Enhanced collimated GeV monoenergetic ion acceleration from a shaped foil target irradiated by a circularly polarized laser pulse
Abstract
Using multi-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations we study ion acceleration from a foil irradiated by a circularly polarized laser pulse at 1022W/cm2 intensity. When the foil is shaped initially in the transverse direction to match the laser intensity profile, the center part of the target can be uniformly accelerated for a longer time compared to a usual flat target. Target deformation and undesirable plasma heating are effectively suppressed. The final energy spectrum of the accelerated ion beam is improved dramatically. Collimated GeV quasi-mono-energetic ion beams carrying as much as 18% of the laser energy are observed in multi-dimensional simulations. Radiation damping effects are also checked in the simulations.
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