Characterization of laser-accelerated proton beams from a 0.5 kJ sub-picosecond laser for radiography applications

Journal Article · Wed Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0251284· OSTI ID:2545793

Huang, Chengkun ^[1]; Alvarado Alvarez, Mariana ^[1]; Batha, S. H. ^[1]; Broughton, D. P. ^[1]; Favalli, A. ^[2]; Grace, E. ^[3]; Iliev, M. ^[1]; Junghans, A. ^[1]; Mariscal, D. A. ^[3]; Medina, B. M. ^[1]; Palaniyappan, S. ^[1]; Reinovsky, R. ^[1]; Schmidt, T. R. ^[1]; Simpson, R. A. ^[3]; Strehlow, J. R. ^[1]; Wang, Z. ^[1]; Wong, C. -S. ^[1]; Wolfe, B. ^[1]; Wyatt, B. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); European Commission, Ispra (Italy). Joint Research Centre
3. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Laser-accelerated ion beams show promise for many applications, including high-resolution flash imaging of static or dynamic objects in next-generation radiography to probe materials and plasmas in extreme environments and inertial confinement fusion. To scale up ion beam production for radiography applications, we conducted experiments using sub-picosecond lasers up to 0.5 kJ at the OMEGA-EP facility to characterize proton beams from solid targets, primarily CH/CD sub-micron thin films from which ion beams were also used for static and dynamic radiography for the first time. For standalone sub-micron thin CH films, the highest detected proton energy is in the range of 72–97 MeV. Proton beams with highest energy near or above 60 MeV at full laser energy and similar beam profiles are also measured from low-density CD foams and flat CH foil target of micrometer-scale thickness. The ~ 700–800 nm CH/CD foils achieve the highest ion yield among the targets tested. For sub-micron thin films, the laser prepulse can expand the target and lead to complex interactions, which is simulated using coupled hydrodynamic and two-step kinetic models. Simulations suggest the presence of a micrometer-scale preplasma plateau with near-critical density and further indicate that target normal sheath acceleration, electron heating from Relativistic transparency in the preplasma plateau, and background proton reflection from carbon ion front at the rear side contribute to the resulting proton spectrum from these sub-micron thin targets at various stages. These proton beams show strong potential for radiography and for production of secondary sources.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: 89233218CNA000001; AC52-07NA27344
• OSTI ID: 2545793
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 2563333
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--24-30975; LLNL--JRNL-872010
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 32; ISSN 1070-664X
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY