Baojun Zhu

Demonstration of coherent terahertz transition radiation from relativistic laser-solid interactions

Coherent transition radiation in the terahertz (THz) region with energies of sub-mJ/pulse has been demonstrated by relativistic laser-driven electron beams crossing the solid-vacuum boundary. Targets including mass-limited foils and layered metal-plastic targets are used to verify the radiation mechanism and characterize the radiation properties. Observations of THz emissions as a function of target parameters agree well with the formation-zone and diffraction model of transition radiation. Particle-in-cell simulations also well reproduce the observed characteristics of THz emissions. The present THz transition radiation enables not only a potential tabletop brilliant THz source, but also a novel noninvasive diagnostic for fast electron generation and transport in laser-plasma interactions.

Guiding and collimating fast electron beam by the quasi-static electromagnetic field array

A guidance and collimation scheme for fast electron beam in a traverse periodic quasi-static electromagnetic field array is proposed with the semi-analytic method and the particle-in-cell simulation. The sheath electric fields on the surfaces of nanowires and the magnetic fields around the nanowires form a traverse periodic quasi-static electromagnetic field array. Therefore, most of the fast electrons are confined at the nanowire surfaces and transport forward. More importantly, due to the divergent property of the beams, the magnitudes of the generated fields decrease with the target depth. The lateral momenta of the electrons convert into the forward momenta through Lorenz force, and they cannot recover their initial values. Therefore, the fast electrons can be guided and collimated efficiently in the gaps between the nanowires. In our particle-in-cell simulations, the observed guiding efficiency exceeds 80% compared with the reference target.

Formation and evolution of a pair of collisionless shocks in counter-streaming flows

A pair of collisionless shocks that propagate in the opposite directions are firstly observed in the interactions of laser-produced counter-streaming flows. The flows are generated by irradiating a pair of opposing copper foils with eight laser beams at the Shenguang-II (SG-II) laser facility. The experimental results indicate that the excited shocks are collisionless and electrostatic, in good agreement with the theoretical model of electrostatic shock. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations verify that a strong electrostatic field growing from the interaction region contributes to the shocks formation. The evolution is driven by the thermal pressure gradient between the upstream and the downstream. Theoretical analysis indicates that the strength of the shocks is enhanced with the decreasing density ratio during both flows interpenetration. The positive feedback can offset the shock decay process. This is probable the main reason why the electrostatic shocks can keep stable for a longer time in our experiment.

Deuteron-deuteron fusion in laser-driven counter-streaming collisionless plasmas

Nuclear fusion reactions are the most important processes in nature to power stars and produce new elements, and lie at the center of the understanding of nucleosynthesis in the universe. It is critically important to study the reactions in full plasma environments that are close to true astrophysical conditions. By using laser-driven counter-streaming collisionless plasmas, the fusion

Temporal evolution of femtosecond laser filament detected via magnetic field around plasma current

d+d{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}^{3}\mathrm{He}+n

Bow shocks formed by a high-speed laser-driven plasma cloud interacting with a cylinder obstacle*

is studied in a Gamow-like window around 27 keV. The results give hints that astrophysical nuclear reaction yields can be modulated significantly by the self-generated electromagnetic fields and the collective motion of the plasma. This plasma-version minicollider may provide a novel tool for studies of astrophysics-interested nuclear reactions, as well as a useful tool to constrain the models of plasma colliding dynamic.

Towards high-energy, high-resolution computed tomography via a laser driven micro-spot gamma-ray source

The temporal evolution of electron density of air plasma filament induced by femtosecond laser pulse has been studied experimentally by a single shot electromagnetic induction method. Based on the detection of transient magnetic field around the electrified filament by an induction coil, the current in filament as well as electron density is estimated from the time dependent electromotive force signal. The experimental results indicate that our method significantly reduced the self-oscillation and interference signal, which are difficult to avoid in previous standard electrical diagnostic of filament, meanwhile the reliable temporal evolution of the electron density of filament is obtained.

An angular-resolved multi-channel Thomson parabola spectrometer for laser-driven ion measurement

A bow shock is formed in the interaction of a high-speed laser-driven plasma cloud with a cylinder obstacle. Its temporal and spatial structures are observed by shadowgraphy and interferometry. The width of the shock transition region is ~ 50 μm, comparable to the ion–ion collision mean free path, which indicates that collision is dominated in the shock probably. The Mach-number of the ablating plasma cloud is ~ 15 at first, and decreases with time resulting in a changing shock structure. A two-dimension hydrodynamics code, USim, is used to simulate the interaction process. The simulated shocks can well reproduce the observed.

Proton acceleration from vacuum-gapped double-foil target with low-contrast picosecond intense laser

Computed Tomography (CT) is a powerful method for non-destructive testing (NDT) and metrology awakes with expanding application fields. To improve the spatial resolution of high energy CT, a micro-spot gamma-ray source based on bremsstrahlung from a laser wakefield accelerator was developed. A high energy CT using the source was performed, which shows that the resolution of reconstruction can reach 100 μm at 10% contrast. Our proof-of-principle demonstration indicates that laser driven micro-spot gamma-ray sources provide a prospective way to increase the spatial resolution and toward to high energy micro CT. Due to the advantage in spatial resolution, laser based high energy CT represents a large potential for many NDT applications.

Ultrafast pulsed magnetic fields generated by a femtosecond laser

A multi-channel Thomson parabola spectrometer was designed and employed to diagnose ion beams driven by intense laser pulses. Angular-resolved energy spectra for different ion species can be measured in a single shot. It contains parallel dipole magnets and wedged electrodes to fit ion dispersion of different charge-to-mass ratios. The diameter and separation of the entrance pinhole channels were designed properly to provide sufficient resolution and avoid overlapping of dispersed ion beams. To obtain a precise energy spectral resolving, three-dimensional distributions of the electric and magnetic fields were simulated. Experimental measurement of energy-dependent angular distributions of target normal sheath accelerated protons and deuterons was demonstrated. This novel compact design provides a comprehensive characterization for ion beams.