Collective Effects and Intense Beam-Plasma Interactions in Ion-Beam-Driven High Energy Density Matter and Inertial Fusion Energy
Igor D. Kaganovich, Edward A. Startsev, Hong Qin, Erik Gilson, Thomas Schenkel, Jean-Luc Vay, Ed P. Lee, William Waldron, Roger Bangerter, Arun Persaud, Peter S… 展开作者
Igor D. Kaganovich, Edward A. Startsev, Hong Qin, Erik Gilson, Thomas Schenkel, Jean-Luc Vay, Ed P. Lee, William Waldron, Roger Bangerter, Arun Persaud, Peter Seidl, Qing Ji, Alex Friedman, Dave P. Grote, John Barnard
For the successful generation of ion-beam-driven high energy density matter and heavy ion fusion energy, intense ion beams must be transported and focused onto a target with small spot size. One of the successful approaches to achieve this goal is to accelerate and transport intense ion charge bunches in an accelerator and then focus the charge bunches ballistically in a section of the accelerator that contains a neutralizing background plasma. This requires the ability to control space-charge effects during un-neutralized (non-neutral) beam transport in the accelerator and transport sections, and the ability to effectively neutralize the space charge and current by propagating the beam through background plasma. As the beam intensity and energy are increased in future heavy ion fusion (HIF) drivers and Fast Ignition (FI) approaches, it is expected that nonlinear processes and collective effects will become much more pronounced than in previous experiments. Making use of 3D electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation (PIC) codes (BEST, WARP-X, and LTP-PIC, etc.), the theory and modelling studies will be validated by comparing with experimental data on the 100kV Princeton Advanced Test Stand, and future experiments at the FAIR facility. The theoretical predictions that are developed will be scaled to the beam and plasma parameters relevant to heavy ion fusion drivers and Fast Ignition scenarios. Therefore, the theoretical results will also contribute significantly toward the long-term goal of fusion energy production by ion-beam-driven inertial confinement fusion.
The attainment of ultrahigh electric potentials by suppressing the stepped leader breakdown of a highly charged conductor levitated in a spiraling Taylor flow opens up the possibility of order of magnitude larger driver energies for the ignition of thermonuclear reactions by inertial confinement. In reaching gigavolt potentials, intense 1016 Watt, GeV ion beams become possible. Together with their large self-magnetic field, these beams should be powerful enough to launch a thermonuclear micro-detonation into pure deuterium, compressed and ignited by such beams. In high gain laser fusion the pr…
Two-dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations are used to explore collisionless shock acceleration in the corona plasma surrounding the compressed core of an inertial confinement fusion pellet. We show that an intense laser pulse interacting with the long scale-length plasma corona is able to launch a collisionless shock around the critical density. The nonlinear wave travels up-ramp through the plasma reflecting and accelerating the background ions. Our results suggest that protons with characteristics suitable for ion fast ignition may be achieved in this way.
With the development of ultra intense laser technology, MeV ions from the laser foil interaction have been obtained by different mechanisms, such as target normal sheath acceleration, radiation pressure acceleration, collisionless shock acceleration, breakout afterburner, and a combination of different mechanisms. These energetic ion beams can be applied in fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, medical therapy, and proton imaging. However, these ions are mainly accelerated in the laser propagation direction, and the ion acceleration in an azimuthal orientation is scarcely mentioned. H…
We investigate the rates for multielectron recombination within a dense plasma environment in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We find that these multielectron recombination rates can be high within dense plasmas, and they should be treated in the simulations of the plasmas created by intense radiation, in particular for plasmas created by intense VUV radiation from free-electron-laser (FEL) or for modelling the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) plasmas.
We have commenced experiments with intense short pulses of ion beams on the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, by generating beam spots size with radius r < 1 mm within 2 ns FWHM and approximately 10^10 ions/pulse. To enable the short pulse durations and mm-scale focal spot radii, the 1.2 MeV Li+ ion beam is neutralized in a 1.6-meter drift compression section located after the last accelerator magnet. An 8-Tesla short focal length solenoid compresses the beam in the presence of the large volume plasma near the end of this section before the t…
Based on the Vlasov-Maxwell equations describing the self-consistent nonlinear beam dynamics and collective processes, the evolution of an intense sheet beam propagating through a periodic focusing field has been studied. In an earlier paper [1] it has been shown that in the case of a beam with uniform phase space density the Vlasov-Maxwell equations can be replaced exactly by the macroscopic warm fluid-Maxwell equations with a triple adiabatic pressure law. In this paper we demonstrate that starting from the macroscopic fluid-Maxwell equations a nonlinear Schroedinger equation for the slowly …
The inexorable development of ever more powerful laser systems has re-ignited interest in electromagnetic radiation reaction and its significance for the collective behaviour of charged matter interacting with intense electromagnetic fields. The classical radiation reaction force on a point electron is non-conservative, and this has led some authors to question the validity of methods used to model ultra-intense laser-matter interactions including radiation reaction. We explain why such concern is unwarranted.
