Accelerating ions with high-energy short laser pulses from submicrometer thick targets

(整期优先)网络出版时间:2016-04-14
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UsingtheexampleofthePHELIXhigh-energyshortpulselaserwediscussthetechnicalpreconditionstoinvestigateionaccelerationwithsubmicrometerthicktargets.Weshowhowthetemporalcontrastofthissystemwasimprovedtopreventpre-ionizationofsuchtargetsonthenanosecondtimescale.Furthermoretheinfluenceoftypicalfluctuationsoruncertaintiesoftheon-targetintensityonionaccelerationexperimentsisdiscussed.Wereporthowtheseuncertaintieswerereducedbyimprovingtheassessmentandcontroloftheon-shotintensityandbyoptimizingthepositioningofthetargetintothefocalplane.Finallywereportonexperimentalresultsshowingmaximumprotonenergiesinexcessof85MeVforionaccelerationviathetargetnormalsheathaccelerationmechanismusingtargetthicknessesontheorderofonemicrometer.