Integrated LSP Modeling of Fast-electron Production and Transport in a Wire Target

ORAL

Abstract

Integrated simulations using the implicit PIC code LSP$^{\# }$ have been performed to study the production of relativistic electrons from ultra-intense (I $\sim $ 7 x 10$^{19}$ W/cm$^{2})$ sub-picosecond laser solid interactions including a preformed plasma and the transport of such beam in a thin (50 $\mu $m in diameter), 100's $\mu $m long wire target. Our 3D simulations show that greater than 40{\%} of laser energy is transferred to fast electrons whose energy spectrum can be fitted to a two-temperature Maxwellian distribution. The fast electrons have a typical propagation length of about 100 $\mu $m inside the wire target. A very small fraction of the fast electrons is confined in the wire target surface by strong electric and magnetic fields and these electrons have a much longer range. The simulation results agree well with recent Titan wire experiments [1], as well as with other collisional PIC modeling. \newline [1] F. N. Beg, Invited talk, 9th International Fast Ignition Workshop, Cambridge, MA, Nov. 3-5, 2006; J. Pasley et al., to be submitted to Phys. of Plasmas. $^{\# }$LSP is a software product of ATK Mission Research.

*This work is supported by USDOE under DE-FC02-04ER54789, DE-FG02-05ER54834, and DE-FG03-00ER54606. This work is also partially supported by the NCSA under TG-PHY050034T, TG-PHY060020T.

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Authors

  • M. Wei

    • UCSD

  • J. Pasley

    • UCSD
    • Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA

  • F.N. Beg

    • UCSD
    • Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego
    • U.C. San Diego, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, La Jolla CA
    • University of California-San Diego
    • Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego
    • Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA

  • R.B. Stephens

    • General Atomics
    • General Atomics, San Diego, CA

  • D.R. Welch

    • Voss Scientific
    • Voss Scientific, LLC
    • Voss Scientific, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA