Plasma block acceleration in density gradient targets driven by intense laser

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-5641.2025.03.011

Abstract

Abstract:

A new scheme of plasma block acceleration driven by intense lasers ($I_0 $ ~ 10¹⁸ W/cm²) is proposed based upon asymmetric plasma implosion in density gradient targets, using a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation technique. Taking the proton target as an example, first, we present the implosion characteristics when the target has a homogeneous density. The influence of target thickness, laser polarization, and pulse length upon implosion are discussed. Then by changing the density gradient of the target, the asymmetric implosion induced by the asymmetric ponderomotive is investigated. Compared with the results from those based upon a target with homogenous density, the accelerated protons have higher energy, which is increased from magnitude of 10 keV to hundreds of keV, and the beam quality is also improved. Because the improved proton energy is just in the energy range for proton-boron fusion reactions with high probability, the above investigations would have great potential application for laser-driven proton-boron fusion research.

Key words: plasma block acceleration, intense laser, plasma implosion, proton-boron fusion, particle-in-cell simulation

CLC Number:

O437

Yuanling HUANG, Jiaxiang WANG. Plasma block acceleration in density gradient targets driven by intense laser[J]. J* E* C* N* U* N* S*, 2025, 2025(3): 90-99.

Figures/Tables 16

Fig.1

Table 1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4

Fig.5

Table 2

Fig.6

Table 3

Fig.7

Fig.8

Table 4

Fig.9

Fig.10

Fig.11

Fig.12

References 14

1	STRICKLAND D, MOUROU G.. Compression of amplified chirped optical pulses. Optics Communications, 1985, 56 (3): 219- 221.
2	YOON J, JEON C, SHIN J, et al. Realization of laser intensity over 10²³ W/cm²[J]. Optica, 2021, 8(5): 630-635.
3	YU T P, PUKHOV A, SHENG Z M, et al.. Bright betatronlike X rays from radiation pressure acceleration of a mass-limited foil target. Physical Review Letters, 2013, 110 (4): 045001.
4	LISEIKINA T V, MACCHI A. Features of ion acceleration by circularly polarized laser pulses[J]. Applied Physics Letters, 2007, 91(17): 171502.
5	SCHWOERER H, PFOTENHAUER S, JÄCKEL O, et al. Laser-plasma acceleration of quasi-monoenergetic protons from microstructured targets[J]. Nature, 2006, 439(7075): 445-448.
6	WILKS S C, KRUER W L, TABAK M, et al.. Absorption of ultra-intense laser-pulses. Physical Review Letters, 1992, 69 (9): 1383- 1386.
7	CHEN M, PUKHOV A, SHENG Z M, et al.. Laser mode effects on the ion acceleration during circularly polarized laser pulse interaction with foil targets. Physics of Plasmas, 2008, 15 (11): 113103.
8	YAN X Q, WU H C, SHENG Z M, et al. Self-organizing GeV, nanocoulomb, collimated proton beam from laser foil interaction at 7×10²¹W/cm²[J]. Physical Review Letters, 2009, 103(13): 135001.
9	BIALKOWSKI S E.. Physics of Laser Driven Plasmas—Hora H. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1983, 105 (21): 6535.
10	HORA H, KORN G, GIUFFRIDA L, et al. Fusion energy using avalanche increased boron reactions for block-ignition by ultrahigh power picosecond laser pulses[J]. Laser and Particle Beams, 2015, 33(4): 607-619.
11	HORA H, ELIEZER S, KIRCHHOFF G J, et al. Road map to clean energy using laser beam ignition of boron-hydrogen fusion[J]. Laser and Particle Beams, 2017, 35(4): 730-740.
12	HORA H, ELIEZER S, WANG J, et al. Laser boron fusion reactor with picosecond Petawatt block ignition [J]. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 2018, 46(5): 1191-1197.
13	徐艳霞. 强激光驱动等离子体块加速的研究 [D]. 上海: 华东师范大学, 2018.
14	ARBER T D, BENNETTt K , BRADY C S , et al. Contemporary particle-in-cell approach to laser-plasma modelling[J]. Plasma Physics & Controlled Fusion, 2015, 57(11): 113001.

参数	取值	参数	取值
$ \lambda $	$ 100\;\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m} $	$ {n}_{0} $	$ 1{n}_{\mathrm{c}} $
$ {I}_{0} $	$ {1.6\times 10}^{18}\;\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2} $	$ d $	$ 360\;\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m} $
$ \tau $	$ 40\;\mathrm{f}\mathrm{s} $	polarization	CP

参数	取值	参数	取值
$ \lambda $	$ 100\;\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m} $	$ {n}_{0} $	$ 1{n}_{\mathrm{c}} $
$ {I}_{0} $	$ {1.6\times 10}^{18}\;\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2} $	$ d $	$ 200,\mathrm{ }\mathrm{400,600}\;\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m} $
$ \tau $	$ 40\;\mathrm{f}\mathrm{s} $	polarization	CP

参数	取值	参数	取值
$ \lambda $	$ 400\;\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m} $	$ {n}_{0} $	$1{n}_{\rm{c}}$
$ {I}_{0} $	$ {1.6\times 10}^{18}\;\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2} $	$ d $	$200,400\;\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}$
$ \tau $	$ 40\;\mathrm{f}\mathrm{s} $	polarization	CP

参数	取值	参数	取值
$ \lambda $	$ 400\;{\mathrm{nm}} $	$ {n}_{0} $	$2{n}_{\rm{c}}$
$ {I}_{0} $	$ {1.6\times 10}^{18}\;{\mathrm{W}}/{{\mathrm{cm}}}^{2} $	$ d $	$ 400\;{\mathrm{nm}} $
$ \tau $	$ 40\;{\mathrm{fs}} $	polarization	CP

[1]	Fengyi YUAN, Jiaxiang WANG, Yuanling HUANG, Xuzhong ZHU. Plasma grating generation based on interactions between intense lasers and solids [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Natural Science), 2023, 2023(4): 86-93.
[2]	GAO Wan-Qin, WANG Jia-Xiang, ZHANG Ya-Yun. Ionization characteristics of the hydrogen ground state in an intense high-frequency laser field [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Natural Sc, 2015, 2015(1): 186-194.