Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 195001 (2005) [4 pages]Dynamics of Electric Fields Driving the Laser Acceleration of Multi-MeV ProtonsReceived 16 May 2005; published 31 October 2005 The acceleration of multi-MeV protons from the rear surface of thin solid foils irradiated by an intense (∼1018 W/cm2) and short (∼1.5 ps) laser pulse has been investigated using transverse proton probing. The structure of the electric field driving the expansion of the proton beam has been resolved with high spatial and temporal resolution. The main features of the experimental observations, namely, an initial intense sheath field and a late time field peaking at the beam front, are consistent with the results from particle-in-cell and fluid simulations of thin plasma expansion into a vacuum. © 2005 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.195001
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.195001
PACS:
52.38.Kd, 52.65.−y, 52.70.Ds
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