Monoenergetic proton beams from mass-limited targets irradiated by ultrashort laser pulses

Results are presented from three-dimensional numerical simulations carried out to study different regimes of proton acceleration from plane targets (such as double- and single-layer foils, homogeneous foils of light and heavy ions, and mass-limited targets) irradiated by laser pulses of moderate intensity. It is shown that, in the interaction of a laser pulse having an energy of about 20 J with mass-limited targets consisting of heavy ions and protons, it is possible to generate a monoenergetic proton beam with an energy of about 150 MeV.