The stabilizing effect of collision on sheet instability in laser radiation pressure-based ion acceleration: A theoretical and simulation analysis

Abstract

In the past decade, transverse instabilities in the ion acceleration process using the laser radiation pressure method have been a prominent topic of discussion. These instabilities caused by the coupling between quasi-static ions with oscillating electrons through the ponderomotive force lead to the creation of density ripples in the target, ultimately resulting in the breaking of the target. This article investigates the collisional effects on the instability characteristic through theoretical and two-dimensional PIC simulation analysis. In agreement with our simulation studies, theoretical results show that the collision term enhanced the ion acceleration by decreasing the ion density accumulation and temporal growth rate of instability.