A Particle-in-Cell Simulation Framework for Thomson Scattering Analysis in Inertial Confinement Fusion
University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学）；Hunan University（湖南大学）；China Academy of Engineering Physics（中国工程物理研究院）
We present an overview of the performance of the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II (NDCX-II) accelerator at Berkeley Lab, and report on recent target experiments on beam driven melting and transmission ion energy loss measurements with nanosecond and millimeter-scale ion beam pulses and thin tin foils. Bunches with around 10^11 ions, 1-mm radius, and 2-30 ns FWHM duration have been created with corresponding fluences in the range of 0.1 to 0.7 J/cm^2. To achieve these short pulse durations and mm-scale focal spot radii, the 1.1 MeV He+ ion beam is neutralized in a drift compression s…
We consider an application of modification of our variational-wavelet approach to some nonlinear collective model of beam/plasma physics: Vlasov/Boltzmann-like reduction from general BBGKY hierachy related to modeling of propagation of intense charged particle beams in high-intensity accelerators and transport systems. We use fast convergent multiscale variational-wavelet representations for solutions which allow to consider polynomial and rational type of nonlinearities. The solutions are represented via the multiscale decomposition in nonlinear high-localized eigenmodes (waveletons). In cont…
Quantum plasmas is a rapidly expanding field of research, with applications ranging from nanoelectronics, nanoscale devices and ultracold plasmas, to inertial confinement fusion and astrophysics. Here we give a short systematic overview of quantum plasmas. In particular, we analyze the collective effects due to spin using fluid models. The introduction of an intrinsic magnetization due to the plasma electron (or positron) spin properties in the magnetohydrodynamic limit is discussed. Finally, a discussion of the theory and examples of applications is given.
The current understanding of some important nonlinear collective processes in quantum plasmas with degenerate electrons is presented. After reviewing the basic properties of quantum plasmas, we present model equations (e.g. the quantum hydrodynamic and effective nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson equations) that describe collective nonlinear phenomena at nanoscales. The effects of the electron degeneracy arise due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Pauli's exclusion principle for overlapping electron wavefunctions that result in tunneling of electrons and the electron degeneracy pressure. Si…
QED cascades play an important role in extreme astrophysical environments like magnetars. They can also be produced by passing a relativistic electron beam through an intense laser field. Signatures of collective pair plasma effects in these QED cascades are shown to appear, in exquisite detail, through plasma-induced frequency upshifts in the laser spectrum. Remarkably, these signatures can be detected even in small plasma volumes moving at relativistic speeds. Strong-field quantum and collective pair plasma effects can thus be explored with existing technology, provided that ultra-dense elec…
Ergodic LLC（Ergodic有限责任公司）；University of Michigan（密歇根大学）
Plasma supports collective modes and particle-wave interactions that leads to complex behavior in inertial fusion energy applications. While plasma can sometimes be modeled as a charged fluid, a kinetic description is useful towards the study of nonlinear effects in the higher dimensional momentum-position phase-space that describes the full complexity of plasma dynamics. We create a differentiable solver for the plasma kinetics 3D partial-differential-equation and introduce a domain-specific objective function. Using this framework, we perform gradient-based optimization of neural networks th…
A numerical analysis of the self-interaction induced by a relativistic electron/positron beam in the presence of an intense external longitudinal magnetic field in plasmas is carried out. Within the context of the Plasma Wake Field theory in the overdense regime, the transverse beam-plasma dynamics is described by a quantumlike Zakharov system of equations in the long beam limit provided by the Thermal Wave Model. In the limiting case of beam spot size much larger than the plasma wavelength, the Zakharov system is reduced to a 2D Gross-Pitaevskii-type equation, where the trap potential well is…
Imposing an external magnetic field in short-pulse intense laser-plasma interaction is of broad scientific interest in related plasma research areas. We propose a simple method using a virtual current layer by introducing an extra current density term to simulate the external magnetic field, and demonstrate it with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The field distribution and its evolution in sub-picosecond time scale are obtained. The magnetization process takes a much longer time than that of laser-plasma interaction due to plasma diamagnetism arising from collective response. T…
A microtube implosion driven by ultraintense laser pulses is used to produce ultrahigh magnetic fields. Due to the laser-produced hot electrons with energies of mega-electron volts, cold ions in the inner wall surface implode towards the central axis. By pre-seeding uniform magnetic fields on the kilotesla order, the Lorenz force induces the Larmor gyromotion of the imploding ions and electrons. Due to the resultant collective motion of relativistic charged particles around the central axis, strong spin current densities of ~ peta-ampere/cm2 are produced with a few tens of nm size, generating …
