Collimation of energetic electrons from a laser-target interaction by a magnetized target back plasma preformed by a long-pulse laser

Zhuo, H. B. and Chen, Z. L. and Sheng, Z. M. and Chen, M. and Yabuuchi, T. and Tampo, M. and Yu, M. Y. and Yang, X. H. and Zhou, C. T. and Tanaka, K. A. and Zhang, J. and Kodama, R. (2014) Collimation of energetic electrons from a laser-target interaction by a magnetized target back plasma preformed by a long-pulse laser. Physical Review Letters, 112 (21). 215003. ISSN 1079-7114 (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.215003)

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Abstract

It is demonstrated experimentally and by numerical simulations that the presence of a long-pulse-laser-created back plasma on the target backside can focus the relativistic electrons produced by short-pulse laser interaction with the front of a solid target. Comparing this to that without the back plasma, the number density of the fast electrons is increased by one order of magnitude, and their divergence angle is reduced fivefold. The effect is attributed to the absence of the backside sheath electric field and the collimation effect of the megagauss self-generated baroclinic magnetic field there. Such an acceleration scheme can be useful to applications requiring high-energy and charge-density electron bunches, such as fast ignition in inertial fusion.

ORCID iDs

Zhuo, H. B., Chen, Z. L., Sheng, Z. M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8823-9993, Chen, M., Yabuuchi, T., Tampo, M., Yu, M. Y., Yang, X. H., Zhou, C. T., Tanaka, K. A., Zhang, J. and Kodama, R.;
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