ePubs

The open archive for STFC research publications

PURL issue currently affecting ePubs. Persistent Uniform Resource Locator (PURL) links in ePubs are not currently working. This is due to a cyber incident that has affected the third-party provider of the PURL system. We are hopeful that this issue will be resolved shortly.

Full Record Details

Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/25457919
Record Status Checked
Record Id 25457919
Title Ellipsoidal plasma mirror focusing of high power laser pulses to ultra-high intensities
Contributors
Abstract The design and development of an ellipsoidal F/1 focusing plasma mirror capable of increasing the peak intensity achievable on petawatt level laser systems to >1022 W cm−2 is presented. A factor of 2.5 reduction in the focal spot size is achieved when compared to F/3 focusing with a conventional (solid state) optic. We find a factor of 3.6 enhancement in peak intensity, taking into account changes in plasma mirror reflectivity and focal spot quality. The sensitivity of the focusing plasma optic to misalignment is also investigated. It is demonstrated that an increase in the peak laser intensity from 3×1020 W cm−2 to 1021 W cm−2 results in a factor of 2 increase in the maximum energy of sheath-accelerated protons from a thin foil positioned at the focus of the intense laser light.
Organisation CLF , CI , STFC
Keywords
Funding Information EPSRC (EP/J003832/1, EP/L001357/1 and EP/K022415/1)
Related Research Object(s):
Licence Information:
Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Journal Article Phys Plasmas 23, no. 3 (2016): 033106. doi:10.1063/1.4943200 2016