We review a number of instruments employed in a high-intensity J-KAREN-P laser-solid interaction experiment and discuss the applicability of the diagnostics to the best target position determination with a ~10 μm accuracy, while the focal spot size was ~1 μm and peak intensity was up to 7×1021 W/cm2. We discuss both front- and back-side diagnostics, some of them operated in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet ranges, while others in the extreme ultraviolet, soft X-ray and gamma-ray ranges. We found that the applicability of some of the instruments to the best at-focus target position determination depends on the thickness of the target.
The reflection of a laser pulse by a relativistic-moving mirror is one of the fundamental problems encountered in highpower laser and plasma interactions. It is well known that a laser pulse reflected by a relativistic-flying mirror experiences the intensification, frequency up-shift, and shortening of pulse duration. Thus, it is of fundamental interest to have a mathematical solution expressing the intensity distribution of a laser pulse reflected by a relativistic-flying parabolic mirror. In this paper, we present analytical and mathematical formulae describing the electromagnetic field of a laser pulse reflected and focused by the relativistic-flying parabolic mirror.
A novel regime of high frequency radiation generation via reflection at the electron density spikes in under- dense plasma is proposed. Intense driver laser pulse propagating in underdense plasma forms dense electron singularities near the front part of the bow waves, moving at relativistic velocity. By irradiating a source pulse counterpropagating to the electron density singularities, it is reflected and compressed, producing ultrashort coherent high order harmonics with frequency upshift.
We report on the J-KAREN-P laser facility at QST, which can provide PW peak power at 0.1 Hz on target. The system
can deliver short pulses with an energy of 30 J and pulse duration of 30 fs after compression with a contrast level of
better than 1012. Such performance in high field science will give rise to the birth of new applications and breakthroughs,
which include relativistic particle acceleration, bright x-ray source generation, and nuclear activation. The current
achieved laser intensity on target is up to > 9x1021 Wcm-2 with an energy of ~9 J on target. The interaction with a 3 to 5-
μm stainless steel tape target provides us electrons with a typical temperature of more than 10 MeV and energetic proton
beams with typical maximum energies of > 40 MeV with good reproducibility. The protons are accelerated in the Target
Normal Sheath Acceleration regime, which is suitable for many applications including as an injector into a beamline for
medical use, which is one of our objectives.
Following three different types of high power lasers at Kansai Photon Science Institute are overviewed and controlling
the laser damages in these laser systems are described: (1) PW-class Ti:sapphire laser for high field science, (2) zig-zag
slab Nd:glass laser for x-ray laser pumping, and (3) high-repetition Yb:YAG thin-slab laser for THz generation. Also
reported is the use of plasma mirror for characterization of short-wavelength ultrashort laser pulses. This new method
will be useful to study evolution of plasma formation which leads to laser damages.
High-order harmonic generation of high intensity ultra-short laser pulses by means of laser produced plasmas are discussed. Since with plasma targets there is no limitation on applicable laser intensity the generated harmonics can be substantially intense. Recent results of experiments and computer simulations on the high-order harmonic generation are briefly reviewed. Main attention is paid to the analysis of basic mechanisms of high-order harmonic generation from overdense and underdense plasma targets irradiated by relativistically intense laser pulses.
Experimental demonstration of multi-charged heavy ion acceleration from the interaction between the ultra-intense short pulse laser system and the metal target is presented. The laser pulse of <10 J laser energy, 36 fs pulse width, and the contrast level of ~1010 from 200 TW class Ti:sapphire J-KAREN laser system at JAEA is used in the experiment. Almost fully stripped Fe ions accelerated up to 0.9 GeV are demonstrated. This is achieved by the high intensity laser field of ∼ 1021Wcm−2 interacting with the solid density target. The demonstrated iron ions with high charge to mass ratio (Q/M) is difficult to be achieved by the conventional heavy ion source technique in the accelerators.
