Ion Acceleration from High Power Laser-Foil Interactions

Authors

  • Salima Abuazoum Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Misurata University, Misurata, Libya https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8168-3037
  • Kenneth Ledingham Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Strathclyde University, Glasgow, U.K

Keywords:

Laser-driven ion accelerators. Heavy ions. Ultrafast lasers. High-peak-power. Laser–plasma interaction.

Abstract

In this study, Multi-MeV ion and proton acceleration driven by the interactions of short (~ps) ultra-intense (1x1019 – 6x1020 Wcm-2) laser pulses with thin foil (< 30 μm) targets is experimentally investigated using the Vulcan Petawatt laser at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. It is found that for heavy ion emission the ion cut-off energy scales with intensity and that ion emission is seen coming from the edges of the foil targets. It is also found that a ring shaped cold shockwave initiated in a thin foil target by a long pulse laser beam resulted in a smooth and circular proton beam.

References

[1] E.L. Clark, K. Krushelnick, J.R. Davies, M. Zepf, M. Tatarakis, F.N. Beg, A. Machacek, P.A. Norreys, ‏Measurements of energetic proton transport through magnetized plasma from intense laser interactions with solids. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 670-677. https://doi: org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.670

[2] R. A Snavely , M. H. Key, S. P. Hatchett, T. E. Cowan, M. Roth, T. W. Phillips, M. A. Stoyer, E. A. Henry, T. C. Sangster, M. S. Singh, S. C. Wilks, A. MacKinnon, A. Offenberger, D.M.Pennington, K.Yasuike, A.B. Langdon, B. F. Lasinski, J. Johnson, M. D. Perry, E. M. Campbell, Intense high-energy proton beams from petawatt-laser irradiation of solids. Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000) 294-299.https://doi: org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.294.

[3] J.Badziak, Laser-driven ion acceleration: Methods, challenges and prospects. J. Phys. Conf. Series 959 (2018) 201-206.https://doi: org/10. 1088/1742-6596/959/1/201

[4] B.Qiao, X.F.Shen, H.He, Y.Xie, H.Zhang, C.T.Zhou, S.P.Zhu, X.T. He, Revisit on ion acceleration mechanisms in solid targets driven by intense laser pulses. Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion, 61 (2019) 139-144. https://doi: org/10.1088/1361-6587/1/02/139

[5] M. Borghesi, D. H. Campbell, A. Schiavi, M. G. Haines, O. Willi, A. J. MacKinnon, P. Patel, L. A. Gizzi, M. Galimberti, R. J. Clarke, F. Pegoraro, H. Ruhl,S. Bulanov,

Electric field detection in laser-plasma interaction experiments via the proton imaging technique. Phys. Plasmas 9 (2002) 214-219. https://doi:org/10.1063/1.1459457

[6] I. Spencer, K.W.D. Ledingham, R.P. Singhal, T. McCanny, P. McKenna, E.L. Clark, K. Krushe, Laser generation of proton beams for the production of short-lived positron emitting radioisotopes. Nucl. Inst. Meth. B 183 (2001) 449-458.https://doi: org/10.1016/S0168-583X(01)00771-6

[7] S. Fritzler, V. Malka, G. Grillon, J. P. Rousseau, F. Burgy, E. Lefebvre, E. d. Humières, P. McKenna, K. W. D. Ledingham, Proton beams generated with high-intensity lasers: Applications to PET isotope production. Appl. Phys. Lett. 83 (2003) 3039-3041. https://doi: org/10.1063/1.1616661

[8] K. W. D. Ledingham, P. McKenna, T. McCanny, S Shimizu, J. M. Yang, L. Robson, J. Zweit, J. M. Gillies, J Bailey, G. N. Chimon, High power laser production of short-lived isotopes for positron emission tomography. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 37 (2004) 2341-2345. https://doi: org/10.1088/0022-3727/37/16/019

[9] S.V.Bulanov, T.Z. Esirkepov, V.S. Khoroshkov, A.V. Kunetsov, F. Pegoraro, Oncological hadrontherapy with laser ion accelerators. Physics Letters A 299 (2002) 240-247.https://doi: org/10.1016/S0375-9601(02)00521-2

