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P Gibbon

Publications and source records attributed to P Gibbon.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Mev X rays and photoneutrons from femtosecond laser-produced plasmas.

We demonstrate a novel method to monitor the total angular distribution of the spectrum of hard x-ray emission from a plasma generated with femtosecond laser pulses with an intensity of 5 x 10(18) W/cm2 on a solid target. Measured and calculated angular distributions of x rays show a pronounced anisotropy for MeV photon energies. We complemented the spectral information by demonstrating a (gamma,n) nuclear reaction with a tabletop laser system.

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Phase modulation of intense ultrashort laser pulses reflected from steep, dense plasmas.

The phase modulation of intense ( I = 10(18) W/cm(2)) ultrashort laser pulses ( tau(p) = 70 fs) after reflection from steep, dense plasmas has been temporally resolved for the first time in particle-in-cell simulations. The position of the turning point from where the pulse reflects has been compared to the phase modulation, over a range of angles of incidence. At normal incidence or s polarization the phase modulation almost exactly represents the movement of the turning point due to the light pressure. As the angle of incidence is increased for p polarization, the simple Fresnel relationship between phase modulation and displacement of the reflection position, Delta phi(t) = -2k(0)Delta x(t)cos theta(0), increasingly breaks down.

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Yield optimization and time structure of femtosecond laser plasma kalpha sources

The generation of femtosecond Kalpha x rays from laser-irradiated plasmas is studied with a view to optimizing photon number and pulse duration. Using analytical and numerical models of hot electron generation and subsequent transport in a range of materials, it is shown that an optimum laser intensity I(opt) = 7x10(9)Z4.4 exists for maximum Kalpha yield. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that bulk targets are unsuitable for generating sub-ps x-ray pulses: instead, design criteria are proposed for achieving Kalpha pulse durations </=100 fs using foils of approximately 2 &mgr;m thickness.

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