Metallic sodium (Na) was proposed as a transparent material in the vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) spectral range in 1930s
and in 1960s. However no clear transmission has ever been demonstrated. In this paper we describe firstly the direct
measurement of actual transmittance of a sodium samples in a spectral range longer than 115 nm which corresponds to
the shortest transmission wavelength of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) windows, resulting in several tens of %
transmittance of a 3 mm-thick solid sodium sample including MgF2 windows at the wavelength of ~120 nm. We also
find very weak temperature dependency of the transmittance up to 150 degrees centigrade where the solid sample is
melted at 97 degrees. The measured transmittance pushes us to make a simple imaging experiment illuminated by the
VUV light through a 2-mm thick sodium sample, resulting in obtaining a clear image composed of 100 μm diameter
tungsten mesh recorded on a two dimensional Charge Coupled Device detector. The result also opens a way to construct
an optical imaging device for objects inside or through a solid or a liquid sodium medium. According to the present
experiment, we can make a continuous real time transmission imaging for a liquid sodium sample if we use proper
optical setup including an intense continuous VUV source or high repetition rated intense coherent source for
holographic data acquisition. Such an experiment opens up a way to perform transmission imaging through or inside a
sodium medium for characterization of hydrodynamic and material properties.
We demonstrate a new ion diagnosis method for high energy ions by utilizing a combination of a single CR-39 detector and plastic plates, which enables to detect high energy ions beyond the detection threshold limit of the CR-39. This detection method coupled with a magnetic spectrometer is applied to identify high energy ions of 50 MeV per nucleon in laser-driven ion acceleration experiments using cluster-gas targets.
We present experimental results, theory, and simulations demonstrating two novel sources of coherent X-ray radiation
generated in the relativistic laser (>1018W/cm2) interaction with easily accessible, repetitive, and debris-free gas jet
targets. The first source is based on a relativistic mirror reflecting a counter-propagating laser pulse. A strongly nonlinear
breaking wake wave driven by an intense laser pulse can act as a semi-transparent relativistic flying mirror. Such a
mirror directly converts counter-propagating laser light into a high-frequency (XUV or X-ray) ultrashort pulse due to the
double Doppler effect. In the experimental demonstration with the 9 TW J-KAREN laser, the flying mirror generated in
a He gas jet partially reflected a 1 TW pulse, providing up to ~1010 photons, 60 nJ (~1012 photons/sr) in the XUV range
(12.8-22 nm). The second source is demonstrated with the laser power ranging from 9 to 170 TW in experiments with
the J-KAREN and Astra Gemini lasers. The odd and even order harmonics generated by linearly as well as circularly
polarized pulses are emitted forward out of the gas jet. The 120 TW laser pulses produce harmonics with ~3×1013photons/sr (~600 μJ/sr) in the 120±5 eV spectral range. The observed harmonics cannot be explained by previously
known mechanisms (atomic harmonics, betatron radiation, nonlinear Thomson scattering, etc.). We introduce a novel
mechanism of harmonic generation based on the relativistic laser-plasma phenomena (self-focusing, cavity evacuation,
bow wave generation), mathematical catastrophe theory which explains the formation of structurally stable electron
density singularities, spikes, and collective radiation of a compact charge driven by a relativistic laser.
The critical electric field of quantum electrodynamics, called also the Schwinger field, is so strong that it produces
electron-positron pairs from vacuum, converting the energy of light into matter. Since the dawn of quantum
electrodynamics, there has been a dream on how to reach it on Earth. With the rise of laser technology this field has
become feasible through the construction of extremely high power lasers or/and with the sophisticated use of nonlinear
processes in relativistic plasmas. This is one of the most attractive motivations for extremely high power laser
development, i.e. producing matter from vacuum by pure light in fundamental process of quantum electrodynamics in
the nonperturbative regime. Recently it has been realized that a laser with intensity well below the Schwinger limit can
create an avalanche of electron-positron pairs similar to a discharge before attaining the Schwinger field. It has also been
realized that the Schwinger limit can be reached using an appropriate configuration of laser beams. In experiments on
the collision of laser light and high intensity electromagnetic pulses generated by relativistic flying mirrors, with
electron bunches produced by a conventional accelerator and with laser wake field accelerated electrons the studying of
extreme field limits in the nonlinear interaction of electromagnetic waves is proposed. The regimes of dominant
radiation reaction, which completely changes the electromagnetic wave-matter interaction, will be revealed. This will
result in a new powerful source of high brightness gamma-rays. A possibility of the demonstration of the electronpositron
pair creation in vacuum via multi-photon processes can be realized. This will allow modeling under terrestrial
laboratory conditions neutron star magnetospheres, cosmological gamma ray bursts and the Leptonic Era of the
Universe.
