title: Enhanced proton acceleration by an ultrashort laser interaction with structured dynamic plasma targets.
abstract: We experimentally demonstrate a notably enhanced acceleration of protons to high energy by relatively modest ultrashort laser pulses and structured dynamical plasma targets. Realized by special deposition of snow targets on sapphire substrates and using carefully planned prepulses, high proton yields emitted in a narrow solid angle with energy above 21 MeV were detected from a 5 TW laser. Our simulations predict that using the proposed scheme protons can be accelerated to energies above 150 MeV by 100 TW laser systems.
authors.affiliation: Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zigler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eisenman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Botton
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nahum
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schleifer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baspaly
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pomerantz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abicht
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Branzel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Priebe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steinke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andreev
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schnuerer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sandner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sprangle
authors.forename: K W D
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ledingham
mesh_terms: D007834:Lasers; D009686:Nuclear Physics; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D011522:Protons
chemical_list: D058626:Plasma Gases; D011522:Protons