Hybrid acceleration of compact ion bunches by few-cycle laser pulses in gas jets of two atomic species

Abstract

Extreme states of matter that exist for a short time need probing with compact proton sources. Here, the generation of a compact MeV-energy proton source from few-cycle laser pulse interaction with narrow gas-jet target is demonstrated numerically. We realize such proton source by incorporating a gas mixture which is optimal for generation of quasimonoenergetic proton bunches. In the presented laser-plasma interaction we identify the ion acceleration from magnetic vortex, charge separation, and collisionless shock wave. The proposed particle source is excellent for applications where moderate-energy proton bunches are used at high repetition rate. We prove the applicability of this scheme for generating a pulsed spherical neutron burst with ∼100ps duration.