Acceleration dynamics of ions in shocks and solitary waves driven by intense laser pulses.

ABSTRACT

The acceleration of ions in collisionless electrostatic shocks and solitary waves, driven by ultrashort intense laser pulses in a thin solid target under different conditions, is investigated theoretically. When a shock is formed, ions with certain initial velocities inside the target can be accelerated by the electrostatic field at the shock front to twice the shock speed. When a solitary wave is formed, only ions located at the rear surface of the target can be accelerated by the solitary wave together with the sheath field formed there.