Tunable mega-ampere electron current propagation in solids by dynamic control of lattice melt

Phys Rev Lett. 2014 Oct 31;113(18):185001. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.185001. Epub 2014 Oct 31.

Abstract

The influence of lattice-melt-induced resistivity gradients on the transport of mega-ampere currents of fast electrons in solids is investigated numerically and experimentally using laser-accelerated protons to induce isochoric heating. Tailoring the heating profile enables the resistive magnetic fields which strongly influence the current propagation to be manipulated. This tunable laser-driven process enables important fast electron beam properties, including the beam divergence, profile, and symmetry to be actively tailored, and without recourse to complex target manufacture.