The interaction of ultra-intense lasers with solid foils can be used to accelerate ions to high energies well exceeding 60 MeV [Gaillard et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 056710 (2011)]. The non-linear relativistic motion of electrons in the intense laser radiation leads to their acceleration and later to the acceleration of ions. Ions can be accelerated from the front surface, the foil interior region, and the foil rear surface (target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA), most widely used), or the foil may be accelerated as a whole if sufficiently thin (radiation pressure acceleration). Here, we focus on the most widely used mechanism for laser ion-acceleration of TNSA. Starting from perfectly flat foils, we show by simulations how electron filamentation at or inside the solid leads to spatial modulations in the ions. The exact dynamics depend very sensitively on the chosen initial parameters which has a tremendous effect on electron dynamics. In the case of step-like density gradients, we find evidence that suggests a two-surface-plasmon decay of plasma oscillations triggering a Raileigh-Taylor-like instability.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2015
Brief Report|
June 15 2015
Two surface plasmon decay of plasma oscillations
T. Kluge;
T. Kluge
a)
1
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Metzkes;
J. Metzkes
1
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
K. Zeil;
K. Zeil
1
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Bussmann
;
M. Bussmann
1
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
U. Schramm
;
U. Schramm
1
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
2
Technische Universität Dresden
, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
T. E. Cowan
T. E. Cowan
1
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
2
Technische Universität Dresden
, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Phys. Plasmas 22, 064502 (2015)
Article history
Received:
March 20 2015
Accepted:
May 29 2015
Citation
T. Kluge, J. Metzkes, K. Zeil, M. Bussmann, U. Schramm, T. E. Cowan; Two surface plasmon decay of plasma oscillations. Phys. Plasmas 1 June 2015; 22 (6): 064502. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4922673
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
Progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criterion
Samuel E. Wurzel, Scott C. Hsu
Weakly nonlinear incompressible Rayleigh–Taylor–Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in plane geometry
Zhen-Qi Zou, Jun-Feng Wu, et al.
Related Content
Ion acceleration boosted by recycling of the reflected laser pulse in target-normal-sheath-acceleration
Phys. Plasmas (June 2017)
First demonstration of ARC-accelerated proton beams at the National Ignition Facility
Phys. Plasmas (April 2019)
Proton acceleration from laser interaction with a complex double-layer plasma target
Phys. Plasmas (December 2018)
Multidimensional effects on proton acceleration using high-power intense laser pulses
Phys. Plasmas (February 2018)
Enhancement of target normal sheath acceleration in laser multi-channel target interaction
Phys. Plasmas (December 2019)