Dual ion species plasma expansion from isotopically layered cryogenic targets

Scott, G. G. and Carroll, D. C. and Astbury, S. and Clarke, R. J. and Hernandez-Gomez, C. and King, M. and Alejo, A. and Arteaga, I. Y. and Dance, R. J. and Higginson, A. and Hook, S. and Liao, G. and Liu, H. and Mirfayzi, S. R. and Rusby, D. R. and Selwood, M. P. and Spindloe, C. and Tolley, M. K. and Wagner, F. and Zemaityte, E. and Borghesi, M. and Kar, S. and Li, Y. and Roth, M. and McKenna, P. and Neely, D. (2018) Dual ion species plasma expansion from isotopically layered cryogenic targets. Physical Review Letters, 120 (20). ISSN 1079-7114 (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.204801)

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Abstract

A dual ion species plasma expansion scheme from a novel target structure is introduced, in which a nanometer thick layer of pure deuterium exists as a buffer species at the target-vacuum interface of a hydrogen plasma. Modelling shows that by controlling the deuterium layer thickness, a composite H +/D+ ion beam can be produced by TNSA, with an adjustable ratio of ion densities, as high energy proton acceleration is suppressed by the acceleration of a spectrally peaked deuteron beam. Particle in cell modelling shows that a (4.3±0.7) MeV per nucleon deuteron beam is accelerated, in a directional cone of half angle 9◦ . Experimentally, this was investigated using state of the art cryogenic targetry and a spectrally peaked deuteron beam of (3.4±0.7) MeV per nucleon was measured in a cone of half angle 7-9◦ , whilst maintaining a significant TNSA proton component.

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