Investigation of Proton Beam-Driven Fusion Reactions Generated by an Ultra-Short Petawatt-Scale Laser Pulse

Figure 2

Proton spectra for 2ω irradiation, Mylar foil vs. BN nanotube target. The proton spectra from front (a) and back side (b) of the 1.2-μm Mylar foil are nearly identical indicating TNSA on both sides of the target. The 100-μm-thick BN nanotube target results in more than double the maximum energy on the front side (c) and still ∼5 MeV from the rear side (d), suggesting that the laser is absorbed more efficiently due to the nanostructure of the BN nanotubes.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)