Enhanced collimated GeV monoenergetic ion acceleration from a shaped foil target irradiated by a circularly polarized laser pulse

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that shaping a foil target to match a circularly polarized laser pulse enhances ion acceleration, producing collimated GeV monoenergetic ion beams with high efficiency, as shown through multi-dimensional PIC simulations.

Contribution

The paper introduces a shaped foil target design that improves ion acceleration uniformity and energy spectrum in laser-driven ion acceleration.

Findings

Achieved collimated GeV monoenergetic ion beams

Target shaping suppresses deformation and plasma heating

18% of laser energy converted into ion beam

Abstract

Using multi-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations we study ion acceleration from a foil irradiated by a circularly polarized laser pulse at 1022W/cm^2 intensity. When the foil is shaped initially in the transverse direction to match the laser intensity profile, the center part of the target can be uniformly accelerated for a longer time compared to a usual flat target. Target deformation and undesirable plasma heating are effectively suppressed. The final energy spectrum of the accelerated ion beam is improved dramatically. Collimated GeV quasi-mono-energetic ion beams carrying as much as 18% of the laser energy are observed in multi-dimensional simulations. Radiation damping effects are also checked in the simulations.