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Compact acceleration of a tightly collimated relativistic electron beam with high charge from a laser-plasma interaction has many unique applications. However, currently the well-known schemes, including laser wakefield acceleration from gases and vacuum laser acceleration from solids, often produce electron beams either with low charge or with large divergence angles. In this work, we report the generation of highly collimated electron beams with a divergence angle of a few degrees, quasi-monoenergetic spectra peaked at the MeV level, and extremely high charge ($\sim$100 nC) via a powerful sub-ps laser pulse interacting with a solid target in grazing incidence. Particle-in-cell simulations illustrate a new direct laser acceleration scenario, in which the self-filamentation is triggered in a large-scale near-critical-density plasma and electron bunches are accelerated periodically and collimated by the ultra-intense electromagnetic field. The energy density of such electron beams in high-Z materials reaches to $\sim10^{12} \mathrm{J/m^{3}}$, making it a promising tool to drive warm or even hot dense matter states., 7 pages, 6 figures

Ionization-induced electron injection in a chirped laser pulse driven wakefield acceleration is investigated through particle-in-cell simulations. We find that negative (positive) chirp can longitudinally stretch (compress) laser pulse, and the wakefield amplitude can be enhanced regardless of the chirp sign. On the other hand, the rapid compression of a positively chirped pulse leads to the decrease of the wakefield potential difference, which breaks the ionization injection condition and consequent injection truncation occurs. The effective injection only lasts for a few hundred micrometers and the detailed injection length is determined by the chirp parameter. As a result, a highly tunable quasi-monoenergetic electron beam with narrow energy spread, hundreds of MeV central energy and tens of pC charge can be stably produced by this scheme.

Mechanisms of fast electron energy deposition in dense magnetized plasma are studied by hybrid particle-in-cell/fluid simulations. It is found that the energy deposition ratio of Ohmic heating and collisional heating can be enhanced significantly as an Al target is presented in a strongly axial magnetic field, attributed to the fast electrons rotating around the axial field. The weight of Ohmic heating is increased with laser intensity during ultraintense laser-driven fast electrons propagating both in magnetized and unmagnetized solid targets, which is the dominant heating mechanism as the laser intensity is greater than 1018 W/cm2 compared to the collisional heating. The degree of the axial magnetic field effect on the fast electron energy deposition mechanisms is dependent on target materials, which is much weaker for low-Z targets, such as CH2. The results here should be helpful for the target designing of fast electron applications.Mechanisms of fast electron energy deposition in dense magnetized plasma are studied by hybrid particle-in-cell/fluid simulations. It is found that the energy deposition ratio of Ohmic heating and collisional heating can be enhanced significantly as an Al target is presented in a strongly axial magnetic field, attributed to the fast electrons rotating around the axial field. The weight of Ohmic heating is increased with laser intensity during ultraintense laser-driven fast electrons propagating both in magnetized and unmagnetized solid targets, which is the dominant heating mechanism as the laser intensity is greater than 1018 W/cm2 compared to the collisional heating. The degree of the axial magnetic field effect on the fast electron energy deposition mechanisms is dependent on target materials, which is much weaker for low-Z targets, such as CH2. The results here should be helpful for the target designing of fast electron applications.

A mechanism of the acceleration and focusing of quasi-monoenergetic proton beams from a thin arched carbon-hydrogen target irradiated by a relativistic-intensity laser pulse is investigated by multi-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. As an intense linearly polarized laser pulse impinges on the thin target, a considerable number of electrons are evacuated, leading to Coulomb explosion in the excess positive charges left behind. Accompanying with the acceleration, the protons are focused ballistically in the Coulomb field, which is mainly contributed by the carbon ions. It is demonstrated that a quasi-monoenergetic proton bunch with the energy-density as high as 1017 J/m3 is produced by using a laser pulse with the intensity of 1021 W/cm2. An analytical model is proposed to predict the proton energy and the focal position, which is fairly consistent with PIC simulations.

An analytical model for energy absorption during the interaction of an ultrashort, ultraintense laser with an overdense plasma is proposed. Both the compression effect of the electron density profile and the oscillation of the electron plasma surface are self-consistently included, which exhibit significant influences on the laser energy absorption. Based on our model, the general scaling law of the compression effect depending on laser strength and initial density is derived, and the temporal variation of the laser absorption due to the boundary oscillating effect is presented. It is found that due to the oscillation of the electron plasma surface, the laser absorption rate will vibrate periodically at $\ensuremath{\omega}$ or 2$\ensuremath{\omega}$ frequency for the $p$-polarized and $s$-polarized laser, respectively. The effect of plasma collision on the laser absorption has also been investigated, which shows a considerable rise in absorption with increasing electron-ion collision frequency for both polarizations.

