Effect of electromagnetic pulse transverse inhomogeneity on ion acceleration by radiation pressure

During ion acceleration by radiation pressure, a transverse inhomogeneity of an electromagnetic pulse leads to an off-axis displacement of the irradiated target, limiting the achievable ion energy. This effect is analytically described within the framework of a thin foil target model and with particle-in-cell simulations showing that the maximum energy of the accelerated ions decreases as the displacement from the axis of the target's initial position increases. The results obtained can be applied to the optimization of ion acceleration by the laser radiation pressure with mass-limited targets.