TY - JOUR

T1 - Ion acceleration in short-laser-pulse interaction with solid foils

AU - Tikhonchuk, V. T.

AU - Andreev, A. A.

AU - Bochkarev, S. G.

AU - Bychenkov, V. Yu

PY - 2005/12/1

Y1 - 2005/12/1

N2 - We discuss the physical processes, which take place in a multi-component plasma set in expansion by a minority of energetic electrons. The expansion is in the form of a collisionless rarefaction wave associated with three types of electrostatic shocks. Each shock manifests itself in a potential jump and in the spatial separation of plasma species. The shock front associated with the proton-electron separation sets the maximum proton velocity. Two other shocks are due to the hot-cold electron separation and the light-heavy ion separation. They result in the light ion acceleration and their accumulation in the phase space. These structures open possibilities for control of the number and the energy spectrum of accelerated ions. Simple analytical models are confirmed in numerical simulations where the ions are described kinetically, and the electrons assume the Boltzmann distribution.

AB - We discuss the physical processes, which take place in a multi-component plasma set in expansion by a minority of energetic electrons. The expansion is in the form of a collisionless rarefaction wave associated with three types of electrostatic shocks. Each shock manifests itself in a potential jump and in the spatial separation of plasma species. The shock front associated with the proton-electron separation sets the maximum proton velocity. Two other shocks are due to the hot-cold electron separation and the light-heavy ion separation. They result in the light ion acceleration and their accumulation in the phase space. These structures open possibilities for control of the number and the energy spectrum of accelerated ions. Simple analytical models are confirmed in numerical simulations where the ions are described kinetically, and the electrons assume the Boltzmann distribution.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=27744511676&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/0741-3335/47/12B/S69

DO - 10.1088/0741-3335/47/12B/S69

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:27744511676

VL - 47

SP - B869-B877

JO - Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion

JF - Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion

SN - 0741-3335

IS - 12 B

ER -