Magnetically Guided Fast Electrons in Cylindrically Compressed Matter

F. Perez (1) , A. Debayle (2) , J. Honrubia , M. Koenig (3) , D. Batani (4) , S. D. Baton (3) , F. N. Beg , C. Benedetti , E. Brambrink (3) , S. Chawla (5) , F. Dorchies (2) , C. Fourment (2) , M. Galimberti (6) , L. A. Gizzi (7) , L. Gremillet (8) , R. Heathcote (9) , D. P. Higginson , S. Hulin (10) , R. Jafer (4) , P. Koester , L. Labate (11) , K. L. Lancaster , A. J. Mackinnon , A. G. Macphee , W. Nazarov (12) , P. Nicolai (2) , J. Pasley , R. Ramis , M. Richetta , J. J. Santos (2) , A. Sgattoni (11, 13) , C. Spindloe (14) , B. Vauzour (2) , T. Vinci (3, 15) , L. Volpe

1 Critical Care Department
2 CELIA - Centre d'Etudes Lasers Intenses et Applications
3 LULI - Laboratoire pour l'utilisation des lasers intenses
4 Dipartimento di Fisica "Giuseppe Occhialini" = Department of Physics "Giuseppe Occhialini" [Milano-Bicocca]
5 International Institute of Clinical Studies
6 LMA - Laboratoire des matériaux avancés
7 Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory–IPCF
8 DAM - Direction des Applications Militaires
9 CLF - Central Laser Facility
10 Pôle Fromager AOP du Massif Central
11 INO - Istituto Nazionale di Ottica
12 University of St Andrews [Scotland]
13 Dipartimento di Energia [Milano]
14 RAL - STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
15 DAM/DIF - DAM Île-de-France

Fast electrons produced by a 10 ps, 160 J laser pulse through laser-compressed plastic cylinders are studied experimentally and numerically in the context of fast ignition. K(alpha)-emission images reveal a collimated or scattered electron beam depending on the initial density and the compression timing. A numerical transport model shows that implosion-driven electrical resistivity gradients induce strong magnetic fields able to guide the electrons. The good agreement with measured beam sizes provides the first experimental evidence for fast-electron magnetic collimation in laser-compressed matter.

Domaines: Physique [physics]

F. Perez, A. Debayle, J. Honrubia, M. Koenig, D. Batani, et al.. Magnetically Guided Fast Electrons in Cylindrically Compressed Matter. Physical Review Letters, 2011, 107 (6), pp.065004. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.065004⟩. ⟨hal-01561857⟩