Ion acceleration from laser-driven electrostatic shocks

Fiúza, Frederico; Stockem, A.; Boella, Elisabetta; Fonseca, Ricardo; Silva, L. O.; Haberberger, D.; Tochitsky, Sergei; Mori, W. B.; Joshi, C.

doi:10.1063/1.4801526

Cited by 98 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(61 reference statements)

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“…Such scaling allows us to project that 170-MeV low-energy spread proton beams can be obtained at a CO 2 laser intensity of ~10 18 W/cm 2 , attainable at 100TW peak power (a 0 =10). Recently reported simulations [26] support this expectation. Different physical mechanisms are being explored with the objective of accessing high-peak-power THzradiation sources desirable for emerging applications ranging from material studies, to work for Homeland Security.…”

Section: Science Opportunitiessupporting

confidence: 73%

In service of accelerator stewardship: The BNL ATF and its upgrade

Ben‐Zvi¹,

Pogorelsky²

2016

AIP Conference Proceedings

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Abstract. The Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) at Brookhaven National Laboratory has served as a user facility for accelerator science for over a quarter of a century. Since its inception, the ATF in fact had undertaken the mission of accelerator stewardship of the Office of High Energy Physics (OHEP), even before the concept was fully formulated. In bringing advanced accelerator-science and technology to individual users, small groups of researchers, and large collaborations, the ATF offers a unique combination of a high-brightness 80-MeV electron beam synchronized to a 2-TW picosecond CO 2 laser. The ATF now the flagship of the Accelerator Stewardship program of the OHEP, and thus will provide opportunities to small businesses to develop accelerator-based products, running the full gamut from the laboratory to the applications. At this juncture, the ATF has embarked upon a transformational upgrade of its capabilities. We describe our plan for greatly expanding the ATF's floor space, and the number of independent experiment halls, for upgrading the electron beam's energy in stages to 500-MeV, and the CO 2 laser's peak power to 100 TW. This upgrade will afford a new, vast space for the laser and electron beam for conducting new research in accelerator science and technology that is at the forefront advanced accelerators and radiation sources, and to support the most innovative ideas in these fields. We will discuss emerging opportunities for scientific breakthroughs that include the following: Plasma Wakefield Acceleration (PWFA), extending the researches already pursued at the ATF; Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) wherein the longer laser wavelengths will engender a proportional increase in the beam's charge, while our linac will assure, for the first-time, the opportunity for undertaking detailed studies of seeding and staging of the LWFA. The laser will extend proton acceleration to the 100-200 MeV level, as is demanded for certain medical applications.

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Section: Science Opportunitiessupporting

confidence: 73%

In service of accelerator stewardship: The BNL ATF and its upgrade

Ben‐Zvi¹,

Pogorelsky²

2016

AIP Conference Proceedings

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“…We have followed the field evolution in 2D and 3D simulations and showed that a quasi-steady-state value is reached, with the magnetic field being generated only in the downstream region, in contrary to electromagnetic shocks where the filamentation instability creates a magnetic field across the shock front. We have observed that since the field is generated in the downstream region, the effect of the selfgenerated magnetic field on the formation process is negligible, and the properties of the electrostatic shock, e.g., in terms of ion reflection, are preserved [7,8,42]. On the other hand, the strong field in the downstream region influences the dynamics of the particles in this region, and it can lead to distinct signatures of the shock.…”

Section: -2mentioning

confidence: 95%

Electromagnetic Field Generation in the Downstream of Electrostatic Shocks Due to Electron Trapping

et al. 2014

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A new magnetic field generation mechanism in electrostatic shocks is found, which can produce fields with magnetic energy density as high as 0.01 of the kinetic energy density of the flows on time scales ∼10 4 ω −1 pe . Electron trapping during the shock formation process creates a strong temperature anisotropy in the distribution function, giving rise to the pure Weibel instability. The generated magnetic field is well confined to the downstream region of the electrostatic shock. The shock formation process is not modified, and the features of the shock front responsible for ion acceleration, which are currently probed in laserplasma laboratory experiments, are maintained. However, such a strong magnetic field determines the particle trajectories downstream and has the potential to modify the signatures of the collisionless shock. Collisionless shocks have been studied for many decades, mainly in the context of space and astrophysics [1][2][3][4]. Recently, shock acceleration raised significant interest in the quest for a laser-based ion acceleration scheme due to an experimentally demonstrated high beam quality [5][6][7][8].Interpenetrating plasma slabs of hot electrons and cold ions are acting to set up the electrostatic fields via longitudinal plasma instabilities. The lighter electrons leaving the denser regions are held back by the electric fields, which pull the ions. Particles are trapped in the associated electrostatic potential, which steepens and eventually reaches a quasisteady-state collisionless electrostatic shock. Most of the theoretical work dates back to the 1970s [9-13] relying on the pseudo-Sagdeev potential [14] and progress has been mainly triggered by kinetic simulations [15][16][17][18].The short formation time scales and the one dimensionality of the problem make it easily accessible with theory and computer simulations. However, long time shock evolution was often one dimensional or electrostatic codes were used, and the role of electromagnetic modes was mostly neglected. More advanced multidimensional simulations have shown the importance of electromagnetic modes also in this context, due to transverse modes which are excited on the ion time scale [19,20]. We show that in the case of very high electron temperatures associated with the formation of electrostatic shocks [21], electromagnetic modes become important on electron time scales, creating strong magnetic fields in the downstream of the shock.With the increase in laser energy and intensity, the possibility to drive electrostatic shocks has become important for laboratory experiments of electrostatic shocks. Recent laser-driven shock experiments showed the appearance of an electromagnetic field structure [22][23][24], which was attributed to the ion-filamentation instability [25] that evolves on time scales of ten thousands of the inverse electron plasma frequency, ω −1 pe . As a main outcome of this Letter, we show that these structures can already be seeded and produced on tens of ω −1 pe and remain in a quasisteady state over t...

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“…The new applications pose now new challenges to our understanding of collisionless shocks structure and their potential to accelerate particles [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] . Microscopically, strong shocks can be supported by suitable plasma waves that randomize particle trajectories in lieu of binary collisions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ion-acoustic shocks with reflected ions: modelling and particle-in-cell simulations

et al. 2015

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Non-relativistic collisionless shock waves are widespread in space and astrophysical plasmas and are known as efficient particle accelerators. However, our understanding of collisionless shocks, including their structure and the mechanisms whereby they accelerate particles remains incomplete. We present here the results of numerical modeling of an ion-acoustic collisionless shock based on one-dimensional (1D) kinetic approximation both for electrons and ions with a real mass ratio. Special emphasis is made on the shock-reflected ions as the main driver of shock dissipation. The reflection efficiency, velocity distribution of reflected particles and the shock electrostatic structure are studied in terms of the shock parameters. Applications to particle acceleration in geophysical and astrophysical shocks are discussed.

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Ion acceleration from laser-driven electrostatic shocks

Cited by 98 publications

References 38 publications

In service of accelerator stewardship: The BNL ATF and its upgrade

In service of accelerator stewardship: The BNL ATF and its upgrade

Electromagnetic Field Generation in the Downstream of Electrostatic Shocks Due to Electron Trapping

Ion-acoustic shocks with reflected ions: modelling and particle-in-cell simulations

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