Comparison of Measured and Simulated Properties of Laser-Driven Ion Beams

This presentation expands on the results in the talk by Palaniyappan et al. Multiple laser-driven ion acceleration mechanisms have been studied in a series of experiments at the Trident laser facility, enabled by a variety of laser targets, ranging from nanofoil targets of different materials to foams that provide near-critical-density plasmas. These experiments have been extensively diagnosed with many instruments and techniques, including ion spectrometers, electron spectrometers, frequency-resolved optical gating of the reflected and transmitted laser beams, and a transmitted-laser-beam profiler. Ion acceleration has been observed in both the regimes where the laser plasma remains opaque and where it becomes transparent. In some cases a measure of ion-spectral control has been demonstrated, beyond the typical Maxwellian ion distribution. In this presentation, initial simulations of these experiments are compared with spectrally and angularly resolved ion-beam characterization measurements.