Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of laser-driven multiradiation sources based on double-layer targets

Double-layer targets (DLTs), made of a low-density foam on top of a solid substrate, can efficiently convert the energy of a high-intensity laser to provide sources of photons and protons. We investigate a 30-fs pulse with a peak intensity of I∼8.7×1020W/cm2 and a peak power of ∼120 TW interacting with a DLT using three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell simulations. We focus on providing quantitative results in full 3D geometry on the foam thickness dependence; on the competition between two photon-generating processes in DLTs, i.e., nonlinear inverse Compton scattering (NICS) and bremsstrahlung (BS); and on the acceleration of protons via enhanced target-normal sheath acceleration. We discuss conversion efficiency, average energy, and angular distributions of such multiradiation sources. We find that NICS can prevail over BS if the DLT's substrate is thin enough (∼μm) and that the optimal foam thickness that maximizes the conversion efficiency in NICS and BS photons and the proton cutoff energy, among those considered, is the same (15μm). These results show that DLTs constitute an excellent tool for developing relatively compact and optimized laser-driven multicomponent radiation sources.