| 1. |
- Cantono, Giada, et al.
(författare)
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Laser-driven proton acceleration from ultrathin foils with nanoholes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322 .- 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Structured solid targets are widely investigated to increase the energy absorption of high-power laser pulses so as to achieve efficient ion acceleration. Here we report the first experimental study of the maximum energy of proton beams accelerated from sub-micrometric foils perforated with holes of nanometric size. By showing the lack of energy enhancement in comparison to standard flat foils, our results suggest that the high contrast routinely achieved with a double plasma mirror does not prevent damaging of the nanostructures prior to the main interaction. Particle-in-cell simulations support that even a short scale length plasma, formed in the last hundreds of femtoseconds before the peak of an ultrashort laser pulse, fills the holes and hinders enhanced electron heating. Our findings reinforce the need for improved laser contrast, as well as for accurate control and diagnostics of on-target plasma formation.
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| 2. |
- Dalui, Malay, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of micromachined targets on laser accelerated proton beam profiles
- 2018
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Ingår i: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 60:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High intensity laser-driven proton acceleration from micromachined targets is studied experimentally in the target-normal-sheath-acceleration regime. Conical pits are created on the front surface of flat aluminium foils of initial thickness 12.5 and 3 μm using series of low energy pulses (0.5-2.5 μJ). Proton acceleration from such micromachined targets is compared with flat foils of equivalent thickness at a laser intensity of 7 ×1019 W cm-2. The maximum proton energy obtained from targets machined from 12.5 μm thick foils is found to be slightly lower than that of flat foils of equivalent remaining thickness, and the angular divergence of the proton beam is observed to increase as the depth of the pit approaches the foil thickness. Targets machined from 3 μm thick foils, on the other hand, show evidence of increasing the maximum proton energy when the depths of the structures are small. Furthermore, shallow pits on 3 μm thick foils are found to be efficient in reducing the proton beam divergence by a factor of up to three compared to that obtained from flat foils, while maintaining the maximum proton energy.
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| 3. |
- Guénot, Diego, et al.
(författare)
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Distribution of Liquid Mass in Transient Sprays Measured Using Laser-Plasma-Driven X-Ray Tomography
- 2022
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Ingår i: Physical Review Applied. - 2331-7019. ; 17:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report, the use of laser-plasma-driven x rays to reveal the three-dimensional (3D) structure of a highly atomizing water spray. Soft x rays approximately 5 keV are generated by means of a laser-plasma accelerator. Transmission radiography measurements are performed at different angles, by rotating a multihole injector. Using computer tomography, the local liquid volume distribution and its spatial variation are retrieved in 3D, showing up to 55% liquid fraction at the nozzle outlet, which decreases to below 7% within only 1 mm. The resolution of the liquid volume fraction is 0.5% while the spatial resolution of the radiographic images is 11.5μm. The x-ray source used here provides successful measurements of liquid mass distribution over a relatively large volume and is very promising for the analysis of a variety of challenging transient spray systems, e.g., the injection of liquid synthetic and biofuels used for future clean-combustion applications.
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| 4. |
- Permogorov, Alexander, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of pulse chirp on laser-driven proton acceleration
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optimisation and reproducibility of beams of protons accelerated from laser-solid interactions require accurate control of a wide set of variables, concerning both the laser pulse and the target. Among the former ones, the chirp and temporal shape of the pulse reaching the experimental area may vary because of spectral phase modulations acquired along the laser system and beam transport. Here, we present an experimental study where we investigate the influence of the laser pulse chirp on proton acceleration from ultrathin flat foils (10 and 100 nm thickness), while minimising any asymmetry in the pulse temporal shape. The results show a ± 10 % change in the maximum proton energy depending on the sign of the chirp. This effect is most noticeable from 10 nm-thick target foils, suggesting a chirp-dependent influence of relativistic transparency.
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| 5. |
- Permogorov, Alexander
(författare)
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Target and Laser Pulse Optimization for Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The research presented in this thesis is primarily focused on experimental investigations of laser-driven ion acceleration from solid targets via the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism. In particular, ways of optimizing the absorption of the laser pulse energy by free plasma electrons in the target, or modifying the shape of the accelerating electron sheath were addressed. The aim of this work was to increase the efficiency, and maximum proton energy that could be obtained with a given laser system, and to reduce the divergence of the beams of accelerated protons.The shape of the electrostatic sheath was indirectly influenced by using laser micromachining to modify the front surface of the target, on which the laser pulse is incident. The absorption of the laser pulse was enhanced by either placing nanostructures on the front side of the foil target, or by manipulating the temporal profile of the ultrafast part of the laser pulse before its interaction with an ultrathin target.It is important to ensure the survival of the target by using a laser pulse with very high temporal contrast. A double plasma mirror (DPM) was designed and implemented for this purpose. Design considerations and the optimization of the performance of the DPM, which is now used routinely at the Lund High-Power Laser Facility during laser-solid interaction studies, are discussed. Sufficiently high temporal contrast was achieved, and an increase was seen in the maximum proton kinetic energy when using targets with nanowire and foam structures on the surface. Efficient ion acceleration from ultrathin targets with a thickness down to 10 nm was observed as well.When an ultrafast laser pulse interacts with an ultrathin foil, the temporal shape of the electric field of the pulse affects the laser--solid interaction, and a slightly positively chirped pulse was found to increase the maximum kinetic energy of the accelerated protons.Laser-solid interactions at very high intensities are known to have shot-to-shot instabilities, motivating the use of single-shot diagnostics. The ion spectra in the forward direction were recorded using a Thomson parabola spectrometer, and in the backward direction with a magnetic dipole spectrometer. The intensities of the reflected and transmitted fractions of the laser pulse were also recorded on a shot-to-shot basis. In addition, a proton spatial profile monitor could be inserted to spatially characterize the proton bunch accelerated in the forward direction.
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| 6. |
- Vallières, Simon, et al.
(författare)
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Enhanced laser-driven proton acceleration using nanowire targets
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Laser-driven proton acceleration is a growing field of interest in the high-power laser community. One of the big challenges related to the most routinely used laser-driven ion acceleration mechanism, Target-Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA), is to enhance the laser-to-proton energy transfer such as to maximize the proton kinetic energy and number. A way to achieve this is using nanostructured target surfaces in the laser-matter interaction. In this paper, we show that nanowire structures can increase the maximum proton energy by a factor of two, triple the proton temperature and boost the proton numbers, in a campaign performed on the ultra-high contrast 10 TW laser at the Lund Laser Center (LLC). The optimal nanowire length, generating maximum proton energies around 6 MeV, is around 1–2 μm. This nanowire length is sufficient to form well-defined highly-absorptive NW forests and short enough to minimize the energy loss of hot electrons going through the target bulk. Results are further supported by Particle-In-Cell simulations. Systematically analyzing nanowire length, diameter and gap size, we examine the underlying physical mechanisms that are provoking the enhancement of the longitudinal accelerating electric field. The parameter scan analysis shows that optimizing the spatial gap between the nanowires leads to larger enhancement than by the nanowire diameter and length, through increased electron heating.
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