Ion acceleration based on the interaction between high power laser and cluster medium

Fukuda, Yuji; Matsui, Ryutaro*; Iwata, Natsuyo*; Kishimoto, Yasuaki

no journal, , 

In order to investigate the underlying physical mechanism of high power laser interaction with cluster medium, we have performed simulations using EPIC3D (Extended Particle based Integrated Code), which includes key atomic processes and relaxation processes self-consistently in fully relativistic three dimensional configuration, and systematically investigated the interaction processes of medium of carbon clusters embedded in helium gas. We found that the synergetic interplay of different mechanisms such as (1) acceleration of ions due to Coulomb explosion of individual carbon clusters, (2) compression and acceleration of background helium gas due to the Coulomb explosion of clusters, (3) magnetic vortex generation and associated pinching near the rare surface, and (4) sheath acceleration at the interface between the medium and vacuum, could play an important role in realizing the particle acceleration observed in the experiments.