Related papers: Multidimensional effects on proton acceleration us…
Using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we examine how an externally applied strong magnetic impacts proton acceleration in laser-irradiated solid-density targets. We find that a kT-level external magnetic field can sufficiently…
In this work, the high-energy-density plasmas (HEDP) evolved from joule-class-femtosecond-laser-irradiated nanowire array (NWA) targets are numerically and experimentally studied. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations indicate that ions…
Ion acceleration resulting from the interaction of 11 fs laser pulses of ~35 mJ energy with ultrahigh contrast (<10^-10), and 10^19 W/cm^2 peak intensity with foil targets made of various materials and thicknesses at normal (0-degree) and…
The propagation of intense laser pulses and the generation of high energy electrons from the underdense plasmas are investigated using two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. When the ratio of the laser power and a critical power of…
The interaction of ultrashort, high intensity laser pulses with thin foil targets leads to ion acceleration on the target rear surface. To make this ion source useful for applications, it is important to optimize the transfer of energy from…
We review recent PIC simulation results which show that double-sided irradiation of a thin over-dense plasma slab with ultra-intense laser pulses from both sides can lead to sustained comoving Poynting flux acceleration of electrons to…
Optimizing laser and plasma parameters is crucial for enhancing accelerated proton energy in laser-driven proton acceleration with finite laser energy for applications such as cancer therapy. Tight focusing plays a significant role in…
The recent discoveries in the theory of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) that stem from first-principle kinetic plasma simulations are discussed. When ion acceleration is efficient, the back-reaction of non-thermal particles and…
Particle acceleration in relativistic shocks of electron-positron plasmas with proton admixture is investigated through two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The upstream plasma, with a bulk Lorentz factor of $10$ and a…
The interaction of ultra-intense lasers with solid foils can be used to accelerate ions to high energies well exceeding 60 MeV. The non-linear relativistic motion of electrons in the intense laser radiation leads to their acceleration and…
Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that the periodic solid-state structures irradiated by intense ($\sim 10^{19}$ W/cm${}^2$) laser pulses can generate collimated electron bunches with energies up to 30 MeV (and…
Electron and proton acceleration in three-dimensional electric and magnetic fields is studied through test particle simulations. The fields are obtained by a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of magnetic reconnection in slab…
We review recent PIC simulation results which show that double-sided irradiation of a thin over- dense plasma slab by ultra-intense laser pulses from both sides can lead to sustained comoving acceleration of surface electrons to energies…
We discuss the recent developments in the theory of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) by using both first-principle kinetic plasma simulations and analytical theory based on the solution of the convection/diffusion equation. In particular,…
Many current laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) experiments are carried out in a regime where the laser pulse length is on the order of or longer than the wake wavelength and where ionization injection is employed to inject electrons into…
Two charge- and current neutral plasma beams are modelled with a one-dimensional PIC simulation. The beams are uniform and unbounded. The relative speed between both beams is 0.4c. One beam is composed of electrons and protons and one out…
The development of ultra-intense laser-based sources of high energy ions is an important goal, with a variety of potential applications. One of the barriers to achieving this goal is the need to maximize the conversion efficiency from laser…
We use particle-in-magnetohydrodynamics-cells to model particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification in a high Mach, parallel shock in three dimensions and compare the result to 2-D models. This allows us to determine whether 2-D…
Transport of fast electron in overdense plasmas is of key importance in high energy density physics. However, it is challenging to diagnose the fast electron transport in experiments. In this article, we study coherent transition radiation…
Understanding the conditions that enable particle acceleration at non-relativistic collisionless shocks is essential to unveil the origin of cosmic rays. We employ 2D and 3D hybrid simulations (with kinetic ions and fluid electrons) to…