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J Meyer-Ter-Vehn

Publications and source records attributed to J Meyer-Ter-Vehn.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Influence of the laser prepulse on proton acceleration in thin-foil experiments.

We investigate the influence of the laser prepulse due to amplified spontaneous emission on the acceleration of protons in thin-foil experiments. We show that changing the prepulse duration has a profound effect on the maximum proton energy. We find an optimal value for the target thickness, which strongly depends on the prepulse duration. At this optimal thickness, the rear side acceleration process leads to the highest proton energies, while this mechanism is rendered ineffective for thinner targets due to a prepulse-induced plasma formation at the rear side. In this case, the protons are primarily accelerated by the front side mechanism leading to lower cutoff energies.

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PubMed2002

Stochastic heating and acceleration of electrons in colliding laser fields in plasma.

We propose a mechanism that leads to efficient acceleration of electrons in plasma by two counterpropagating laser pulses. It is triggered by stochastic motion of electrons when the laser fields exceed some threshold amplitudes, as found in single-electron dynamics. It is further confirmed in particle-in-cell simulations. In vacuum or tenuous plasma, electron acceleration in the case with two colliding laser pulses can be much more efficient than with one laser pulse only. In plasma at moderate densities, such as a few percent of the critical density, the amplitude of the Raman-backscattered wave is high enough to serve as the second counterpropagating pulse to trigger the electron stochastic motion. As a result, even with one intense laser pulse only, electrons can be heated up to a temperature much higher than the corresponding laser ponderomotive potential.

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PubMed2001

Pair and gamma-photon production from a thin foil confined by two laser pulses.

Electron-positron and gamma-photon production by high-intensity laser pulses is investigated for a special target geometry, in which two pulses irradiate a very thin foil (10-100 nm < skin depth) with same intensity from opposite sides. A stationary solution is derived describing foil compression between the two pulses. Circular polarization is chosen such that all electrons and positrons rotate in the plane of the foil. We discuss the laser and target parameters required in order to optimize the gamma photon and pair production rate. We find a gamma-photon intensity of 7x10(27)/sr s and a positron density of 5x10(22)/cm(3) when using two 330 fs, 7x10(21) W/cm(2) laser pulses.

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PubMed2000

Hydrodynamic simulation of subpicosecond laser interaction with solid-density matter

The interaction of ultrashort subpicosecond laser pulses with initially cold and solid matter is investigated in a wide intensity range (10(11) to 10(17) W/cm(2)) by means of the hydrodynamic code MULTI-FS, which is an extension of the long pulse version of MULTI [R. Ramis, R. Schmalz, and J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Comput. Phys. Commun. 49, 475 (1988)]. Essential modifications for the treatment of ultrashort pulses are the solution of Maxwell's equations in a steep gradient plasma, consideration of the nonequilibrium between electrons and ions, and a model for the electrical and thermal conductivity covering the wide range from the solid state to the high temperature plasma. The simulations are compared with several absorption measurements performed with aluminum targets at normal and oblique incidence. Good agreement is obtained by an appropriate choice of the electron-ion energy exchange time (characterized by 10 to 20 ps in cold solid Al). In addition we discuss the intensity scaling of the temperature, of the pressure, and of the density, where the laser energy is deposited in the expanding plasma, as well as the propagation of the heat wave and the shock wave into the solid. For laser pulse durations >/=150 fs considered in this paper the amount of isochorically heated matter at solid density is determined by the depth of the electron heat wave in the whole intensity range.

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PubMed1999

Generation of periodic accelerating structures in plasma by colliding laser pulses.

A mechanism for generating large (>1 GeV/m) accelerating wakes in a plasma is proposed. Two slightly detuned counterpropagating laser beams, an ultrashort timing pulse and a long pump, exchange photons and deposit the recoil momentum in plasma electrons. This produces a localized region of electron current, which acts as a virtual electron beam, inducing intense plasma wakes with phase velocity equal to the group velocity of the short pulse. Modulating the pumping beam generates periodic accelerating structures in the plasma ("plasma linac") which can be used for particle acceleration unlimited by the dephasing between the particles and the wake. An important difference between this type of plasma accelerator and the conventional wakefield accelerators is that this type can be achieved with laser intensities I<<10(18) W/cm(2).

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