Bulletin of the American Physical Society
58th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Volume 61, Number 18
Monday–Friday, October 31–November 4 2016; San Jose, California
Session QI2: Relativistic Pulse Shaping and Laser-Plasma AccelerationInvited
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Chair: Gennady Shvets, University of Texas Room: 210 CDGH |
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 3:00PM - 3:30PM |
QI2.00001: Brilliant gamma-ray emission from near-critical plasma interaction with ultraintense laser pulses Invited Speaker: Bin Qiao $\gamma$-ray is the electromagnetic radiation having the highest photon energy and smallest wavelength, which has a broad range of applications in material science, nuclear physics, astrophysics and so on. In this talk, I shall report recent progresses [1-5] on theoretical and numerical studies of laser-driven brilliant gamma-ray radiation in near critical plasmas at Peking University (PKU), where an intense circularly polarized (CP) lasers. A novel resonant acceleration scheme can be achieved [1, 4] for generating dense relativistic electron bunches and emitting brilliant $\gamma$-ray pulses, where the laser frequency matches with that of electron betatron oscillation under quasistatic electromagnetic fields and radiation reaction in plasma. 3D PIC simulations show that brilliant $\gamma$-ray radiation with energy of 3J and brightness of $10^{24}$photons/s/mm$^{2}$/mrad$^2$/0.1\%BW (at 3MeV) can be produced by using CP lasers at intensity $10^{22}$W/cm$^{2}$. It is found [3, 4, 5] that the total number of radiated photons scales as $a^{2}/S^{1/2}$ and the conversion efficiency scales as $a^{3}/S$, where $S=(n_e/n_c)a$ and a is the laser normalized amplitude. Further studies show [4,5] that if the laser intensity is increased to $10^{23}$W/cm$^{2}$, the quantum electrodynamic (QED) effects are in favor of trapping and achieving resonance acceleration of electrons, resulting in production of brilliant $\gamma$-ray pulses with unprecedented power of 6.7PW and brightness of $10^{25}$photons/s/mm$^{2}$/mrad$^{2}$/0.1\%BW (at 15MeV). To the best of our knowledge, this is the $\gamma$-ray source with the highest peak brightness in tens-MeV regime ever reported in the literature. [1] B. Liu et al., PRL 110, 045002 (2013). [2] B. Liu et al., PoP 22, 080704 (2015). [3] H. X. Chang, B. Qiao et al., PRE 92, 053107 (2015); [4] H. X. Chang, B. Qiao et al., under Review, PRL (2016); [5] T. W. Huang, et al., PRE 93, 063203 (2016). [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 3:30PM - 4:00PM |
QI2.00002: Exploring novel structures for manipulating relativistic laser-plasma interaction. Invited Speaker: Liangliang Ji The prospect of realizing compact particle accelerators and x-ray sources based on high power lasers has gained numerous attention. Utilization of all the proposed schemes in the field requires the laser-matter-interaction process to be repeatable or moreover, controllable. This has been very challenging at ultra-high light intensities due to the pre-pulse issue and the limitation on target manufacturing. With recent development on pulse cleaning technique, such as XPW and the use of plasma mirror, we now propose a novel approach that leverages recent advancements in 3D nano-printing of materials and high contrast lasers to manipulate the laser-matter interactions on the micro-scales. The current 3D direct laser-writing (DLW) technique can produce repeatable structures with at a resolution as high as 100 nm. Based on 3D PIC simulations, we explored two typical structures, the micro-cylinder and micro-tube targets. The former serves to enhance and control laser-electron acceleration and the latter is dedicated to manipulate relativistic light intensity. First principle-of-proof experiments were carried out in the SCARLET laser facility and confirmed some of our predictions on enhancing direct laser acceleration of electrons and ion acceleration. We believe that the use of the micro-structured elements provides another degree of freedom in LPI and these new results will open new paths towards micro-engineering interaction process that will benefit high field science, laser-based proton therapy, near-QED physics, and relativistic nonlinear optics. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 4:00PM - 4:30PM |
