Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
An unprecedented increase of kinetic energy of laser accelerated heavy ions is demonstrated. Ultrathin gold foils have been irradiated by an ultrashort laser pulse at a peak intensity of 8×1019W/cm2. Highly charged gold ions with kinetic energies up to >200MeV and a bandwidth limited energy distribution have been reached by using 1.3 J laser energy on target. 1D and 2D particle in cell simulations show how a spatial dependence on the ion's ionization leads to an enhancement of the accelerating electrical field. Our theoretical model considers a spatial distribution of the ionization inside the thin target, leading to a field enhancement for the heavy ions by Coulomb explosion. It is capable of explaining the energy boost of highly charged ions, enabling a higher efficiency for the laser-driven heavy ion acceleration.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 124801 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 114 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 26 Mar 2015 |
ID: 9325363