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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Automated Delivery of Microfabricated Targets for Intense Laser Irradiation Experiments
Published on: January 28, 2021
Unlimited ion acceleration by radiation pressure
S V Bulanov1, E Yu Echkina, T Zh Esirkepov
1Kansai Photon Science Institute, JAEA, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215, Japan.
Intense electromagnetic waves can significantly boost ion energy by causing thin targets to expand. This expansion increases ion energy and velocity, leading to potentially unlimited energy gain in the relativistic limit.
Area of Science:
- Plasma Physics
- High-Intensity Laser-Matter Interactions
Background:
- Ion acceleration is crucial for various applications.
- Understanding energy gain mechanisms in intense electromagnetic fields is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ion energy enhancement via transverse target expansion.
- To explore the relativistic effects on ion acceleration.
Main Methods:
- Simulating ion acceleration driven by intense electromagnetic waves.
- Analyzing the impact of transverse target expansion on ion dynamics.
Main Results:
- Transverse expansion of thin targets significantly enhances ion energy.
- Increased ion longitudinal velocity observed due to expansion.
- Phase locking in the relativistic limit leads to unlimited ion energy gain.
Conclusions:
- Transverse target expansion is an effective method for boosting ion energy.
- Relativistic effects enable continuous energy accumulation for ions.
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