M. Nishiuchi, K. Ogura, A. Pirozhkov, T. Tanimoto, A. Yogo, H. Sakaki, T. Hori, Y. Fukuda, M. Kanasaki, A. Sagisaka, M. Tampo, H. Kiriyama, T. Shimomura, K. Kondo, S. Kawanishi, C. Brenner, D. Neely
KEYWORDS: Aluminum, Laser systems engineering, Skin, Laser therapeutics, Electrons, Ions, Medical laser equipment, Laser applications, Particles, Current controlled current source
This paper presents the experimental investigation of laser-driven proton acceleration using a table top Ti:Sapphire laser system interacting with the thin-foil targets during the course of medical
application of the laser-driven proton beam.
The proton beam with maximum energy of upto 14~MeV is generated in 60 TW mode.
The number of protons at ~10 MeV is estimated to be over 105 proton/sr/MeV/shot with
beam having half divergence angle of 5~degree.
If 10 Hz operation is assumed 2 Gy dose is possible to irradiate during 10 min onto a ~1 mm tumor just under the skin.
In contrast to the previous condition of our apparatus with which we
demonstrated the DNA double-strand breaking by irradiating the laser-driven proton beam onto the
human cancer cells in-vitro test,
the result reported here has significant meaning in the sense that
pre-clinical in-vivo test can be started by irradiating the laser-driven proton beam
onto the skin of the mouse, which is unavoidable step before the real radiation therapy.
A. Pirozhkov, M. Mori, A. Yogo, H. Kiriyama, K. Ogura, A. Sagisaka, J.-L. Ma, S. Orimo, M. Nishiuchi, H. Sugiyama, T. Zh. Esirkepov, S. Bulanov, H. Okada, S. Kondo, S. Kanazawa, Y. Nakai, A. Akutsu, T. Motomura, M. Tanoue, T. Shimomura, M. Ikegami, T. Shirai, Y. Iwashita, A. Noda, I. W. Choi, S. Lee, J. Lee, Y. Oishi, T. Kimura, T. Tajima, H. Daido
We describe results of experiments on laser-driven proton acceleration and corresponding laser-plasma diagnostics
performed with the multi-10-TW J-KAREN laser. The laser consists of a high-pulse-energy oscillator, saturable
absorber, stretcher, Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplifier (OPCPA), two 4-pass Ti:Sapphire amplifiers, and
compressor. The final amplifier is cryogenically cooled down to 100 K to avoid thermal lensing. The laser provides ~30
fs, ~ 1 J, high-contrast pulses with the nanosecond contrast better than 1010. The peak intensity is 1020 W/cm2 with the 3-
4 μm focal spot. Using few-μm tape and sub-μm ribbon targets we produced protons with the energies up to 4 MeV. The
tape target and repetitive laser operation allowed achieving proton acceleration at 1 Hz. We found significant differences
in stability and angular distribution of proton beam in high-contrast and normal-contrast modes. The plasma diagnostics
included interferometry and measurement of the target reflectivity. The latter provides convenient diagnostics of the laser
contrast in the ion acceleration, harmonics generation, and other laser - solid target interaction experiments.
Electromagnetic wave generation in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and infrared (IR) wavelength range occurs
during the interaction of intense short laser pulses with underdense plasmas. XUV pulses are generated through
laser light reflection from relativistically moving electron dense shells (flying mirrors). A proof-of-principle and
an advanced experiment on flying mirrors are presented. Both of the experiments demonstrated light reflection
and frequency upshift to the XUV wavelength range (14-20 nm). The advanced experiment with a head-on
collision of two laser pulses exhibited the high reflected photon number. IR radiation, which is observed in the
forward direction, has the wavelength of 5 μm and dominantly the same polarization as the driving laser. The
source of the IR radiation is attributed to emission from relativistic solitons formed in the underdense plasma.
An ultra-bright high-power X-ray and γ-ray source is proposed. A relativistic flying mirror reflects a counterpropagating
electromagnetic radiation causing its frequency multiplication and intensification, while the role of
the mirror is played by a solid-density thin plasma slab accelerating in the radiation pressure dominant regime.
Frequencies of high harmonics generated at the flying mirror by a relativistically strong counter-propagating
radiation undergo multiplication with the same factor as the fundamental frequency of the reflected radiation,
approximately equal to the quadruple of the square of the mirror Lorentz factor. The theory of the reflectivity
of a moving thin plasma slab is presented.
