Energetic Deuterium-Ion Beams and Neutron Source Driven by Multiple-Laser Interaction with Pitcher-Catcher Target

Multiple lasers interacting with a deuterated (D) pitcher-catcher target and neutron generation are investigated using two-dimensional hybrid particle-in-cell and Monte Carlo simulations. It is found that when multiple laser pulses are focused on the front surface of the pitcher layer, D(+)ion acceleration by target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) is enhanced by the interfering overlapped light fields and the resulting periodic target-surface structure. With three laser pulses each of 4.5 x 10(19)W cm(-2)intensity, 33 fs duration and similar to 160 mJ energy, focusing at suitable angles on the pitcher layer, one can obtain 15 MeV D(+)ions and similar to 25% laser-to-D(+)ions energy conversion efficiency. As the resulting high-energy-density D(+)ions bombard the catcher layer, D-D fusion reactions are triggered. About 3.6 x 10(7)neutrons can be produced, with the maximum neutron production rate as high as 3.1 x 10(36)m(-3)s(-1), almost an order of magnitude higher than that from a single laser of the same total energy.