# A new mechanism of direct coupling of laser energy to ions

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel laser energy absorption mechanism directly targeting ions, utilizing the differential ExB drifts of electrons and ions in a magnetic field, verified through PIC simulations.

## Contribution

It proposes a new ion-specific laser energy coupling mechanism based on charge density perturbations caused by ExB drift differences.

## Key findings

- Mechanism enables direct energy transfer to ions.
- Verified via PIC simulations with OSIRIS4.0.
- Potential for improved ion acceleration techniques.

## Abstract

The well-known schemes (e.g. Brunel, resonance absorption, JxB heating etc.) couple laser energy to the lighter electron species of the plasma. In this work, a fundamentally new mechanism of laser energy absorption directly to the heavier ion species has been proposed. The mechanism relies on the difference between the ExB drifts of electron and ions in the oscillating electric field of the laser and an external magnetic field to create charge density perturbations. The proposed mechanism is verified with the help of Particle - In - Cell (PIC) simulations using OSIRIS4.0.