Enhancement of Proton Transport in Pyroelectric Crystal Acceleration Using a Novel Negative Target Configuration

Abstract

In this study, numerical simulations were performed to compare a conventional positive Disk Electrode configuration with a newly proposed Negative Target configuration for proton acceleration. Electrostatic potentials were calculated by solving Laplace’s equation, and proton generation was modeled through hydrogen ionization reactions coupled with charged-particle trajectory calculations. The results showed that no protons reached the target in the conventional Disk Electrode configuration. In contrast, the Negative Target configuration produced substantial proton impacts, with the maximum proton count obtained at crystal temperature changes of 2.5–5 K. Furthermore, the introduction of a positively biased guiding electrode further increased the number of protons reaching the target. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the Negative Target concept for enhancing proton transport.