title: Laser-driven three-stage heavy-ion acceleration from relativistic laser-plasma interaction.
abstract: A three-stage heavy ion acceleration scheme for generation of high-energy quasimonoenergetic heavy ion beams is investigated using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation and analytical modeling. The scheme is based on the interaction of an intense linearly polarized laser pulse with a compound two-layer target (a front heavy ion layer + a second light ion layer). We identify that, under appropriate conditions, the heavy ions preaccelerated by a two-stage acceleration process in the front layer can be injected into the light ion shock wave in the second layer for a further third-stage acceleration. These injected heavy ions are not influenced by the screening effect from the light ions, and an isolated high-energy heavy ion beam with relatively low-energy spread is thus formed. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that ∼100MeV/u quasimonoenergetic Fe24+ beams can be obtained by linearly polarized laser pulses at intensities of 1.1×1021W/cm2.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China and Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany and Fakultät für Physik, LMU München, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany and Fakultät für Physik, LMU München, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bin
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany and Fakultät für Physik, LMU München, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: X T
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zepf
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: X Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D020450:Heavy Ions; D007834:Lasers; D008956:Models, Chemical; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D058626:Plasma Gases