairly good agreement with the predictions of the generalized light-sail model.