[10] V. Malka, S.Fritzler, E.Lefebvre, E. dHumières, R. Ferrand, G. Grillon, C. Albaret, S.Meyroneinc, J. Chambaret, A.Antonetti, D. Hulin, Practicility of proton theraphy using compact laser systems. Medical Physics 31, (2004) 1587-1592.https://doi: org/10. 1118/1.1747751

[11] J .Badziak, J.Domański, Acceleration of Heavy Ions by Ultrafast High-Peak-Power Lasers: Advances, Challenges, and Perspectives. Photonics. 12 (2025) 184-188.https://doi: org/10. 3390/photonics12030184

[12] S. C. Wilks, A. B. Langdon, T. E. Cowan, M. Roth, M. Singh, S. Hatchett, M. H. Key, D. Pennington, A. MacKinnon, R. A. Snavely , Energetic proton generation in ultra-intense laser-solid interactions. Phys. Plasmas. 8 (2001) 542 -548.https://doi: org/10.1063/1.1333697

[13] B. M. Hegelich, Acceleration of heavy Ions to MeV/nucleon Energies by Ultrahigh-Intensity Lasers. Thesis at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany (2002).https://doi: org/10.5282/edoc.660

[14] M. Hegelich, S. Karsch, G. Pretzler, D. Habs, K. Witte, W. Guenther, M. Allen, A. Blazevic, J. Fuchs , MeV Ion Jets from Short-Pulse-Laser Interaction with Thin Foils. Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 0850021-0850024.https://doi: org/10. 1103/PhysRevLett.89.085002

[15] D. Neely, P. Foster, A. Robinson, F. Lindau, O. Lundh, A. Persson, Enhanced proton beams from ultrathin targets driven by high contrast laser pulses. Appl. Phys. Lett. 89 (2006) 0215021-0215022.https://doi: org/10.1063/1.2220011

[16] Allen, M. Laser Ion Acceleration from the Interaction of Ultra-Intense laser Pulse with thin foils. Thesis at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA (2004).https://doi: org/10.2172/15009814

[17] Strickland, D. and Mourou, G. Compression of Amplified Chirped Optical Pulses. Opt. Commun. 56 (1985) 447-449.https://doi:org/10.1016/0030-4018 (85)90151-8

[18] S.Backus, M.Margaret, M. Henry, C. Kapteyn, High Power ultrafast lasers. Rev. Sci. Intr. 69 (1998) 1207–1223.https://doi:org/10.1063/1.1148795

[18] G. Doumy, F. Quéré, O. Gobert, M. Perdrix, P. Martin, P. Audebert, J.C. Gauthier, J.P. Geindre, Complete characterization of a plasma mirror for the production of highcontrast ultraintense laser pulses. Physical Review E 69 (2004) 026402.https://doi: org/10.1103/PhysRevE.69.026402

[19] B. Dromey, S. Kar, M. Zepf, P. Foster, The plasma mirror-A subpicosecond optical switch for ultrahigh power lasers. Rev. Sci. Instr. 75 (2004) 645-649.

[21] T.Boland, The Manufacture of Random Phase Plates and Phase Zone Plates, Central Laser Facility Annual Report (2020/2021) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK

[22] Burckhardt C. B. Appl. Opt. 9 (1970) 695-700. https://doi: org/10.1364/AO.9.000695

[23] M. Allen, P. K. Patel, A. Mackinnon, D. Price, S. Wilks, E. Morse, Direct Experimental Evidence of Back-Surface Ion Acceleration from Laser-Irradiated Gold Foils. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 (2004) 265004. https://doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.265004.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-25

How to Cite

Abuazoum, S., & Ledingham, K. (2025). Ion Acceleration from High Power Laser-Foil Interactions . Libyan International Journal of Natural Sciences, 1(2), 9–14. Retrieved from https://aonsrt.ly/iljs/index.php/iljsen/article/view/33