Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

Dependency of the stochastic heating of electrons on the pulse rise-time in intense laser-plasma interaction

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

E. Khalilzadeh
A. Chakhmachi
J. Yazdanpanah

Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, P.O. Box: 14399-51113, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2021.1190
Abstract
In this paper, the effects of the pulse rise-time in the performance of the electron heating in the interaction of intense laser pulse with under-dense plasma have been investigated using the particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code. In this way, two laser pulses with a length of 200 fs and different pulse rise-time of 80 fs and 40 fs have been selected. The laser intensity and the plasma density are I=1018 w/cm2 and n=0.02 ncr (ncr is the plasma critical density), respectively. To correctly characterize the local plasma temperature in different regions of plasma, the stress tensor elements have been used. Our results show that the electron heating and the temperature of the electrons are strongly dependent on the laser pulse rise-time and increase significantly with decreasing the pulse rise-time. In other words, when the pulse rise-time is initially smooth (80 fs), the scattering fields can provide the necessary condition for stochastic heating. Whereas, in the quickly rising pulses (40 fs), the electron heating is initiated by the wave breaking. In the following, the effect of increasing the laser pulse intensity on the electron heating is investigated for the pulses with different rise-times, hence these effects are more severe for the pulses with the short rise-time.

Highlights

1. D. Strickland, G. Mourou, Compression of amplified chirped optical pulses, Opt. Commun. 55, 447 (1985).

 

2. G. Mourou, C.P.J. Barry, M.D. Perry, Ultrahigh-intensity lasers: physics of the extreme on a tabletop, Phys. Today, 51(1), 22 (1998).

 

3. D. Umstadter, Review of physics and applications of relativistic plasmas driven by ultra-intense lasers, Physics of Plasmas, 8, 1774 (2001).

 

4. P.J. Catto, R.M. More, Sheath inverse bremsstrahlung in laser produced plasmas, Phys. Fluids, 20, 704 (1977).

 

5. K. Estabrook, W.L. Kruer, B.F. Lasinski, Heating by Raman Backscatter and Forward Scatter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 45, 1399 (1980).

 

6. W.L. Kruer, The Physics of Laser Plasma Interaction, (Addison-Wesley, New York, 1988).

 

7. T. Taguchi, T.M. Antonsen Jr., H.M. Milchberg, Resonant Heating of a Cluster Plasma by Intense Laser Light, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 205003 (2004).

 

8. W.L. Kruer, K. Estabrook, J×B heating by very intense laser light, Phys. Fluids, 28, 430 (1985).

 

9. A.J. Lichtenberg, M.A. Lieberman, Regular and Stochastic Motion, (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1981).

 

10. D.W. Forslund, et al, Two-Dimensional Simulations of Single-Frequency and Beat-Wave Laser-Plasma Heating, Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 558 (1985).

 

11. J.T. Mendonca, F. Doveil, Stochasticity in plasmas with electromagnetic waves, J. Plasma Phys. 28, 485 (1982).

 

12. Z.M. Sheng, et al, Stochastic Heating and Acceleration of Electrons in Colliding Laser Fields in Plasma, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 055004 (2002).

 

13. Z. M. Sheng, et al, Efficient acceleration of electrons with counterpropagating intense laser pulses in vacuum and underdense plasma, Plasma Phys. Rev. E, 69, 016407 (2004).

 

14. E. khalilzadeh, et al, Electron residual energy due to stochastic heating in field-ionized plasma, Phys. Plasmas, 22, 113115 (2015).

 

15. E. Khalilzadeh, A. Chakhmachi, J. Yazdanpanah, Stochastic behavior of electrons in high intensity laser–plasma interaction, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion, 59, 125004 (2017).

 

16. J. Yazdanpanah, A. Anvary, Time and space extended-particle in cell model for electromagnetic particle algorithms, Phys. Plasmas, 19, 033110 (2012).

 

17. J. Yazdanpanah, A. Anvari, Effects of initially energetic electrons on relativistic laser-driven electron plasma waves, Phys. Plasmas, 21, 023101 (2014).

