Blanco Fraga, ManuelFlores Arias, María TeresaRuiz, C.Vranic, M.2020-06-052020-06-052017Blanco, M., Flores-Arias, M. T., Ruiz, C., & Vranic, M. (2017). Table-top laser-based proton acceleration in nanostructured targets. New Journal of Physics, 19(3), 0330041367-2630http://hdl.handle.net/10347/22796The interaction of ultrashort, high intensity laser pulses with thin foil targets leads to ion acceleration on the target rear surface. To make this ion source useful for applications, it is important to optimize the transfer of energy from the laser into the accelerated ions. One of the most promising ways to achieve this consists in engineering the target front by introducing periodic nanostructures. In this paper, the effect of these structures on ion acceleration is studied analytically and with multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations.Weassessed the role of the structure shape, size, and the angle of laser incidence for obtaining the efficient energy transfer. Local control of electron trajectories is exploited to maximize the energy delivered into the target. Based on our numerical simulations, we propose a precise range of parameters for fabrication of nanostructured targets, which can increase the energy of the accelerated ions without requiring a higher laser intensity.eng© 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOIhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Laser-plasma interactionParticle in cell simulationsLaser-driven accelerationNanostructured targetsLaser ion accelerationTNSAjournal article10.1088/1367-2630/aa5f7e1367-2630open access