Enhancement of high-energy ion generation by preplasmas in the interaction of an intense laser pulse with overdense plasmas

Abstract

High-energy ion generation from the interaction of an ultraintense subpicosecond laser pulse with an overdense plasma slab combined with an underdense preplasma has been studied by using fully electromagnetic and relativistic particle-in-cell simulations. It was observed that the forward ion acceleration from the front and rear surfaces can be enhanced with a proper preplasma profile. The energy distribution functions of the accelerated ions, and Doppler shift of the reflected laser pulse are investigated with the variation of laser intensity, pulse duration, and preplasma profiles.