We report experimental evidence for a Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability driven by radiation pressure of an ultraintense (10(21) W/cm(2)) laser pulse. The instability is witnessed by the highly modulated profile of the accelerated proton beam produced when the laser irradiates a 5 nm diamondlike carbon (90% C, 10% H) target. Clear anticorrelation between bubblelike modulations of the proton beam and transmitted laser profile further demonstrate the role of the radiation pressure in modulating the foil. Measurements of the modulation wavelength, and of the acceleration from Doppler-broadening of back-reflected light, agree quantitatively with particle-in-cell simulations performed for our experimental parameters and which confirm the existence of this instability.
Guided transport of a relativistic electron beam in solid is achieved experimentally by exploiting the strong magnetic fields created at the interface of two metals of different electrical resistivities. This is of substantial relevance to the Fast Ignitor approach to fusion energy production [M. Tabak, Phys. Plasmas 12, 057305 (2005)10.1063/1.1871246], since it allows the electron deposition to be spatially tailored-thus adding substantial design flexibility and preventing inefficiencies due to electron beam spreading. In the experiment, optical transition radiation and thermal emission from the target rear surface provide a clear signature of the electron confinement within a high resistivity tin layer sandwiched transversely between two low resistivity aluminum slabs. The experimental data are found to agree well with numerical simulations.
Highly anisotropic, beam-like neutron emission with peak flux of the order of 10 9 n/sr was obtained from light nuclei reactions in a pitcher-catcher scenario, by employing MeV ions driven by a subpetawatt laser. The spatial profile of the neutron beam, fully captured for the first time by employing a CR39 nuclear track detector, shows a FWHM divergence angle of~ 70 , with a peak flux nearly an order of magnitude higher than the isotropic component elsewhere. The observed beamed flux of neutrons is highly favourable for a wide range of applications, and indeed for further transport and moderation to thermal energies. A systematic study employing various combinations of pitchercatcher materials indicates the dominant reactions being d(p, n+p) 1 H and d(d,n) 3 He. Albeit insufficient cross-section data are available for modelling, the observed anisotropy in the neutrons' spatial and spectral profiles is most likely related to the directionality and high energy of the projectile ions.
A scheme for artificially collimating fast-electron beams produced in high intensity (>10(19) W cm(-2)) laser-solid interactions is proposed. The scheme uses a laser pulse at the relativistic threshold (approximately 10(18) W cm(-2)) that precedes the high intensity pulse to pregenerate a collimating magnetic field. This concept is supported by analytical calculations and numerical calculations performed using a novel hybrid-Vlasov-Fokker-Planck code called LEDA. This scheme may be highly useful for fast ignition inertial confinement fusion.
A method for producing a self-generated magnetic focussing structure for a beam of laser-generated relativistic electrons using a complex array of resistivity gradients is proposed and demonstrated using numerical simulations. The array of resistivity gradients is created by using a target consisting of alternating layers of different Z material. This new scheme is capable of effectively focussing the fast electrons even when the source is highly divergent. The application of this technique to cone-guided fast ignition inertial confinement fusion is considered, and it is shown that it may be possible to deposit over 25% of the fast electron energy into a hot spot even when the fast electron divergence angle is very large (e.g., 70° half-angle).
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