 

18. L. Landau, E. Lifshitz, Quantum Mechanics (New York, 1965).

 

19. J. Yazdanpanah, Self modulation and scattering instability of a relativistic short laser pulse in an underdense plasma, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 61, 085021 (2019).

 

20. P. Sprangle, E. Esarey, A. Ting, Nonlinear theory of intense laser-plasma interactions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 2011 (1990).

 

21. C.D. Decker, et al, The evolution of ultra‐intense, short‐pulse lasers in underdense plasmas, Phys. Plasmas, 3, 2047 (1996).

 

22. E. Esarey, et al, Trapping and Acceleration in Self-Modulated Laser Wakefields, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 5552 (1998).

Keywords

Electron heating
Laser-plasma interaction
Particle simulation
Pulse rise-time
Stress tensor element
1. D. Strickland, G. Mourou, Compression of amplified chirped optical pulses, Opt. Commun. 55, 447 (1985).
 
2. G. Mourou, C.P.J. Barry, M.D. Perry, Ultrahigh-intensity lasers: physics of the extreme on a tabletop, Phys. Today, 51(1), 22 (1998).
 
3. D. Umstadter, Review of physics and applications of relativistic plasmas driven by ultra-intense lasers, Physics of Plasmas, 8, 1774 (2001).
 
4. P.J. Catto, R.M. More, Sheath inverse bremsstrahlung in laser produced plasmas, Phys. Fluids, 20, 704 (1977).
 
5. K. Estabrook, W.L. Kruer, B.F. Lasinski, Heating by Raman Backscatter and Forward Scatter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 45, 1399 (1980).
 
6. W.L. Kruer, The Physics of Laser Plasma Interaction, (Addison-Wesley, New York, 1988).
 
7. T. Taguchi, T.M. Antonsen Jr., H.M. Milchberg, Resonant Heating of a Cluster Plasma by Intense Laser Light, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 205003 (2004).
 
8. W.L. Kruer, K. Estabrook, J×B heating by very intense laser light, Phys. Fluids, 28, 430 (1985).
 
9. A.J. Lichtenberg, M.A. Lieberman, Regular and Stochastic Motion, (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1981).
 
10. D.W. Forslund, et al, Two-Dimensional Simulations of Single-Frequency and Beat-Wave Laser-Plasma Heating, Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 558 (1985).
 
11. J.T. Mendonca, F. Doveil, Stochasticity in plasmas with electromagnetic waves, J. Plasma Phys. 28, 485 (1982).
 
12. Z.M. Sheng, et al, Stochastic Heating and Acceleration of Electrons in Colliding Laser Fields in Plasma, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 055004 (2002).
 
13. Z. M. Sheng, et al, Efficient acceleration of electrons with counterpropagating intense laser pulses in vacuum and underdense plasma, Plasma Phys. Rev. E, 69, 016407 (2004).
 
14. E. khalilzadeh, et al, Electron residual energy due to stochastic heating in field-ionized plasma, Phys. Plasmas, 22, 113115 (2015).
 
15. E. Khalilzadeh, A. Chakhmachi, J. Yazdanpanah, Stochastic behavior of electrons in high intensity laser–plasma interaction, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion, 59, 125004 (2017).
 
16. J. Yazdanpanah, A. Anvary, Time and space extended-particle in cell model for electromagnetic particle algorithms, Phys. Plasmas, 19, 033110 (2012).
 
17. J. Yazdanpanah, A. Anvari, Effects of initially energetic electrons on relativistic laser-driven electron plasma waves, Phys. Plasmas, 21, 023101 (2014).
 
18. L. Landau, E. Lifshitz, Quantum Mechanics (New York, 1965).
 
19. J. Yazdanpanah, Self modulation and scattering instability of a relativistic short laser pulse in an underdense plasma, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 61, 085021 (2019).
 
20. P. Sprangle, E. Esarey, A. Ting, Nonlinear theory of intense laser-plasma interactions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 2011 (1990).
 
21. C.D. Decker, et al, The evolution of ultra‐intense, short‐pulse lasers in underdense plasmas, Phys. Plasmas, 3, 2047 (1996).
 
22. E. Esarey, et al, Trapping and Acceleration in Self-Modulated Laser Wakefields, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 5552 (1998).

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