Characteristics of ion beams by laser acceleration in the Coulomb explosion regime

TL;DR

This paper investigates ion beam characteristics generated by laser acceleration in the Coulomb explosion regime, revealing how laser parameters influence beam divergence and structure, supported by theoretical formulas and simulation results.

Contribution

It introduces theoretical formulas for ion beam radius and energy spectrum that align well with simulation data, advancing understanding of laser-driven ion acceleration.

Findings

Ion bunches form thin shells with narrow energy ranges.

Divergence varies with laser inclination and spot size.

Theoretical formulas match simulation results.

Abstract

In the Coulomb explosion acceleration regime, an ion bunch with a narrow energy range exhibits a thin shell shape with a certain diameter. The ion cloud has a layered structure of these ion bunches with different energies. The divergences of the ion bunch in the laser inclination direction and perpendicular to it are different in an oblique incidence laser. This indicates that the smaller the spot diameter of the laser pulse, the larger the divergence of the ion beam. In addition, theoretical formulas for the radius of the generated ion beam and the energy spectrum are derived, and they are shown to be in good agreement with the simulation results.