Numerical simulation for enhanced production of energetic deuteron ions for neutron sources using laser beams*

We investigated the effect of the pre-formed plasmas on the target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) of deuteron ions for neutron source production using laser beams. Hydrodynamic simulations demonstrated the long scale length of the pre-formed plasma at the front of the target foil as well as the decrease of the plasma scale length at the rear side for when the target is irradiated by a pre-pulse. The two-dimensional PIC simulations confirmed that the pre-formed plasma profiles at both sides of the target can be optimized for efficient TNSA acceleration, leading to generation of deuteron ions with a larger amount and higher energy, collimated in the forward direction. Our results show the number of accelerated MeV deuteron ions increases by an order of magnitude in comparison with the no pre-pulse case.