Integrated LSP Modeling of Fast-electron Production and Transport in a Wire Target
ORAL
Abstract
Integrated simulations using the implicit PIC code LSP$^{\# }$ have been performed to study the production of relativistic electrons from ultra-intense (I $\sim $ 7 x 10$^{19}$ W/cm$^{2})$ sub-picosecond laser solid interactions including a preformed plasma and the transport of such beam in a thin (50 $\mu $m in diameter), 100's $\mu $m long wire target. Our 3D simulations show that greater than 40{\%} of laser energy is transferred to fast electrons whose energy spectrum can be fitted to a two-temperature Maxwellian distribution. The fast electrons have a typical propagation length of about 100 $\mu $m inside the wire target. A very small fraction of the fast electrons is confined in the wire target surface by strong electric and magnetic fields and these electrons have a much longer range. The simulation results agree well with recent Titan wire experiments [1], as well as with other collisional PIC modeling. \newline [1] F. N. Beg, Invited talk, 9th International Fast Ignition Workshop, Cambridge, MA, Nov. 3-5, 2006; J. Pasley et al., to be submitted to Phys. of Plasmas. $^{\# }$LSP is a software product of ATK Mission Research.
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Authors
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M. Wei
UCSD
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J. Pasley
UCSD, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
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F.N. Beg
UCSD, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, U.C. San Diego, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, La Jolla CA, University of California-San Diego, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
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R.B. Stephens
General Atomics, General Atomics, San Diego, CA
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D.R. Welch
Voss Scientific, Voss Scientific, LLC, Voss Scientific, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA