Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

S. V. Bulanov

Publications and source records attributed to S. V. Bulanov.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2015

Electron dynamics, gamma and electron-positron production by colliding laser pulses

The dynamics of an electron bunch irradiated by two focused colliding super-intense laser pulses and the resulting gamma and electron-positron production are studied. Due to attractors of electron dynamics in a standing wave created by colliding pulses the photon emission and pair production, in general, are more efficient with linearly polarized pulses than with circularly polarized ones. The dependence of the key parameters on the laser intensity and wavelength allows to identify the conditions for the cascade development and gamma-electron-positron plasma creation.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2015

Enhancing proton acceleration by using composite targets

Efficient laser ion acceleration requires high laser intensities, which can only be obtained by tightly focusing laser radiation. In the radiation pressure acceleration regime, where the tightly focused laser driver leads to the appearance of the fundamental limit for the maximum attainable ion energy, this limit corresponds to the laser pulse group velocity as well as to another limit connected with the transverse expansion of the accelerated foil and consequent onset of the foil transparency. These limits can be relaxed by using composite targets, consisting of a thin foil followed by a near critical density slab. Such targets provide guiding of a laser pulse inside a self-generated channel and background electrons, being snowplowed by the pulse, compensate for the transverse expansion. The use of composite targets results in a significant increase in maximum ion energy, compared to a single foil target case.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2015

Ion Acceleration via "Nonlinear Vacuum Heating" by the Laser Pulse Obliquely Incident on a Thin Foil Target

Dependence of the energy of ions accelerated during interaction of the laser pulse obliquelly incident on the thin foil target on the laser polarization is studied experimentally and theoretically. We found that the ion energy being maximal for the p-polarization gradually decreases when the pulse becomes s-polarized. The experimentally found dependences of the ion energy are explained by invoking the anomalous electron heating which results in high electrostatic potential formation at the target surface. Anomalous heating of electrons beyond the energy of quiver motion in the laser field is described within the framework of theoretical model of driven oscillator with a step-like nonlinearity. We have demonstrated that the electron anomalous heating can be realized in two regimes: nonlinear resonance and stochastic heating, depending on the extent of stochasticity. We have found the accelerated ion energy scaling determined by the laser intensity, pulse duration, polarization angle and incident angle.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2015

Fast magnetic field annihilation in the relativistic collisionless regime driven by two ultra-short high-intensity laser pulses

The magnetic quadrupole structure formation during the interaction of two ultra-short high power laser pulses with a collisionless plasma is demonstrated with 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The subsequent expansion of the quadrupole is accompanied by magnetic field annihilation in the ultrarelativistic regime, when the magnetic field can not be sustained by the plasma current. This results in a dominant contribution of the displacement current exciting a strong large scale electric field. This field leads to the conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy of accelerated electrons inside the thin current sheet.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2015

Stochastic Regimes in the Driven Oscillator with a Step-Like Nonlinearity

A nonlinear oscillator with an abruptly inhomogeneous restoring force driven by an uniform oscillating force exhibits stochastic properties under specific resonance conditions. This behaviour elucidates the elementary mechanism of the electron energization in the strong electromagnetic wave interaction with thin targets.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2015

Helium-3 and Helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy

The laser driven acceleration of ions is considered a promising candidate for an ion source for hadron therapy of oncological diseases. Though proton and carbon ion sources are conventionally used for therapy, other light ions can also be utilized. Whereas carbon ions require 400 MeV per nucleon to reach the same penetration depth as 250 MeV protons, helium ions require only 250 MeV per nucleon, which is the lowest energy per nucleon among the light ions. This fact along with the larger biological damage to cancer cells achieved by helium ions, than that by protons, makes this species an interesting candidate for the laser driven ion source. Two mechanisms (Magnetic Vortex Acceleration and hole-boring Radiation Pressure Acceleration) of PW-class laser driven ion acceleration from liquid and gaseous helium targets are studied with the goal of producing 250 MeV per nucleon helium ion beams that meet the hadron therapy requirements. We show that He3 ions, having almost the same penetration depth as He4 with the same energy per nucleon, require less laser power to be accelerated to the required energy for the hadron therapy.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2014

Effect of Electromagnetic Pulse Transverse Inhomogeneity on the Ion Acceleration by Radiation Pressure

In the ion acceleration by radiation pressure a transverse inhomogeneity of the electromagnetic pulse results in the displacement of the irradiated target in the off-axis direction limiting achievable ion energy. This effect is described analytically within the framework of the thin foil target model and with the particle-in-cell simulations showing that the maximum energy of accelerated ions decreases while the displacement from the axis of the target initial position increases. The results obtained can be applied for optimization of the ion acceleration by the laser radiation pressure with the mass limited targets.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2013

Enhancement of maximum attainable ion energy in the radiation pressure acceleration regime using a guiding structure

Radiation Pressure Acceleration relies on high intensity laser pulse interacting with solid target to obtain high maximum energy, quasimonoenergetic ion beams. Either extremely high power laser pulses or tight focusing of laser radiation is required. The latter would lead to the appearance of the maximum attainable ion energy, which is determined by the laser group velocity and is highly influenced by the transverse expansion of the target. Ion acceleration is only possible with target velocities less than the group velocity of the laser. The transverse expansion of the target makes it transparent for radiation, thus reducing the effectiveness of acceleration. Utilization of an external guiding structure for the accelerating laser pulse may provide a way of compensating for the group velocity and transverse expansion effects.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2012

On the design of experiments to study extreme field limits

We propose experiments on the collision of high intensity electromagnetic pulses with electron bunches and on the collision of multiple electromagnetic pulses for studying extreme field limits in the nonlinear interaction of electromagnetic waves. The effects of nonlinear QED will be revealed in these laser plasma experiments.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2012

