Direct Acceleration of Ions With Variable-frequency Lasers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for producing monoenergetic ion beams in vacuum by using two counterpropagating, variable-frequency lasers to trap and accelerate ions via a beat-wave structure, with validation through simulations.

Contribution

It presents a new laser-based ion acceleration technique utilizing variable-frequency lasers and beat-wave trapping, with theoretical analysis and simulation validation.

Findings

Effective ion trapping and acceleration demonstrated

Control over ion energy and charge achieved

Method validated with particle-in-cell simulations

Abstract

A method is proposed for producing monoergetic, high-quality ion beams in vacuum, via direct acceleration by the electromagnetic field of two counterpropagating, variable-frequency lasers: ions are trapped and accelerated by a beat-wave structure with variable phase velocity, allowing for fine control over the energy and the charge of the beam via tuning of the frequency variation. The physical mechanism is described with a one-dimensional theory, providing the general conditions for trapping and scaling laws for the relevant features of the ion beam. Two-dimensional, electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations, in which hydrogen gas is considered as an ion source, confirm the validity and the robustness of the method.