We report measurements of the reflection spectra of (i) concave (spherical and parabolic) Mo/Si, Mg/Si, and Al/Zr
multilayer mirrors (MMs) intended for imaging solar spectroscopy in the framework of the TESIS/CORONAS-FOTON
Satellite Project and of (ii) an aperiodic Mo/Si MM optimized for maximum uniform reflectivity in the 125-250 Å range
intended for laboratory applications. The reflection spectra were measured in the configuration of a transmission grating
spectrometer employing the radiation of a tungsten laser-driven plasma as the source. The function of detectors was
fulfilled by backside-illuminated CCDs coated with Al or Zr/Si multilayer absorption filters. High-intensity second-order
interference reflection peaks at wavelengths of about 160 Å were revealed in the reflection spectra of the 304-Å Mo/Si
MMs. By contrast, the second-order reflection peak in the spectra of the new-generation narrow-band (~12 Å FWHM)
304-Å Mg/Si MMs is substantially depressed. Manifestations of the NEXAFS structure of the L2, 3 absorption edges of
Al and Al2O3 were observed in the spectra recorded. The broadband Mo/Si MM was employed as the focusing element
of spectrometers in experiments involving (i) the charge exchange of multiply charged ions with the donor atoms of a
rare-gas jet; (ii) the spectroscopic characterization of a debris-free soft X-ray radiation source excited by Nd laser pulses
in a Xe jet (iii) near-IR-to-soft-X-ray frequency conversion (double Doppler effect) occurring in the retroreflection from
the relativistic electron plasma wake wave (flying mirror) driven by a multiterawatt laser in a pulsed helium jet.
We present the theory of the attosecond pulse generation by a relativistically intense few-cycle laser pulse interacting
with a thin plasma slab. In the limit of high plasma density or in the case of two identical pulses irradiating plasma from
opposite sides, the electron displacement in the direction perpendicular to the plasma slab is negligible. Electrons
moving along the plasma slab form the sliding mirror. The relativistic dynamics of the electrons result in the generation
of the phase-locked high order harmonics. After spectral filtering, isolated attosecond pulses with the duration less than
200 as can be obtained. We also find a very efficient regime of the attosecond pulse train generation without any
spectral filtering with the energy conversion efficiency into the main peak of about 3%.
Aperiodic multilayer structures (MSs) show promise as broadband soft X-ray mirrors for stigmatic diffraction spectroscopic instruments. We have derived aperiodic MSs optimized for maximum uniform normal-incidence reflectivity throughout a prescribed wavelength range, e.g., 130 - 190 Å (R=24 %), 125 - 250 Å (16 %), etc. Each of these aperiodic MSs exhibits an unparalleled integral reflectivity which substantially exceeds that of any periodic multilayer mirror pertaining to the corresponding wavelength range. Several Mo/Si aperiodic MSs were synthesized by magnetron sputtering on concave substrates to exhibit a relatively uniform reflectivity of (15 - 11)% in the 125 - 250 Å range, close to the theoretical predictions. These multilayers served as the focusing elements of high-transmission stigmatic transmission grating spectrograph with a plate scale of 20 or 4 Å/mm. The spectrograph was employed to investigate the laser plasma - gas jet interaction and characterize the Xe gas-jet laser-plasma XUV radiation source simultaneously with spatial and spectral resolution in the wavelength range above 124 Å.
We have theoretically explored into the reflection of extremely short X-ray pulses by MSs. Special-design aperiodic MSs were shown to possess the unrivaled capacity to reflect few-cycle X-ray pulses ranging into the attoseconds. Aperiodic MSs have been calculated that are capable of reflecting pulses which comprise only three wave periods of an X-ray electromagnetic wave.
A spectroscopic investigation was made of a debris-free soft X-ray radiation source driven by the pulses of a solid-state laser (0.4 J, 6 ns, 1.08 microns) focused in a pulsed xenon jet. Source images at a wavelength of 180 Å were obtained using a concave soft X-ray multilayer mirror. To obtain space-resolved source emission spectra above 125 Å, advantage was taken of a stigmatic high-transmission broadband diffraction spectrograph. The spectrograph comprised a large-aperture transmission diffraction grating (1000 or 5000 lines/mm) and a novel aperiodic focusing normal-incidence multilayer mirror possessing a uniform reflectivity in the 125 -250 Å range. The yield of soft X-ray radiation was determined with the aid of a fast absolute-calibrated X-ray AXUV-5 photodiode. The photoabsorption in the peripheral gas-jet regions was found to play a significant role in the soft X-ray yield. Numerical model simulations were performed to elucidate the plasma dynamics.
The soft X-ray spectrograph was also employed to study the interaction of the pulsed gas jet with the incident stream of the plasma produced by laser irradiation of a ~1-cm distant solid target. The soft X-ray spectra arising from the interaction were attributed to the charge exchange of multiply charged plasma ions with gas jet atoms.
