Self-similar expansions in ion beam fusion

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Abstract
The self-similar expansion generated by an intense light ion beam pulse of energy per nucleon Eb=E0(t/ tau )p and current intensity Ib=I0(t/ tau )2p-1 (0<t< tau ) impinging on a planar target, is considered. The structure of the expansion flow is analysed and profiles of beam density and velocity and density, velocity and temperature of the plasma are found from the analysis. Quantities of interest in inertial confinement fusion such as the ablation pressure and the mass ablated rate as functions of time for several values of the law time exponent p are obtained. The acceleration efficiency of thin foils, defined as the fraction of absorbed energy that goes to foil kinetic energy as a function of p, has also been calculated.