Research

12 pages, 1972 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Betatron Radiation and Bremsstrahlung in the Interaction of Intense Laser Pulse with Solid Target

by Ling Li, Ran Li, Libao Ju, Ke Jiang, Mingyang Yu, Taiwu Huang, Hua Zhang, Sizhong Wu, Bin Qiao, Cangtao Zhou and Xiantu He

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 6632; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13116632 - 30 May 2023

Viewed by 1109

Abstract

X-ray generation via synchrotron radiation and bremsstrahlung in the interaction of short laser pulses with a solid target is of much current interest owing to its numerous applications. The efficiency of laser to X-ray energy conversion is thus a crucial factor. We found [...] Read more.

X-ray generation via synchrotron radiation and bremsstrahlung in the interaction of short laser pulses with a solid target is of much current interest owing to its numerous applications. The efficiency of laser to X-ray energy conversion is thus a crucial factor. We found that the energy conversion efficiency of synchrotron radiation and bremsstrahlung is mainly governed by the ratio of the laser pulse width to the preplasma width, which is in turn governed by the laser profile, intensity, and spot size. Synchrotron radiation dominates when the ratio is less than unity, otherwise bremsstrahlung dominates. The type of radiation can thus be controlled by tailoring the laser parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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10 pages, 2108 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Electromagnetic Pulses Generated from Plasma Associated with Laser Filaments-Excited Aluminum Alloy Interaction

by Rong Qi, Chuliang Zhou, Dongdong Zhang, Liwei Song, Xiaojun Yang, Jiayan Gui, Yuxin Leng, Ye Tian and Ruxin Li

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6059; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126059 - 15 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1675

Abstract

Femtosecond laser filament-generated plasma can generate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). These pulses may reduce the instrument’s precision, and, hence, influence the accuracy of the experimental results. They may even cause widespread disruption by disabling of the electronic control systems or distribution networks of power [...] Read more.

Femtosecond laser filament-generated plasma can generate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). These pulses may reduce the instrument’s precision, and, hence, influence the accuracy of the experimental results. They may even cause widespread disruption by disabling of the electronic control systems or distribution networks of power plants. This study investigated the characteristics of EMPs generated from the interaction of filament-generated plasmas with a solid target in air. In this study, ultrafast laser filamentation was used to produce plasma, which was focused on a 3 mm-thick aluminum (Al) alloy target for interaction, and the spatial distribution and main contributors of the EMPs were systematically and extensively studied. The results showed that the EMPs generated from ultrafast laser filament interaction with the Al alloy target had the following characteristics: the EMP energy generated from laser filament interaction with solid targets is tens of times higher than that generated only from the femtosecond laser filament; the maximum EMP signals appeared at a 20°–80°detection angle. The relationship between the energy of EMPs and the width and energy of the laser pulses is presented and discussed. These findings are beneficial for gaining insight into the EMP generation mechanism, spatial distribution, and transmission, and for providing more information for the design of EMPs’ shielding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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8 pages, 6579 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Divergence of High-Order Harmonic Generation by a Convex Plasma Surface

by Chun Yang, Chuliang Zhou, Yinghui Zheng, Dongdong Zhang, Jixing Gao, Yafeng Bai, Rong Qi, Jiayi Qian, Jiayan Gui, Zongxin Zhang, Ye Tian and Zhinan Zeng

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 5745; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115745 - 06 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1746

Abstract

The electron density profile on a plasma surface has a decisive influence on the mechanism and characteristics of the plasma high-order harmonic generation. When the pre-pulse has a similar spatial and temporal distribution as the main laser pulse, the plasma surface on the [...] Read more.

