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Harnessing the relativistic Buneman instability for laser-ion acceleration in the transparency regime

Authors :
D. J. Stark
Lin Yin
Brian J. Albright
Source :
Physics of Plasmas. 25:062107
Publication Year :
2018
Publisher :
AIP Publishing, 2018.

Abstract

We examine the relativistic Buneman instability in systems relevant to high-intensity laser-plasma interactions under conditions of relativistically-induced transparency, as this instability can generate large-amplitude electrostatic waves at low frequencies that are pertinent to ion dynamics in these systems. Ion flows are shown to significantly alter the range of unstable wave numbers and to increase the phase velocities of the unstable modes; we particularly highlight the relativistic effects from both the ion and electron (with transverse motion) populations. These findings are related to the mode structure seen in particle-in-cell simulation results of a short-pulse laser breaking through an initially opaque target with the onset of relativistic transparency. Additionally, driving mechanisms from free energy present in density and velocity gradients are shown to be capable of significantly enhancing the growth rates, and these instabilities furthermore extend the breadth of the unstable wave number range. Lastly, we discuss how the transverse self-generated magnetic fields characteristic of short-pulse interactions can potentially constrain the unstable wave numbers in a non-trivial manner.

Details

ISSN :
10897674 and 1070664X
Volume :
25
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Physics of Plasmas
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........eef83788685810b0dc514b6c212ed6d1
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5028128