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Coupling of high-intensity laser light to fast electrons in cone-guided fast ignition

K. U. Akli, C. Orban, D. Schumacher, M. Storm, M. Fatenejad, D. Lamb, and R. R. Freeman
Phys. Rev. E 86, 065402(R) – Published 28 December 2012

Abstract

Cu wires attached to Al cones are used to investigate the energy coupling efficiency of laser light to fast electrons through a cone into a dense plasma. We present experimental and simulation results demonstrating the effect on the energy coupling of effectively placing the cone in a surrounding high density plasma as well as the effect of a large preformed plasma inside the cone. Thick cone walls, simulating plasma surrounding the cone in fast ignition, reduce the energy coupling by a factor of up to 4. An increase in prepulse inside the cone by a factor of 50 further reduces coupling by a factor of 3. Simulations with the pic code lsp that include the laser plasma interaction and the preformed plasma from the flash code show that electron refluxing in thin cone-wall targets enhances coupling to the wire. The implications for full-scale cone-guided fast ignition are discussed.

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  • Received 14 August 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.86.065402

©2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

K. U. Akli1, C. Orban1, D. Schumacher1, M. Storm1, M. Fatenejad2, D. Lamb2, and R. R. Freeman1

  • 1The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
  • 2Flash Center for Computational Science, Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA

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Vol. 86, Iss. 6 — December 2012

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