The electron density profile on a plasma surface has a decisive influence on the mechanism and characteristics of the plasma high-order harmonic generation. When the pre-pulse has a similar spatial and temporal distribution as the main laser pulse, the plasma surface on the target will expand to form a convex profile of the similar size as the focal spot of the main pulse. We experimentally observed that the divergence of the harmonics generated by the relativistic laser light incident on a silica target has a saddle-shaped structure. The two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation with convex plasma surfaces explains the experimental results very well and infers a 0.12

λ_{L}

plasma scale length around the center of the convex profile. Further, we qualitatively explained that the asymmetry of the saddle-shaped harmonic divergence is caused by oblique incidence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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8 pages, 2396 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Highly Stable-Output Kilohertz Femtosecond Hard X-ray Pulse Source for Ultrafast X-ray Diffraction

by Di Zhao, Pengxian You, Jing Yang, Junhong Yu, Hang Zhang, Min Liao and Jianbo Hu

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4723; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094723 - 07 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1390

Abstract

Femtosecond hard X-ray pulses generated by laser-driven plasma sources are eminently suitable to probe structural dynamics due to the angstrom spatial resolution and sub-picosecond time resolution. However, the insufficient flux of X-ray photons and high pulse-to-pulse instability compared with the large-scale ultrashort X-ray [...] Read more.

Femtosecond hard X-ray pulses generated by laser-driven plasma sources are eminently suitable to probe structural dynamics due to the angstrom spatial resolution and sub-picosecond time resolution. However, the insufficient flux of X-ray photons and high pulse-to-pulse instability compared with the large-scale ultrashort X-ray source, such as X-ray free-electron laser and synchrotrons, largely restricts its applications. In this work, we have optimized automation control and mechanical designs to significantly enhance the reliability and photon flux in our femtosecond laser plasma-induced X-ray source. Specifically, the optimized source provides a reliable pulse-to-pulse stability with a fluctuation of less than 1% (root-mean-square) and a total flux of Cu-K_α X-ray photons above 10¹¹ photons/s. To confirm its functionality, ultrafast X-ray diffraction experiments are conducted on two different samples and the high consistency with previous results verifies the system’s superior performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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12 pages, 4963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Terahertz Emission Enhanced by a Laser Irradiating on a T-Type Target

by Ji Zhang, Xiaona Ban, Feng Wan and Chong Lv

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4464; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094464 - 28 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1639

Abstract

The generation of high field terahertz emission based on the interaction between an ultra-intense laser and solid targets has been widely studied in recent years because of its wide potential applications in biological imaging and material science. Here, a novel scheme is proposed [...] Read more.

The generation of high field terahertz emission based on the interaction between an ultra-intense laser and solid targets has been widely studied in recent years because of its wide potential applications in biological imaging and material science. Here, a novel scheme is proposed to enhance the terahertz emission, in which a linearly polarized laser pulse irradiates a T-type target including a longitudinal target followed by a transverse target. By using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we find that the electron beam, modulated by the direct laser acceleration via the interaction of the laser with the longitudinal solid target, plays a crucial role in enhancing the intensity of terahertz emission and controlling its spatial distribution. Compared with the single-layer target, the maximum radiated electromagnetic field’s intensity passing through the spatial probe point is enhanced by about one order of magnitude, corresponding to the terahertz emission power increasing by two orders of magnitude or so. In addition, the proposed scheme is robust with respect to the thickness and length of the target. Such a scheme may provide important theoretical and data support for the enhancement of terahertz emission efficiency based on the ultra-intense laser irradiation of solid targets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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9 pages, 3213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulation Study of a Bright Attosecond γ-ray Source Generation by Irradiating an Intense Laser on a Cone Target

by Cui-Wen Zhang, Yi-Xuan Zhu, Jian-Feng Lv and Bai-Song Xie

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4361; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094361 - 26 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1279

Abstract

The interaction between an ultrastrong laser and a cone-like target is an efficient approach to generate high-power radiations such as attosecond pulses and terahertz waves. The objective is to study the

γ

-ray generation under this configuration with the help of 2D particle-in-cell [...] Read more.

