Enhanced plasma heating via interaction with high-contrast laser and cone-shaped target

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that using a cone-shaped target with high-contrast laser irradiation significantly enhances plasma heating and energy coupling, as evidenced by increased electron temperatures and focused laser energy.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel approach combining high-contrast laser with cone-shaped targets to substantially improve plasma heating efficiency.

Findings

Cone targets focus laser light effectively near the tip.

Electron temperature increased over threefold with cone targets.

X-ray analysis shows electron temperature of ~9 keV with cone.

Abstract

We investigated plasma heating enhancement using a high-intensity, high-contrast laser and a cone-attached target. Fast electron spectra and X-ray emission were measured with an electron spectrometer and a Bragg crystal spectrometer. The results were analyzed using PrismSPECT simulations with a two-component electron distribution model and empirical scaling laws. X-ray pinhole images showed that the cone effectively focused multi-spot laser light near its tip, enhancing local emission. While high-contrast laser irradiation reduced the fast electron slope temperature for flat targets, the use of a cone increased it by over threefold, corresponding to a fourfold rise in laser intensity. X-ray spectral analysis indicated an electron temperature of ~9~keV for the cone case, 17.5 times higher than that with a low-contrast laser. These findings demonstrate that combining high-contrast laser irradiation with cone-target geometry significantly improves laser energy coupling and plasma heating efficiency.