Proton acceleration due to Coulomb explosion and the RPDA of a target

Morita, Toshimasa; Bulanov, S. V.; Koga, J. K.

We study the conditions for generating higher energy protons with a lower power and energy laser. The simulations were performed with a 3D electromagnetic code, based on the PIC method. A laser pulse with a power of 620 TW, energy of 18J and peak intensity of 510W/cm, irradiates a disk target. The higher energy protons can be obtained by using a "light" material for the first layer. As a result of this, a strong Coulomb explosion occurs and movement of the first layer occurs by RPDA (Radiation Pressure Dominant Acceleration). By using a hydrogen disk target, we obtain a proton beam with an energy of 200 MeV and an energy spread of 2.3% by cutting the proton cloud.