Ion acceleration by ultrahigh-power ultrashort laser pulses

Two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations of fast-ion generation under ultrashort high-power laser pulse irradiation of stratified targets of different density and thickness are performed by the 'particle-in-cell' technique. The intent of these simulations was to determine the optimal target for maximising the ion energy for a given energy of the laser pulse. The simulations were carried out for the presently highest laser radiation intensities.