A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering
Compton scattered x-rays can be generated using a configuration consisting of a single ultrashort laser pulse and a shaped gas target. Upon ionization the gas target serves as a plasma mirror that reflects the incident pulse providing a counter-propagating electromagnetic wiggler. While plasma mirro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2015-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/17/2/023072 |
| _version_ | 1827873954385100800 |
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| author | J P Palastro D Kaganovich D Gordon B Hafizi M Helle J Penano A Ting |
| author_facet | J P Palastro D Kaganovich D Gordon B Hafizi M Helle J Penano A Ting |
| author_sort | J P Palastro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Compton scattered x-rays can be generated using a configuration consisting of a single ultrashort laser pulse and a shaped gas target. Upon ionization the gas target serves as a plasma mirror that reflects the incident pulse providing a counter-propagating electromagnetic wiggler. While plasma mirrors are often conceived as linear Fresnel reflectors, we demonstrate that for high-intensity, ultrashort laser pulses the reflection results from two distinct nonlinear mechanisms. At lower densities, the reflection arises from the emission of an electromagnetic pulse during the saturation of the absolute Raman instability at the quarter critical surface. At higher densities the reflection of the pulse from the critical surface sets up a density fluctuation that acts as a Bragg-like reflector. These mechanisms, occurring in a non-perturbative regime of laser–plasma interactions, are examined numerically in order to characterize the Compton scattered radiation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:44:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a6b00504a9640e3acd7e215291aa2ad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:44:18Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a6b00504a9640e3acd7e215291aa2ad2023-08-08T14:17:52ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302015-01-0117202307210.1088/1367-2630/17/2/023072A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscatteringJ P Palastro0D Kaganovich1D Gordon2B Hafizi3M Helle4J Penano5A Ting6Icarus Research, Inc., PO Box 30780, Bethesda, MD 20824-0780, USAPlasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346, USAPlasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346, USAPlasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346, USAPlasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346, USAPlasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346, USAPlasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346, USACompton scattered x-rays can be generated using a configuration consisting of a single ultrashort laser pulse and a shaped gas target. Upon ionization the gas target serves as a plasma mirror that reflects the incident pulse providing a counter-propagating electromagnetic wiggler. While plasma mirrors are often conceived as linear Fresnel reflectors, we demonstrate that for high-intensity, ultrashort laser pulses the reflection results from two distinct nonlinear mechanisms. At lower densities, the reflection arises from the emission of an electromagnetic pulse during the saturation of the absolute Raman instability at the quarter critical surface. At higher densities the reflection of the pulse from the critical surface sets up a density fluctuation that acts as a Bragg-like reflector. These mechanisms, occurring in a non-perturbative regime of laser–plasma interactions, are examined numerically in order to characterize the Compton scattered radiation.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/17/2/023072Compton scatteringlaser wakefield accelerationplasma mirrorx-ray sourcelaser plasma interactions |
| spellingShingle | J P Palastro D Kaganovich D Gordon B Hafizi M Helle J Penano A Ting A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering New Journal of Physics Compton scattering laser wakefield acceleration plasma mirror x-ray source laser plasma interactions |
| title | A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering |
| title_full | A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering |
| title_fullStr | A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering |
| title_full_unstemmed | A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering |
| title_short | A nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse Compton backscattering |
| title_sort | nonlinear plasma retroreflector for single pulse compton backscattering |
| topic | Compton scattering laser wakefield acceleration plasma mirror x-ray source laser plasma interactions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/17/2/023072 |
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