We study the interaction of intense ultrashort laser pulses with cryogenic He jets using 2d/3v relativistic Particle-in-Cell simulations (XOOPIC). Of particular interest are laser intensities $(10^{15}-10^{20})$ W/cm$^2$, pulse lengths $\le 100$ fs, and the frequency regime $\sim 800$ nm for which the jets are initially transparent and subsequently not homogeneously ionized. Pulses $\ge 10^{16}$ W/cm$^2$ are found to drive ionization along the jet and outside the laser spot, the ionization-front propagates along the jet at a fraction of the speed of light. Within the ionized region, there is a…
The mechanism of laser-driven relativistic pair-jet production qualitatively changes as laser intensity exceeds $I\gtrsim5\times10^{22}$ W/cm$^{2}$ because of the appearance of laser-induced strong-field QED processes. Here, we show that by exceeding this intensity additional physics operates and opens a new and efficient channel to convert laser photons into dense pair-jets -- the combination of nonlinear Compton scattering and the Bethe-Heitler process. This channel generates relativistic electron-positron jets more than three orders of magnitude denser than has so far been possible. We find…
Ultrahigh-intensity lasers (10$^{18}$-10$^{22}$W/cm$^{2}$) have opened up new perspectives in many fields of research and application [1-5]. By irradiating a thin foil, an ultrahigh accelerating field (10$^{12}$ V/m) can be formed and multi-MeV ions with unprecedentedly high intensity (10$^{10}$A/cm$^2$) in short time scale ($\sim$ps) are produced [6-14]. Such beams provide new options in radiography [15], high-yield neutron sources [16], high-energy-density-matter generation [17], and ion fast ignition [18,19]. An accurate understanding of the nonlinear behavior of beam transport in matter is…
We investigate bulk ion heating in solid buried layer targets irradiated by ultra-short laser pulses of relativistic intensities using particle-in-cell simulations. Our study focuses on a CD2-Al-CD2 sandwich target geometry. We find enhanced deuteron ion heating in a layer compressed by the expanding aluminium layer. A pressure gradient created at the Al-CD2 interface pushes this layer of deuteron ions towards the outer regions of the target. During its passage through the target, deuteron ions are constantly injected into this layer. Our simulations suggest that the directed collective outwar…
Propagation of intense laser beams is crucial for inertial confinement fusion, which requires precise beam control to achieve the compression and heating necessary to ignite the fusion reaction. The National Ignition Facility (NIF), where fusion will be attempted, is now under construction. Control of intense beam propagation may be ruined by laser beam self-focusing. We have identified the maximum laser beam power that can propagate through fusion plasma without significant self-focusing and have found excellent agreement with recent experimental data, and suggest a way to increase that maxim…
Fast Ignition Inertial Confinement Fusion is a variant of inertial fusion in which DT fuel is first compressed to high density and then ignited by a relativistic electron beam generated by a fast (< 20 ps) ultra-intense laser pulse, which is usually brought in to the dense plasma via the inclusion of a re-entrant cone. The transport of this beam from the cone apex into the dense fuel is a critical part of this scheme, as it can strongly influence the overall energetics. Here we review progress in the theory and numerical simulation of fast electron transport in the context of Fast Ignition. Im…
Next generation of ultra-intense laser facilities will lead to novel physical conditions ruled by collective and quantum electrodynamics effects, such as synchrotron-like emission of high-energy photons and electron-positron pair generation. In view of the future experiments performed in this regime, the latter processes have been implemented into the particle-in-cell code CALDER.
A model for the excitation of a non-linear ion-wake mode by a train of plasma electron oscillations in the non-linear time-asymmetric regime is developed using analytical theory and particle-in-cell based computational solutions. The ion-wake is shown to be a driven non-linear ion-acoustic wave in the form of a cylindrical ion-soliton. The near-void and radially-outwards propagating ion-wake channel of a few plasma skin-depth radius, is explored for application to "Crunch-in" regime of positron acceleration. The coupling from the electron wakefield mode to the ion-mode dictates the long-term e…
CMA-Unfold A Covariance Matrix Adaptation unfolding algorithm for stacked calorimeter detectors
University of Bordeaux（波尔多大学）；ELI Beamlines Facility|The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC（极轻基础设施欧洲研究联盟 ELI 光束线设施）；Center for Energy Research, University of California San Diego（加州大学圣地亚哥分校能源研究中心）；General Atomics（通用原子能公司）；GenF
A novel setup allows the Weibel instability and its interplay with the Biermann battery to be probed in laser-driven collisionless plasmas. Ab initio particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the interaction of short ($ \le ps$) intense $(a_0 \ge 1)$ laser-pulses with overdense plasma targets show observable Weibel generated magnetic fields. This field strength surpasses that of the Biermann battery, usually dominant in experiments, as long as the gradient scale length is much larger than the local electron inertial length; this is achievable by carefully setting the appropriate gradients in the f…
