Expansion of a multicomponent laser plasma cloud

It is shown that the mechanism of the electrodynamic expansion of a plasma cloud satisfactorily describes ion acceleration for two-component plasmas (ions of a fixed mass and electrons) but cannot be applied to the expansion of multicomponent plasmas. The main drawback of the known models is the assumption of the collision-free expansion of laser plasma clouds. It cannot be used to simulate the expansion of a multicomponent plasma cloud. An algorithm was proposed that takes into account collisions of ions with different masses in the electrodynamic model for the expansion of plasma clouds containing both matrix and trace contaminant ions. The algorithm and software on its basis allow one to calculate the energies of ions of different masses acquired in the process of ion acceleration in the laser plasma containing both matrix and contaminant ions. The results of numerical calculations are compared both with similar results obtained for the collision-free model of the expansion of the plasma cloud and with the experimental data. Taking into account collision processes in the electrodynamic model of plasma cloud expansion allows one to calculate the acceleration of trace contaminant ions in multicomponent laser plasma and reach a good qualitative agreement with the experimental data.