We describe several spectroscopic techniques for space-resolved diagnostics of inhomogeneous plasmas from the line and continuous XUV spectra of multiply charged ions, involving measurements of temperature, density, ion composition, ablation velocity, etc. To this end, we have developed a family of stigmatic high-throughput spectroscopic instruments ranging in resolution from 500 to over 20000. The new instruments harness separation of the focusing and dispersion functions: the XUV radiation is dispersed by plane grazing-incidence gratings or transmission diffraction gratings while the focusing is transferred to concave normal-incidence multilayer mirrors or grazing-incidence toroidal mirrors. We have obtained medium-to-high resolution spectra of laser-produced plasmas to infer the plasma parameters (density profiles, expansion velocity, etc). The operating range of a spectrograph which incorporates periodic multilayer mirrors is confined to the resonance reflection band of the mirrors. To meet the demand for broadband stigmatic instruments, a panoramic (110 - 300 angstrom) medium-resolution spectrograph was made employing a Mo/Si multilayer mirror with a lateral gradient of the period structure (0.9 Angstrom/mm) and a transmission diffraction grating (5000 lines/mm). An alternative way to obtain panoramic stigmatic spectra involves the development of broadband aperiodic multilayer mirrors. We have developed a numerical technique based on the fast calculation of derivatives, which allows us to determine aperiodic structures with prescribed reflectance spectra and augmented integral reflectivity. This technique has proved to be efficient both in the soft and hard X-ray ranges.
A new approach is proposed for the design of wide band-pass multilayer optical elements for the hard x-ray spectral region. The method, based on the combination of analytical and numerical methods, solves the inverse problem consisting of inferring the composition profile of a depth-graded multilayer coating. First, assuming the multilayer d-spacing profile to be a monotone function of the depth and the d- spacing gradient to be large enough, we derived the differential equation that describes the change of period necessary to guarantee a given spectral reflectivity profile. Then, a computer code using an algorithm of steepest descent was used to refine numerically the multilayer period profile, each layer thickness being treated as an independent variable. When using the solution to the differential equation as a starting point of the direct problem, a many-fold decrease of computer time could be obtained. At each step, the spectral dependence of reflectivity was accurately computed using a standard matrix method. Simulations of the particular case of constant reflectivity and maximum integrated reflectivity over a wide spectral range are presented. The best choice of material pairs for comprising a depth-graded multilayer structure is discussed from the viewpoint of maximum achievable reflectivity and least number of bi-layers. Features of depth-graded multilayer mirrors, which are distinctive from conventional periodic mirrors, are examined.
Along with ultrahigh-resolution narrow-band spectrometers, a demand exists for medium- and high-resolution stigmatic instruments of a survey type, covering a spectral range of more than a hundred angstroms. Here, we describe several stigmatic spectroscopic configurations intended for characterizing various soft x-ray radiation sources (laser- produced plasmas, XUV lasers, etc.) and optical components [multilayer mirrors (MMs), absorption filters, etc.] in a broad spectral range. The combination of a grazing-incidence toroidal mirror and a large-area transmission diffraction grating (TG) made up a broadband spectrograph with a medium dispersion, with a plate scale of 4-to-20 angstrom/mm, which has proven to be inherently suited for characterizing plane MMs and the laser-plasma source itself. Two versions of W- coated toroidal mirrors were used, which operated at grazing angles of 7.6 degrees and 4 degrees and had respective practical short-wave cutoffs at about 40 and 15 angstrom. Line spectra of low-Z targets and quasicontinuous spectra of a tungsten target were obtained with a resolution of about 800. The configuration of a TG spectrograph was used to characterize CoC MMs with a d-spacing of 38 angstroms fabricated on Si(111) substrates by e-beam deposition and Kr+ ion beam polishing of metal layers. The absolute reflectivities near 75 angstrom were measured at 10%. The combination of a large-area TG and a concave MM with a strong lateral gradient of the d-spacing made up a stigmatic spectrograph for the 110 - 300 angstrom range. When the gradient was parallel to the TG lines, the TG was placed in the converging beam. When the gradient was orthogonal to the grating lines, the TG dispersed, unlike the configurations used previously, the diverging beam incident on the focusing MM. Removing the entrance slit transforms the spectrograph into a spectroheliograph. The latter configuration is well suited for producing 2-D solar images in the radiation of spectral lines and far-field images of single- and many- frequency x-ray lasers.
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