Enhancing laser-driven proton acceleration by using micro-pillar arrays at high drive energy

Abstract

The interaction of micro- and nano-structured target surfaces with high-power laser pulses is being widely investigated for its unprecedented absorption efficiency. We have developed vertically aligned metallic micro-pillar arrays for laser-driven proton acceleration experiments. We demonstrate that such targets help strengthen interaction mechanisms when irradiated with high-energy-class laser pulses of intensities $\sim$ $10^{17-18}$ W/cm${}^2$. In comparison with standard planar targets, we witness strongly enhanced hot-electron production and proton acceleration both in terms of maximum energies and particle numbers. Supporting our experimental results, two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show an increase in laser energy conversion into hot electrons, leading to stronger acceleration fields. This opens a window of opportunity for further improvements of laser-driven ion acceleration systems.

9 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Ion acceleration by superintense laser-plasma interaction
• Evidence of resonant surface wave excitation in the relativistic regime through measurements of proton acceleration from grating targets
• Microengineering laser plasma interactions at relativistic intensities
• The Effects of Front-Surface Target Structures on Properties of Relativistic Laser-Plasma Electrons
• Enhancing Bremsstrahlung Production From Ultraintense Laser-Solid Interactions With Front Surface Structures

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Relativistic laser driven electron accelerator using micro-channel plasma targets
• Surface plasmons in superintense laser-solid interactions
• High-energy-density plasma in femtosecond-laser-irradiated nanowire array targets for nuclear reactions
• Generation of keV hot near-solid density plasma states at high contrast laser-matter interaction
• Synchrotron emission from nanowire-array targets irradiated by ultraintense laser pulses
• Laser-plasma proton acceleration with a combined gas-foil target
• Generation of giga-electron-volt proton beams by micronozzle acceleration
• A new scheme for isomer pumping and depletion with high-power lasers