Production of relativistic electrons, MeV deuterons and protons by sub-nanosecond terawatt laser

0503394 - ÚFP 2019 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Krása, J. - Klír, Daniel - Řezáč, Karel - Cikhardt, Jakub - Krůs, Miroslav - Velyhan, A. - Pfeifer, Miroslav - Buryšková, S. - Dostál, Jan - Burian, Tomáš - Dudžák, Roman - Turek, K. - Pisarczyk, P. - Kalinowska, Z. - Chodukowski, T. - Kaufman, J.
Production of relativistic electrons, MeV deuterons and protons by sub-nanosecond terawatt laser.
Physics of Plasmas. Roč. 25, č. 11 (2018), s. 1-11, č. článku 113112. ISSN 1070-664X. E-ISSN 1089-7674
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2015083; GA MŠMT EF16_013/0001552
EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 654148 - LASERLAB-EUROPE
Institutional support: RVO:61389021
Keywords : laser beam self-focusing * deuterons * fast ions * relativistic electrons * laser-produced plasma
OECD category: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics)
Impact factor: 1.913, year: 2018
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.5052146

By the use of various experimental techniques, it is shown that the relativistic electrons, MeV protons, and deuterons are emitted from a 500-μm thick (CD2)n target exposed to Iλ2 ≈ 5 × 1016 W cm-2 μm2, which is delivered by the iodine photodissociation laser Prague Asterix Laser System. A parameter reflecting the laser-power efficiency of the proton acceleration is used for comparison of the observed maximum proton energy with data from other experiments. The number of protons and deuterons constituting the backward and forward jets is estimated. Values of maximum proton energies and electron temperatures indicate that the laser intensity should reach a relativistic level through the laser beam self-focusing. The occurrence of electron bunches in front of the irradiated target surface was identified by time resolved femtosecond interferometry. Energy distribution functions of electrons emitted in the both backward and forward directions are analysed and compared.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0295214