The interaction between an ultrastrong laser and a cone-like target is an efficient approach to generate high-power radiations such as attosecond pulses and terahertz waves. The objective is to study the

γ

-ray generation under this configuration with the help of 2D particle-in-cell simulations. It is deciphered that electrons experience three stages, including injection, acceleration and scattering, to emit high-energy photons via nonlinear Compton scattering (NCS). These spatial-separated attosecond

γ

-ray pulses own high peak brilliance (>10²² photons/(s·mm²·mrad²·0.1%BW)) and high energy (6 MeV) under the case of normalized laser intensity

a_{0} = 30 (I = 2 \times 10^{21} W / {cm}^{2})

. In addition, the cone target turns out to be an order of magnitude more efficient in energy transfer compared to a planar one. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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11 pages, 4534 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Study of the Efficient Ion Acceleration Driven by Petawatt-Class Lasers via Stable Radiation Pressure Acceleration

by Meng Liu, Jia-Xiang Gao, Wei-Min Wang and Yu-Tong Li

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2924; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062924 - 13 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1805

Abstract

Laser-driven radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is one of the most promising candidates to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams. In particular, many petawatt systems are under construction or in the planning phase. Here, a stable radiation pressure acceleration (SRPA) scheme is investigated, in which a [...] Read more.

Laser-driven radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is one of the most promising candidates to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams. In particular, many petawatt systems are under construction or in the planning phase. Here, a stable radiation pressure acceleration (SRPA) scheme is investigated, in which a circularly-polarized (CP) laser pulse illuminates a

C H_{2}

thin foil followed by a large-scale near-critical-density (NCD) plasma. In the laser-foil interaction, a longitudinal charge-separated electric field is excited to accelerate ions together with the heating of electrons. The heating can be alleviated by the continuous replenishment of cold electrons of the NCD plasma as the laser pulse and the pre-accelerated ions enter into the NCD plasma. With the relativistically transparent propagation of the pulse in the NCD plasma, the accelerating field with large amplitude is persistent, and its propagating speed becomes relatively low, which further accelerates the pre-accelerated ions. Our particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation shows that the SRPA scheme works efficiently with the laser intensity ranging from

6.85 \times 10^{21}

W cm

^{- 2}

to

4.38 \times 10^{23}

W cm

^{- 2}

, e.g., a well-collimated quasi-monoenergetic proton beam with peak energy ∼1.2 GeV can be generated by a 2.74 ×

10^{22}

W cm

^{- 2}

pulse, and the energy conversion efficiency from the laser pulse to the proton beam is about

16 %

. The QED effects have slight influence on this SRPA scheme. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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10 pages, 2968 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Proton Acceleration from Laser Interaction with a Tailored Nanowire Target

by Yue Chao, Lihua Cao, Chunyang Zheng, Zhanjun Liu and Xiantu He

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031153 - 22 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1946

Abstract

Target normal sheath field acceleration via laser interaction with structured solid targets has been widely studied for its potential use in a wide range of applications. Here, a novel nanowire target with a corrugated front surface is proposed to improve the proton acceleration [...] Read more.

Target normal sheath field acceleration via laser interaction with structured solid targets has been widely studied for its potential use in a wide range of applications. Here, a novel nanowire target with a corrugated front surface is proposed to improve the proton acceleration by a target normal sheath field. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrated that with the existence of the corrugated surface, the cut-off energy of accelerated protons nearly doubles compared to the planar nanowire target. When interacting with the corrugated surface, the incident laser pulse is reflected multiple times, focused and reinforced in each cavity near the front surface, which leads to suppression of the reflectivity and an improvement in the absorption rate. Electrons are heated more efficiently and the sheath field at the target rear side is naturally enhanced. To further investigate the performance of this novel target, a series of simulations with various laser intensities and target sizes were also carried out. This simple target design may provide insights for experiments in the future and should arouse interest because of its wide application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Laser Plasma Interaction)

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