Spectral Enhancement in the Double Pulse Regime of Laser Proton Acceleration

K. Markey, P. McKenna, C. M. Brenner, D. C. Carroll, M. M. Günther, K. Harres, S. Kar, K. Lancaster, F. Nürnberg, M. N. Quinn, A. P. L. Robinson, M. Roth, M. Zepf, and D. Neely
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 195008 – Published 5 November 2010

Abstract

The use of two separate ultraintense laser pulses in laser-proton acceleration was compared to the single pulse case employing the same total laser energy. A double pulse profile, with the temporal separation of the pulses varied between 0.75–2.5 ps, was shown to result in an increased maximum proton energy and an increase in conversion efficiency to fast protons by up to a factor of 3.3. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate the existence of a two stage acceleration process. The second phase, induced by the main pulse preferentially accelerates slower protons located deeper in the plasma, in contrast to conventional target normal sheath acceleration.

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  • Received 28 June 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.195008

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

K. Markey1,2,*, P. McKenna3, C. M. Brenner3,1, D. C. Carroll3, M. M. Günther4, K. Harres4, S. Kar2, K. Lancaster1, F. Nürnberg4, M. N. Quinn3, A. P. L. Robinson1, M. Roth4, M. Zepf2, and D. Neely1

  • 1Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
  • 2School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
  • 3SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
  • 4Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstrasse 9, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany

  • *keith.markey@stfc.ac.uk

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Vol. 105, Iss. 19 — 5 November 2010

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