Generation of relativistic electron (RE) beams during ultraintense laser pulse interaction with plasma targets is studied by collisional particle-in-cell simulations. A strong magnetic field with a transverse scale length of several local plasma skin depths, associated with RE current propagation in the target, is generated by filamentation instability in collisional plasmas, inducing a great enhancement of the divergence of REs compared to that of collisionless cases. Such an effect is increased with laser intensity and target charge state, suggesting that the RE divergence might be improved by using low-Z materials under appropriate laser intensities in future fast ignition experiments and in other applications of laser-driven electron beams.

We propose a new scheme to obtain a compact ultra-bright, high-energy-density γ ray source by ultra-intense laser interaction with a near-critical-density (NCD) plasmas filled gold cone-capillary. By using the particle-in-cell code EPOCH, it is shown that NCD electrons are accelerated by the laser ponderomotive force in the gold cone and emit strong radiation. Considering the effect of large radiation back-reaction force, some electrons are kicked into the laser field. The trapped electrons oscillate significantly in the transverse direction and emit ultra-bright γ ray in the forward direction. By attaching a capillary to the gold cone, the trapped electrons are able to keep oscillating for a long distance and the radiation emission can be significantly enhanced. Three-dimensional simulations show that the total γ photon flux with the photon energy in the range of 3 MeV to 30 MeV is approximately 1013/shot, and the corresponding peak brightness is in the order of 1023 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1%BW. The avera...

Propagation of intense circularly polarized laser pulses in strongly magnetized inhomogeneous plasmas is investigated. It is shown that a left-hand circularly polarized laser pulse propagating up the density gradient of the plasma along the magnetic field is reflected at the left-cutoff density. However, a right-hand circularly polarized laser can penetrate up the density gradient deep into the plasma without cutoff or resonance and turbulently heat the electrons trapped in its wake. Results from particle-in-cell simulations are in good agreement with that from the theory. (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

The radiation trapping effect (RTE) of electrons in the interaction of an ultra-intense laser and a near-critical-density plasma-filled gold cone is numerically investigated by using the particle-in-cell code EPOCH. It is found that, by using the cone, the threshold laser intensity for electron trapping can be significantly decreased. The trapped electrons located behind the laser front and confined near the laser axis oscillate significantly in the transverse direction and emit high-energy photons in the forward direction. With parameters optimized, a narrow photon angular distribution and a high-energy conversion efficiency from the laser to the photons can be obtained. The proposed scheme may offer possibilities to demonstrate the RTE of electrons in experiments at approachable laser intensities and serve as a novel table-top ray source.

By using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we propose a scheme for strong coupling of a petawatt laser with an opening gold cone filled with near-critical-density plasmas. When relevant parameters are properly chosen, most laser energy can be fully deposited inside the cone with only 10% leaving the tip opening. Due to the asymmetric ponderomotive acceleration by the strongly decayed laser pulse, high-energy-density electrons with net laser energy gain are accumulated inside the cone, which then stream out of the tip opening continuously, like a jet. The jet electrons are fully relativistic, with speeds around 0.98−0.998 c and densities at 1020/cm3 level. The jet can keep for a long time over 200 fs, which may have diverse applications in practice.

Transport of fast electrons driven by an ultraintense laser through a tracer layer buried in solid targets is studied by particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that intense resistive magnetic fields, having a magnitude of several thousand Tesla, are generated at the interfaces of the materials due to the steep resistivity gradient between the target and tracer layer. Such magnetic fields can significantly inhibit the fast electron propagation. The electrons that can penetrate the first interface are mostly confined in the buried layer by the magnetic fields and cause heating of the tracer layer. The lateral extent of the heated region can be significantly larger than that of the relativistic electron beam. This finding suggests that the relativistic electron divergence inferred from Kα x-ray emission in experiments might be overestimated.

A relatively simple interfering-pulses-assisted laser wakefield acceleration (IPA-LWFA) scheme is proposed for enhancing the charge of the LWFA electron bunch. Prior to the short intense pump pulse, two long low-intensity auxiliary laser pulses first interact in the plasma and excite a slow electron plasma wave at the beat frequency. The weak but finite-amplitude plasma wave energizes the affected electrons and acts like a slow-moving grating. Particle-in-cell simulations show that electron trapping in the wakefield of the pump laser pulse, which arrives at a later time, can be significantly enhanced. The charge of the IPA-LWFA electron bunch depends mainly on the intensity of the auxiliary pulses and the time delay of the pump laser.