Simulations of short pulses laser interaction with targets having a submicron surface structure: energy absorption and ion acceleration

摘要

Interaction of an ultra-short intense laser pulses with thin foil targets is accompanied by acceleration of ions from the target surface. To make this ion source suitable for applications, it is of particular importance to increase the efficiency of laser energy transformation into accelerated ions and the maximum ion energy. This can be achieved by using thin foil target with a layer of microscopic spheres on the front, laser irradiated surface. The influence of microscopic structure on the target surface on the laser target interaction and subsequent ion acceleration is studied here using numerical simulations. The influence of the size of microspheres, the density profile and the laser pulse incidence angle are studied as well.