Multi-MeV ion beams from terawatt laser thin-foil interactions

K. Flippo, A. Maksimchuk, S. Banerjee, V. Wong, G. Mourou, D. Umstadter, K. Nemoto, V. Yu Bychenkov, P. N. Lebedev

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have conducted investigations of a collimated beam of fast protons, produced by a 10TW laser with frequencies of either ω0 (corresponding to 1.053 micron light) or 2ω0 (corresponding to 532 nm light) focused to an intensity of more the 3×1019 W/cm2 onto the surface of a thin-film target. Energies as high as 10 MeV and total number of 109, confined in a cone angle of 40°±10° have been observed. The protons, which originate form impurities on the front side of the target and exit out the backside in a direction normal to the target surface. Acceleration field gradients of ∼10GeV/cm have been inferred. The maximum proton energy for 2ω0 can be explained by the charge-separation electrostatic-field acceleration due to "vacuum heating." In another set of experiments when a deuterated polystyrene layer was deposited on a surface of a Mylar film and a 10B sample was placed behind the target, we observed the production of ∼ 105 atoms of positron active isotope 11C from the nuclear fusion reaction 10B(d,n)11C. No activation was detected when only the proton beam was used. We also discuss the use of ions from these table-top sources for medical applications such as cancer radiotherapy and fundamental studies in radio-biology.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages2081-2083
Number of pages3
StatePublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes
Event2001 Particle Accelerator Conference - Chicago, IL, United States
Duration: Jun 18 2001Jun 22 2001

Other

Other2001 Particle Accelerator Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityChicago, IL
Period6/18/016/22/01

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Multi-MeV ion beams from terawatt laser thin-foil interactions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this