arXiv subjects

E. Smetanina

Publications and source records attributed to E. Smetanina.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Enhancement of laser-driven ion acceleration in non-periodic nanostructured targets

Using particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate an improvement of the target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) of protons in non-periodically nanostructured targets with micron-scale thickness. Compared to standard flat foils, an increase in the proton cutoff energy by up to a factor of two is observed in foils coated with nanocones or perforated with nanoholes. The latter nano-perforated foils yield the highest enhancement, which we show to be robust over a broad range of foil thicknesses and hole diameters. The improvement of TNSA performance results from more efficient hot-electron generation, caused by a more complex laser-electron interaction geometry and increased effective interaction area and duration. We show that TNSA is optimized for a nanohole distribution of relatively low areal density and that is not required to be periodic, thus relaxing the manufacturing constraints.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2019

Evidence of non collisional femtosecond laser electron heating in dielectric materials

Electron dynamics in the bulk of large band gap dielectric crystals induced by intense femtosecond laser pulses at 800 nm is studied. With laser intensities under the ablation threshold (a few 10 TW/cm\textsuperscript{2}), electrons with unexpected energies in excess of 40-50 eV are observed by using the photoemission spectroscopy. A theoretical approach based on the Boltzmann kinetic equation including state-of-the-art modeling for various particles interactions is developed to interpret these experimental observations. A direct comparison shows that both electron heating in the bulk and a further laser field acceleration after ejection from the material contribute equivalently to the final electron energy gain. The electron heating in the bulk is shown to be significantly driven by a non-collisional process, i.e. direct multiphoton transitions between sub-bands of the conduction band. This work also sheds light on the contribution of the standard electron excitation/relaxation collisional processes, providing a new baseline to study the electron dynamics in dielectric materials and associated applications as laser material structuring.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2018

Terahertz emission from laser-driven gas-plasmas: a plasmonic point of view

We disclose an unanticipated link between plasmonics and nonlinear frequency down-conversion in laser-induced gas-plasmas. For two-color femtosecond pump pulses, a plasmonic resonance is shown to broaden the terahertz emission spectra significantly. We identify the resonance as a leaky mode, which contributes to the emission spectra whenever electrons are excited along a direction where the plasma size is smaller than the plasma wavelength. As a direct consequence, such resonances can be controlled by changing the polarization properties of elliptically-shaped driving laser pulses. Both, experimental results and 3D Maxwell consistent simulations confirm that a significant terahertz pulse shortening and spectral broadening can be achieved by exploiting the transverse driving laser beam shape as an additional degree of freedom.

physics.optics↗