Ion Acceleration by the Radiation Pressure of Slow Electromagnetic Wave

When the ions are accelerated by the radiation pressure of the laser pulse, their velocity can not exceed the laser group velocity, in the case when it is less than the speed of light in vacuum. This is demonstrated in two cases corresponding to the thin foil target irradiated by a high intensity laser light and to the hole boring by the laser pulse in the extended plasma accompanied by the collisionless shock wave formation. It is found that the beams of accelerated at the collisionless shock wave front ions are unstable against the Buneman-lke and the Weibel-like instabilities which result in the ion energy spectrum broadening.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2012

Soft X-ray harmonic comb from relativistic electron spikes

We demonstrate a new high-order harmonic generation mechanism reaching the `water window' spectral region in experiments with multi-terawatt femtosecond lasers irradiating gas jets. A few hundred harmonic orders are resolved, giving uJ/sr pulses. Harmonics are collectively emitted by an oscillating electron spike formed at the joint of the boundaries of a cavity and bow wave created by a relativistically self-focusing laser in underdense plasma. The spike sharpness and stability are explained by catastrophe theory. The mechanism is corroborated by particle-in-cell simulations.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2011

Identification of high energy ions using backscattered particles in laser-driven ion acceleration with cluster-gas targets

A new diagnosis method for high energy ions utilizing a single CR-39 detector mounted on plastic plates is demonstrated to identify the presence of the high energy component beyond the CR-39's detection threshold limit. On irradiation of the CR-39 detector unit with a 25 MeV per nucleon He ion beam from conventional rf-accelerators, a large number of etch pits having elliptical opening shapes are observed on the rear surface of the CR-39. Detailed investigations reveal that these etch pits are created by heavy ions inelastically backscattered from the plastic plates. This ion detection method is applied to laser-driven ion acceleration experiments using cluster-gas targets, and ion signals with energies up to 50 MeV per nucleon are identified.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2011

On the design of experiments for the study of extreme field limits in the interaction of laser with ultrarelativistic electron beam

We propose the experiments on the collision of laser light and high intensity electromagnetic pulses generated by relativistic flying mirrors, with electron bunches produced by a conventional accelerator and with laser wake field accelerated electrons for studying extreme field limits in the nonlinear interaction of electromagnetic waves. The regimes of dominant radiation reaction, which completely changes the electromagnetic wave-matter interaction, will be revealed in the laser plasma experiments. This will result in a new powerful source of ultra short high brightness gamma-ray pulses. A possibility of the demonstration of the electron-positron pair creation in vacuum in a multi-photon processes can be realized. This will allow modeling under terrestrial laboratory conditions neutron star magnetospheres, cosmological gamma ray bursts and the Leptonic Era of the Universe.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2009

Spallative ablation of dielectrics by X-ray laser

Short laser pulse in wide range of wavelengths, from infrared to X-ray, disturbs electron-ion equilibrium and rises pressure in a heated layer. The case where pulse duration $τ_L$ is shorter than acoustic relaxation time $t_s$ is considered in the paper. It is shown that this short pulse may cause thermomechanical phenomena such as spallative ablation regardless to wavelength. While the physics of electron-ion relaxation on wavelength and various electron spectra of substances: there are spectra with an energy gap in semiconductors and dielectrics opposed to gapless continuous spectra in metals. The paper describes entire sequence of thermomechanical processes from expansion, nucleation, foaming, and nanostructuring to spallation with particular attention to spallation by X-ray pulse.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2009

Unlimited Energy Gain in the Laser-Driven Radiation Pressure Dominant Acceleration of Ions

The energy of the ions accelerated by an intense electromagnetic wave in the radiation pressure dominated regime can be greatly enhanced due to a transverse expansion of a thin target. The expansion decreases the number of accelerated ions in the irradiated region increasing the energy and the longitudinal velocity of remaining ions. In the relativistic limit, the ions become phase-locked with respect to the electromagnetic wave resulting in the unlimited ion energy gain. This effect and the use of optimal laser pulse shape provide a new approach for great enhancing the energy of laser accelerated ions.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2009

Intense high contrast femtosecond K-shell x-ray source from laser-driven Ar clusters

Bright Ar K-shell x-ray with very little background has been generated using an Ar clustering gas jet target irradiated with an 800 mJ, 30 fs ultra-high contrast laser, with the measured flux of 1.1 x 10^4 photons/mrad^2/pulse. This intense x-ray source critically depends on the laser contrast and the laser energy and the optimization of this source with interaction is addressed. Electron driven by laser electric field directly via nonlinear resonant is proved in simulation, resulting in effective electron heating and the enhancement of x-ray emission. The x-ray pulse duration is demonstrated to be only 10 fs, as well as a source size of 20 um, posing great potential application for single-shot ultrafast x-ray imaging.

physics.plasm-ph↗
arXiv2009

Characteristics of light reflected from a dense ionization wave with a tunable velocity

An optically-dense ionization wave (IW) produced by two femtosecond laser pulses focused cylindrically and crossing each other is shown to be an efficient coherent x-ray converter. The resulting velocity of a quasi-plane IW in the vicinity of pulse intersection increases with the angle between the pulses from the group velocity of ionizing pulses to infinity allowing an easy tuning the wavelength of x-rays. The x-ray spectra of a converted, lower frequency coherent light change from the monochromatic to a high order harmonic-like with the duration of ionizing pulses and the intensity of scattered pulses; the spectrum are not symmetrical at V c.

physics.plasm-ph↗