QI2.00003: Intense laser-driven ion beams in the relativistic-transparency regime: acceleration, control and applications Invited Speaker: Juan C. Fernandez Laser-plasma interactions in the novel regime of relativistically-induced transparency have been harnessed to generate efficiently intense ion beams with average energies exceeding 10 MeV/nucleon (\textgreater 100 MeV for protons) at ``table-top'' scales. We have discovered and utilized a self-organizing scheme that exploits persisting self-generated plasma electric (\textasciitilde 0.1 TV/m) and magnetic (\textasciitilde 10$^{\mathrm{4}}$ Tesla) fields to reduce the ion-energy ($E_{\mathrm{i}})$ spread after the laser exits the plasma [1], thus separating acceleration from spread reduction. In this way we routinely generate aluminum and carbon beams with narrow spectral peaks at $E_{\mathrm{i}}$ up to 310 MeV and 220 MeV, respectively, with high efficiency ($\approx $ 5{\%}). The experimental demonstration has been done at the LANL Trident laser with 0.12 PW, high-contrast, 0.65 ps Gaussian laser pulses irradiating planar foils up to 250 nm thick. In this regime, $E_{\mathrm{i}}$ scales empirically with laser intensity ($I)$ as $I^{\mathrm{1/2}}$. Our progress is enabled by high-fidelity, massive computer simulations of the experiments. This work advances next-generation compact accelerators suitable for new applications. $E.g$., a carbon beam with $E_{\mathrm{i}}$ $\approx $ 400 MeV and 10{\%} energy spread is suitable for fast ignition (FI) of compressed DT [2]. The observed scaling suggests that is feasible with existing target fabrication and PW-laser technologies, using a sub-ps laser pulse with $I \approx $ 2.5 \texttimes 10$^{\mathrm{21}}$ W/cm$^{\mathrm{2}}$. These beams have been used on Trident to generate warm-dense matter at solid-densities [3], enabling us to investigate its equation of state and mixing of heterogeneous interfaces purely by plasma effects distinct from hydrodynamics. They also drive an intense neutron-beam source [4] with great promise for important applications such as active interrogation of shielded nuclear materials. Considerations on controlling ion-beam divergence for their increased utility are discussed. [1] S. Palaniyappan, C. Huang, \textit{et al.,} Nature Comm. \textbf{6}, 10170 (2015) [2] J. C. Fern\'{a}ndez, \textit{et al.,} Nucl. Fus. \textbf{54}, 054006 (2014) [3] W. Bang, \textit{et al.}, Sci. Rep. \textbf{5}, 14318 (2015) [4] M. Roth, \textit{et al.}, PRL \textbf{110}, 044802 (2013) [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 4:30PM - 5:00PM |
QI2.00004: Plasma-based amplification and manipulation of high-power laser pulses Invited Speaker: Goetz Lehmann In the last decade the increasing availability of Tera- and Petawatt class lasers with ps to fs pulse duration has intensified the interest in the relativistic interaction between laser radiation and matter. Today laser intensities up to $10^{22}$ W/cm$^2$ can be achieved. Most high intensity lasers today rely on amplification schemes that can only hardly be scaled to higher power levels due to material damage thresholds. An alternative approach that allows circumventing these issues is the use of plasma as an amplification medium. Langmuir or ion waves may be used as optical components, scattering the energy from a long pump pulse into a short seed pulse [1,2]. Damage thresholds of solid-state materials are not only limiting the generation of high power laser light, but also its subsequent manipulation. Again, plasma can provide an alternative approach to light manipulation. We recently proposed the concept of transient plasma photonic crystals, which aims at transferring and extending the concept of photonic crystals to the realm of plasma physics in the range of optical frequencies [3]. In my presentation I will discuss Brillouin type plasma-based laser amplifiers and show that the ion plasma waves, driven by the two laser pulses, eventually form photonic crystals [4]. The properties and possible future applications of these plasma photonic crystals as efficient Bragg type mirrors or polarizers will be discussed. [1] V. Malkin, G. Shvets, and N. J. Fisch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4448 (1999) [2] A.A. Andreev, C. Riconda, V. T. Tikhonchuk, and S. Weber, Phys. Plasmas 13, 053110 (2006) [3] G. Lehmann and K.H. Spatschek, Phys. Rev. Lett. 166, 225002 (2016) [4] G. Lehmann and K.H. Spatschek, Phys. Plasmas 23, 023107 (2016) [Preview Abstract] |
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