Projection imaging with directional electron and proton beams emitted from an ultrashort intense laser-driven thin foil target

Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Choi, I. W.*; Daido, Hiroyuki; Nakamura, Tatsufumi*; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Yogo, Akifumi*; Ogura, Koichi; Sagisaka, Akito; Orimo, Satoshi; Daito, Izuru*; et al.

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 57(2), p.025001_1 - 025001_9, 2015/02

https://doi.org/10.1088/0741-3335/57/2/025001

Projection images of a metal mesh produced by directional MeV electron beam together with directional proton beam, emitted simultaneously from a thin foil target irradiated by an ultrashort intense laser. The mesh patterns are projected to each detector by the electron beam and the proton beam originated from tiny virtual sources of 20 micron meter and 10 micron meter diameters, respectively. Based on the observed quality and magnification of the projection images, we estimate sizes and locations of the virtual sources for both beams and characterize their directionalities. To carry out physical interpretation of the directional electron beam qualitatively, we perform 2D particle-in-cell simulation which reproduces a directional escaping electron component, together with a non-directional dragged-back electron component, the latter mainly contributes to building a sheath electric field for proton acceleration.

Laser-driven proton generation with a thin-foil target

Sagisaka, Akito; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Mori, Michiaki; Yogo, Akifumi; Ogura, Koichi; Orimo, Satoshi; Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Ma, J.*; Kiriyama, Hiromitsu; Kanazawa, Shuhei; et al.

NIFS-PROC-85, p.30 - 33, 2011/02

http://www.nifs.ac.jp/report/nifs-proc85.html

The experiment of proton generation is performed for developing the laser-driven ion source. We observe proton signals in the laser-plasma interaction by using a thin-foil target. To get higher energy protons the size of the preformed plasma is reduced by changing the laser contrast level. In the high-contrast laser pulse case the maximum energy of the protons generated at rear side of the target increases.

Characterization of electron self-injection in laser wake field acceleration due to the parametric resonance

Zhidkov, A.*; Koga, J. K.; Hosokai, Tomonao*; Fujii, Takashi*; Oishi, Yuji*; Nemoto, Koshichi*; Kodama, Ryosuke*

Physics of Plasmas, 17(8), p.083101_1 - 083101_6, 2010/08

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3458669

Ion acceleration using temporally-controlled high-intensity laser pulses

Yogo, Akifumi; Daido, Hiroyuki; Mori, Michiaki; Kiriyama, Hiromitsu; Bulanov, S. V.; Bolton, P. R.; Esirkepov, T. Z.; Ogura, Koichi; Sagisaka, Akito; Orimo, Satoshi; et al.

Reza Kenkyu, 37(6), p.449 - 454, 2009/06

https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/10024748876

The acceleration of protons driven by a high-intensity laser is comprehensively investigated via control of the target density by using ASE just before the time of the main-laser interaction. Two cases were investigated for which the ASE intensity differed by three orders of magnitude: In the low contrast case the beam centre for higher energy protons is shifted closer to the laser-propagation direction of 45, while the center of lower-energy beam remains near the target normal direction. Particle-in-cell simulations reveal that the characteristic proton acceleration is due to the quasistatic magnetic field on the target rear side with the magnetic pressure sustaining a charge separation electrostatic field.

Application of laser-accelerated protons to the demonstration of DNA double-strand breaks in human cancer cells

Yogo, Akifumi; Sato, Katsutoshi; Nishikino, Masaharu; Mori, Michiaki; Teshima, Teruki*; Numasaki, Hodaka*; Murakami, Masao*; Demizu, Yusuke*; Akagi, Takashi*; Nagayama, Shinichi*; et al.

Applied Physics Letters, 94(18), p.181502_1 - 181502_3, 2009/05

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3126452

Simultaneous generation of UV harmonics and protons from a thin-foil target with a high-intensity laser

Sagisaka, Akito; Daido, Hiroyuki; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Ma, J.-L.; Yogo, Akifumi; Ogura, Koichi; Orimo, Satoshi; Mori, Michiaki; Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Kawachi, Tetsuya; et al.

IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 36(4), p.1812 - 1816, 2008/08

https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2008.2000897

We observe UV harmonics and protons with a thin-foil target irradiated with a high-intensity Ti:sapphire laser. The laser intensity dependency of UV harmonics and proton signal is measured by varying the distance between the target surface and the best focus of the laser beam. In the case of appropriate condition for proton generation with a maximum energy of 2.7 MeV, the weak broad spectrum in the UV region is generated. The UV harmonics up to fourth-order are generated as the target is moved away from the best focus position. In this condition the maximum energy of protons is reduced to 1 MeV.

Laser ion acceleration via control of the near-critical density target

Yogo, Akifumi; Daido, Hiroyuki; Bulanov, S. V.; Nemoto, Koshichi*; Oishi, Yuji*; Nayuki, Takuya*; Fujii, Takashi*; Ogura, Koichi; Orimo, Satoshi; Sagisaka, Akito; et al.

Physical Review E, 77(1), p.016401_1 - 016401_6, 2008/01

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.77.016401

The duration-controlled amplified spontaneous emission with intensity of W/cm is used to convert a 7.5 m thick polyimide foil into a near-critical plasma, in which the -polarized, 45 fs, W/cm laser pulse generates 3.8 MeV protons, emitted at some angle between the target normal and the laser propagation direction of 45. Particle-in-cell simulations reveal that the efficient proton acceleration is due to generation of the quasistatic magnetic field on the target rear side with the magnetic pressure inducing and sustaining a charge separation electrostatic field.

Protons and electrons generated from a 5-m thick copper tape target irradiated by s-, circularly-, and p-polarized 55-fs laser pulses

Li, Z.*; Daido, Hiroyuki; Fukumi, Atsushi*; Bulanov, S. V.; Sagisaka, Akito; Ogura, Koichi; Yogo, Akifumi; Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Orimo, Satoshi; Mori, Michiaki; et al.

Physics Letters A, 369(5-6), p.483 - 487, 2007/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2007.05.010

The energy spectra of energetic protons emitted in the normal direction from a 5-m thick copper tape irradiated by p-, circularly-, and s-polarized 55-fs laser pulses with intensity of 8-910W/cm are measured together with the angular distribution and energy spectra of hot electrons by the target normal direction. The protons with energy up to 1.34 MeV in the rear target normal direction and hot electrons in the laser propagation direction are found. The characters of protons and electrons driven by the circularly-polarized irradiation are close to that driven by the p-polarized one, which is much different from the case at laser intensity of 2-310W/cm.

Laser prepulse dependency of proton-energy distributions in ultraintense laser-foil interactions with an online time-of-flight technique

Yogo, Akifumi; Daido, Hiroyuki; Fukumi, Atsushi*; Li, Z.*; Ogura, Koichi; Sagisaka, Akito; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Nakamura, Shu*; Iwashita, Yoshihisa*; Shirai, Toshiyuki*; et al.

Physics of Plasmas, 14(4), p.043104_1 - 043104_6, 2007/04

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2721066

Fast protons are observed by a newly-developed time-of-flight spectrometer, which provides proton-energy distributions immediately after the irradiation of a laser pulse having an intensity of W/cm onto a 5-m-thick copper foil. The maximum proton energy is found to increase when the intensity of a fs-prepulse arriving 9 ns before the main pulse increases from 10 to 10 W/cm. Interferometric measurement indicates that the preformed-plasma expansion at the front surface is smaller than 15 m, which corresponds to the spatial resolution of the diagnostics. This sharp gradient of the plasma makes a beneficial effect on increasing the absorption efficiency of the main-pulse energy, resulting in the increase in the proton energy. This is supported by the result that the X-ray intensity from the laser plasma clearly increases with the prepulse intensity.

Development of laser driven proton sources and their applications

Daido, Hiroyuki; Sagisaka, Akito; Ogura, Koichi; Orimo, Satoshi; Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Mori, Michiaki; Ma, J.-L.; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Kiriyama, Hiromitsu; Kanazawa, Shuhei; et al.

Proceedings of 7th Pacific Rim Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO-PR 2007) (CD-ROM), p.77 - 79, 2007/00

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4391143

We are developing a proton accelerator using an intense lasers with a focused intensity of 10 W/cm. To monitor proton energy spectra as well as plasma parameters at each laser shot, we are using real time detectors. The proton energy of MeV is stably obtained for applications.