Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Plasma devices to guide and collimate a high density of MeV electrons. |
| Authors: |
Kodama, R., Sentoku, Y., Chen, Z. L., Kumar, G. R., Hatchett, S. P., Toyama, Y., Cowan, T. E., Freeman, R. R, Fuchs, J., Izawa, Y., Key, M. H., Kitagawa, Y., Kondo, K., Matsuoka, T., Nakamura, H., Nakatsutsumi, M., Norreys, P. A., Norimatsu, T., Snavely, R. A., Stephens, R. B. |
| Source: |
Nature. 12/23/2004, Vol. 432 Issue 7020, p1005-1008. 4p. |
| Subjects: |
Particles (Nuclear physics), Plasma devices, Plasma engineering, Electrons, Nonlinear optics, Optoelectronic devices, Optical waveguides |
| Abstract: |
The development of ultra-intense lasers has facilitated new studies in laboratory astrophysics and high-density nuclear science, including laser fusion. Such research relies on the efficient generation of enormous numbers of high-energy charged particles. For example, laser-matter interactions at petawatt (1015?W) power levels can create pulses of MeV electrons with current densities as large as 1012?A?cm-2. However, the divergence of these particle beams usually reduces the current density to a few times 106?A?cm-2 at distances of the order of centimetres from the source. The invention of devices that can direct such intense, pulsed energetic beams will revolutionize their applications. Here we report high-conductivity devices consisting of transient plasmas that increase the energy density of MeV electrons generated in laser-matter interactions by more than one order of magnitude. A plasma fibre created on a hollow-cone target guides and collimates electrons in a manner akin to the control of light by an optical fibre and collimator. Such plasma devices hold promise for applications using high energy-density particles and should trigger growth in charged particle optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
