|
Guest >> Sign In |
|
|
DIRECTED
ENERGY
PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETY
Abstract: 24-Symp-101
|
|
|
|
UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE
High energy few-cycle laser pulse generation for relativistic laser-nanostructure interactions
Interactions between ultra-high intensity laser pulses and nanostructures in the relativistic regime can produce high energy electrons and ions, bright x-ray flashes, and pulses of quasi-monoenergetic neutrons [1]. Beyond an interest in the study of the plasmas produced in the interaction, these secondary sources have their own applications including x-ray radiography/tomography and proton imaging. Currently, most ultra-high intensity lasers are limited in their pulse durations to around 20-30fs (several cycles of the electric field). An ultra-high intensity laser with a few-cycle pulse duration (<5fs) is under developments at Colorado State University. To achieve these ultra-short pulses, a TW level CPA laser is spectrally broadened in a gas filled hollow-core fiber and then recompressed before final focusing. This laser will be used to irradiate nanostructured targets (metal and plastic nanowires) to explore a new regime of laser-nanostructure interactions. Particle-in-cell simulations for this few-cycle pulse regime predict new interaction dynamics, including the acceleration of nano-bunches of electrons with energies significantly higher than previously obtained using longer pulses. The decrease in pulse duration allows for extreme intensities (>10^19 W/cm2) using only modest pulse energies. This in turn decreases the thermal load on the system, allowing for higher repetition rates and potentially paving the way to kHz laser-nanostructure interaction experiments and wide-spread applications.
[1] J. J. Rocca, M. G. Capeluto, R. C. Hollinger, S. Wang, Y. Wang, G. R. Kumar, A. D. Lad, A. Pukhov, and V. N. Shlyaptsev, “Ultra-intense femtosecond laser interactions with aligned nanostructures,” Optica, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 437-453 (2024).
Work supported by the DoD Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, ONR award N000142012842
UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE
|