English

A method to achieve rapid localised deep heating in a laser irradiated solid density target

Plasma Physics 2016-10-12 v1

Abstract

Rapid heating of small buried regions by laser generated fast electrons may be useful for applications such as XUV radiation sources or as drivers for shock experiments. In non-structured targets the heating profile possesses a global maximum near the front surface. This paper presents a new target design that uses resistive guiding to concentrate the fast electron current density at a finite depth inside the target. The choice of geometry uses principles of non-imaging optics. A global temperature maximum at depths up to 50{\mu}m into the target is achieved. Although theoretical calculations suggest that small source sizes should perform better than large ones, simulations show that a large angular spread at high intensities results in significant losses of the fast electrons to the sides. A systematic parameter scan suggests an optimal laser intensity. A ratio of 1.6 is demonstrated between the maximum ion temperature and the ion temperature at the front surface.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1601.08101,
  title  = {A method to achieve rapid localised deep heating in a laser irradiated solid density target},
  author = {Holger Schmitz and Alex P. L. Robinson},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1601.08101},
  year   = {2016}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-22T12:39:19.284Z