Biomedical subjects

F S Tsung

Publications and source records attributed to F S Tsung.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Laser-wakefield acceleration of monoenergetic electron beams in the first plasma-wave period.

Beam profile measurements of laser-wakefield accelerated electron bunches reveal that in the monoenergetic regime the electrons are injected and accelerated at the back of the first period of the plasma wave. With pulse durations ctau >or= lambda(p), we observe an elliptical beam profile with the axis of the ellipse parallel to the axis of the laser polarization. This increase in divergence in the laser polarization direction indicates that the electrons are accelerated within the laser pulse. Reducing the plasma density (decreasing ctau/lambda(p)) leads to a beam profile with less ellipticity, implying that the self-injection occurs at the rear of the first period of the plasma wave. This also demonstrates that the electron bunches are less than a plasma wavelength long, i.e., have a duration <25 fs. This interpretation is supported by 3D particle-in-cell simulations.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Space-charge effects in the current-filamentation or Weibel instability.

We consider how an unmagnetized plasma responds to an incoming flux of energetic electrons. We assume a return current is present and allow for the incoming electrons to have a different transverse temperature than the return current. To analyze this configuration we present a nonrelativistic theory of the current-filamentation or Weibel instability for rigorously current-neutral and nonseparable distribution functions, f(0)(p(x), p(y), p(z)) is not equal to f(x)(p(x))f(y)(p(y))f(z)(p(z)). We find that such distribution functions lead to lower growth rates because of space-charge forces that arise when the forward-going electrons pinch to a lesser degree than the colder, backward-flowing electrons. We verify the growth rate, range of unstable wave numbers, and the formation of the density filaments using particle-in-cell simulations.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Global simulation for laser-driven MeV electrons in fast ignition.

A comprehensive examination of the interaction of a picosecond-long ignition pulse on high-density (40 times critical density) pellets using a two-dimensional particle-in-cell model is described. The global geometry consists of a 50 mum diameter pellet surrounded by a corona which is isolated by a vacuum region from the boundary. For cone-attached targets, as much as 67% of the incident laser energy is absorbed with 12% sent forward as fast electrons in a 23 degrees cone. The current filaments are driven by the Weibel instability of the forward-going fast electron flux and its return current with the ions playing an important role of neutralizing the space charge. No global current filament coalescence has been observed. The electron distribution function obeys a power law, which begins at E approximately 0.2 MeV and falls off as E-(2-3).

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Near-GeV-energy laser-wakefield acceleration of self-injected electrons in a centimeter-scale plasma channel.

The first three-dimensional, particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of laser-wakefield acceleration of self-injected electrons in a 0.84 cm long plasma channel are reported. The frequency evolution of the initially 50 fs (FWHM) long laser pulse by photon interaction with the wake followed by plasma dispersion enhances the wake which eventually leads to self-injection of electrons from the channel wall. This first bunch of electrons remains spatially highly localized. Its phase space rotation due to slippage with respect to the wake leads to a monoenergetic bunch of electrons with a central energy of 0.26 GeV after 0.55 cm propagation. At later times, spatial bunching of the laser enhances the acceleration of a second bunch of electrons to energies up to 0.84 GeV before the laser pulse intensity is significantly reduced.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Monoenergetic beams of relativistic electrons from intense laser-plasma interactions.

High-power lasers that fit into a university-scale laboratory can now reach focused intensities of more than 10(19) W cm(-2) at high repetition rates. Such lasers are capable of producing beams of energetic electrons, protons and gamma-rays. Relativistic electrons are generated through the breaking of large-amplitude relativistic plasma waves created in the wake of the laser pulse as it propagates through a plasma, or through a direct interaction between the laser field and the electrons in the plasma. However, the electron beams produced from previous laser-plasma experiments have a large energy spread, limiting their use for potential applications. Here we report high-resolution energy measurements of the electron beams produced from intense laser-plasma interactions, showing that--under particular plasma conditions--it is possible to generate beams of relativistic electrons with low divergence and a small energy spread (less than three per cent). The monoenergetic features were observed in the electron energy spectrum for plasma densities just above a threshold required for breaking of the plasma wave. These features were observed consistently in the electron spectrum, although the energy of the beam was observed to vary from shot to shot. If the issue of energy reproducibility can be addressed, it should be possible to generate ultrashort monoenergetic electron bunches of tunable energy, holding great promise for the future development of 'table-top' particle accelerators.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Dynamics of a supersonic plume moving along a magnetized plasma.

A particle-in-cell code is used to investigate the evolution of a density plume moving through a background plasma with supersonic speed directed along the confinement magnetic field. For scale lengths representative of laboratory and auroral phenomena, the major nonlinear effects identified by the present simulations are the formation of a bipolar current system from the ballistic electrons, the appearance of transient potential layers, and the carving of deep density cavities. A 3D magnetic topology is generated by the self-consistent ballistic and diamagnetic currents that accompany highly localized potential layers.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Generation of ultra-intense single-cycle laser pulses by using photon deceleration.

A scheme to generate single-cycle laser pulses is presented based on photon deceleration in underdense plasmas. This robust and tunable process is ideally suited for lasers above critical power because it takes advantage of the relativistic self-focusing of these lasers and the nonlinear features of the plasma wake. The mechanism is demonstrated by particle-in-cell simulations in three and 2(1/2) dimensions, resulting in pulse shortening up to a factor of 4, thus making it feasible to generate few-femtosecond single-cycle pulses in the optical to IR domain with intensities I > 10(20) W/cm(2) by using present-day laser technology.

Lasers↗

PubMed1995

Learning in recurrent finite difference networks.

A recurrent learning algorithm based on a finite difference discretization of continuous equations for neural networks is derived. This algorithm has the simplicity of discrete algorithms while retaining some essential characteristics of the continuous equations. In discrete networks learning smooth oscillations is difficult if the period of oscillation is too large. The network either grossly distorts the waveforms or is unable to learn at all. We show how the finite difference formulation can explain and overcome this problem. Formulas for learning time constants and time delays in this framework are also presented.

Algorithms↗