Ultrafast laser-driven proton sources and dynamic proton imaging

Journal Article · Tue Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2008 · Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.25.00B155· OSTI ID:21100328

Nickles, Peter V; Schnuerer, Matthias; Sokollik, Thomas; Ter-Avetisyan, Sargis; Sandner, Wolfgang ^[1]; Amin, Munib; Toncian, Toma; Willi, Oswald ^[2]; Andreev, Alexander ^[1]

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1. Max Born Institut, Max-Born-Strasse 2a, D12489 Berlin (Germany)
2. Heinrich Heine Universitaet, Universitaetstrasse 1, D-40225 Duesseldorf (Germany)

Ion bursts, accelerated by an ultrafast (40 fs) laser-assisted target normal sheath acceleration mechanism, can be adjusted so as to deliver a nearly pure proton beam. Such laser-driven proton bursts have predominantly a low transverse emittance and a broad kinetic spectrum suitable for continuous probing of the temporal evolution of spatially extended electric fields that arise after laser irradiation of thin foils. Fields with a strength of up to 10{sup 10} V/m were measured with a new streaklike proton deflectometry setup. The data show the temporal and spatial evolution of electric fields that are due to target charge-up and ion-front expansion following intense laser-target interaction at intensities of 10{sup 17}-10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}. Measurement of the field evolution is important to gain further insight into lateral electron-transport processes and the influence of field dynamics on ion beam properties.

• OSTI ID: 21100328
• Journal Information: Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics, Journal Name: Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 25; ISSN JOBPDE; ISSN 0740-3224
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
EVOLUTION
EXPANSION
FOILS
ION BEAMS
IONS
LASER RADIATION
LASER TARGETS
LASERS
PLASMA
PLASMA SHEATH
PROTON BEAMS
PROTON SOURCES
PROTONS
SPECTRA