Ion energy spectrum and size of deuterium clusters in intense laser field

Experiments on the interaction of deuterium clusters with intense laser pulses have been performed on SILEX-Ⅰ. Faraday cups were used to characterize the deuterium ions emitted from laser irradiated gas plumes. The size and its distribution of the deuterium clusters were calculated using energy spectra of the ions, developing a new calibrating method of cluster size. Due to the influence of laser prepulse, the resulting cluster size is smaller than that by Rayleigh scattering. The results are important for analyzing clusters’ interaction with intense lasers, and they may provide guidelines to choose proper fire time.