Download or read book Characterization and Optimization of Laser driven Ion Acceleration written by Kealan Naughton and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Optimization of Ion Acceleration from High intensity Laser plasma Interactions written by Hsuan-Gu Chou and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: High-energy (100s MeV), high spectral quality ion beams are important for many applications like radiography of plasmas, isochoric heating of materials, and tumor therapy. Advances in the development of intense short pulse lasers, recognized with the 2018 Nobel Prize in physics, have been seen as a very promising route to drive compact ion beam sources. However, despite signficant progress over the past two decades, the control of the ion beam properties remains an outstanding challenge. In this Thesis, we discuss two approaches for controlling and optimizing these laser-driven ion beams, using particle-in-cell simulations and theoretical analysis. First, we show that in laser radiation pressure acceleration, the spectral quality of the ion beam is determined by electron heating, which is dictated by the growth of a surface instability. We show that its growth rate imposes an upper limit on the laser pulse duration, and can limit the maximum peak ion beam energy. Next, we explore the development of a hybrid accelerator that combines the advantages of laser-driven beams (compact, high-charge, 10s MeV) with high-gradient RF acceleration in a meter-scale linac, eliminating the large and expensive radio frequency quadrupoles for bunching. Our one-to-one simulations show that the space-charge field plays a critical role in the acceleration effectiveness, and that by tuning the distance at which the laser-driven beam enters the RF, the space-charge field can be controlled such that it actually increases the beam capture. These are important in guiding future experimental developments, for example for the ultrashort laser pulses at state-of-the-art laser facilities and high-gradient linacs, for which we showcase the possibility of a compact (4.5 m) hybrid accelerator that produces a high-quality, high-charge 250 MeV proton beam.

Download or read book Laser driven Ion Acceleration with High density Gas jet Targets and Application to Elemental Analysis written by Pilar Puyuelo Valdes and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this joint thesis, performed between the French Institute CENBG (Bordeaux) and the Canadian Institute INRS (Varennes), laser driven ion acceleration and an application of the beams are studied. The first part, carried out at CENBG and on the PICO2000 laser facility of the LULI laboratory, studies both experimentally and using numerical particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, the interaction of a high power infrared laser with a high density gas target. The second part, performed at ALLS laser facility of the EMT-INRS institute, investigates the utilization of laser generated beams for elementary analysis of various materials and artifacts. In this work, firstly the characteristics of the two lasers, the experimental configurations, and the different employed particle diagnostics (Thomson parabolas, radiochromic films, etc.) employed are introduced.In the first part, a detailed study of the supersonic high density gas jets which have been used as targets at LULI is presented, from their conceptual design using fluid dynamics simulations, up to the characterization of their density profiles using Mach-Zehnder interferometry. Other optical methods such as strioscopy have been implemented to control the dynamics of the gas jet and thus define the optimal instant to perform the laser shot. The spectra obtained in different interaction conditions are presented, showing maximum energies of up to 6 MeV for protons and 16 MeV for Helium ions in the laser direction. Numerical simulations carried out with the PIC code PICLS are presented and used to discuss the different structures seen in the spectra and the underlying acceleration mechanisms.The second part presents an experiment using laser based sources generated by the ALLS laser to perform a material analysis by the Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques. Proton and X-ray beams produced by the interaction of the laser with Aluminum, Copper and Gold targets were used to make these analyzes. The relative importance of XRF or PIXE is studied depending on the nature of the particle production target. Several spectra obtained for different materials are presented and discussed. The dual contribution of both processes is analyzed and indicates that a combination improves the retrieval of constituents in materials and allows for volumetric analysis up to tens of microns on cm^2 large areas, up to a detection threshold of ppms.

Download or read book Target and Laser Pulse Optimization for Laser driven Ion Acceleration written by Alexander Permogorov and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Characterization of Laser driven Proton Acceleration with Contrast enhanced Laser Pulses written by Georg Becker and published by . This book was released on 2021* with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this thesis, various novel aspects of laser-driven ion acceleration with contrast-enhanced laser pulses have been characterized. The maximum ion energies' dependence on the pulse energy and the foil thickness was investigated in a campaign at the POLARIS laser using a plasma mirror for contrast enhancement. The steepest increase of the ion energies depending on the pulse energy was measured for a 5 nm thin foil and linear polarization. Above a certain pulse energy, the onset of the foil's transparency correlated with a stop of the ion energies' increase. Consequently, additional enhancements of the temporal intensity contrast (TIC) and higher laser pulse intensities are required to exploit ion acceleration with such thin foils. The ring-like beam profile formed by protons with low kinetic energy, which originated from submicron thick plastic foils, was characterized. Simulations support the explanation that such structures are a consequence of the proton density's spatial distribution during the acceleration with the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism (TNSA). These findings deepen the understanding of ion acceleration with thin foils and may help to distinguish features of other acceleration mechanisms in the beam profile from those attributed to TNSA. In an experiment with water microdroplets, the effects of the laser's TIC and the incidence angle in the polarization plane were investigated. It was found that both parameters have a significant influence on the kinetic energy of the accelerated protons. An optical probe laser was used to observe the plasma expansion on a picosecond timescale. A correlation between the expansion and the maximum proton energy was found. The proton beam profile exhibited a reproducible net-like pattern depending on the irradiation geometry as well. The results show that the use of microdroplets irradiated with frequency-doubled laser pulses and optically probed gives new insights into laser-plasma interaction.

Download or read book Optimization of a Laser Plasma Accelerator Through Pulse Characterization and Controlled Spatiotemporal Coupling written by Daniel E. Mittelberger and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike conventional accelerators, the accelerating structure in a laser plasma accelerator (LPA) is dynamically created by the interaction of a high-peak-power laser pulse with a plasma target. This dynamic nature allows extensive control over the acceleration process but requires detailed knowledge and regulation of the laser, the plasma target, and their interaction. In this thesis, the effect of laser pulse structure, in particular temporal profile and spatiotemporal coupling, on laser plasma acceleration is investigated through theoretical models and experiments at the BErkeley Laboratory Laser Accelerator (BELLA) Center. The temporal profile of the laser and the density profile of the plasma target are probed by laser spectral shifting. A novel model of laser steering and electron beam deflection due to pulse front tilt is developed. The effects of pulse front tilt are measured in experiments and found to be in good agreement with the theoretical model. The application of these results for the optimization of a laser plasma accelerator is discussed.

Download or read book Applications of Laser Driven Particle Acceleration written by Paul Bolton and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-06-04 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book of its kind to highlight the unique capabilities of laser-driven acceleration and its diverse potential, Applications of Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration presents the basic understanding of acceleration concepts and envisioned prospects for selected applications. As the main focus, this new book explores exciting and diverse application possibilities, with emphasis on those uniquely enabled by the laser driver that can also be meaningful and realistic for potential users. It also emphasises distinction, in the accelerator context, between laser-driven accelerated particle sources and the integrated laser-driven particle accelerator system (all-optical and hybrid versions). A key aim of the book is to inform multiple, interdisciplinary research communities of the new possibilities available and to inspire them to engage with laser-driven acceleration, further motivating and advancing this developing field. Material is presented in a thorough yet accessible manner, making it a valuable reference text for general scientific and engineering researchers who are not necessarily subject matter experts. Applications of Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration is edited by Professors Paul R. Bolton, Katia Parodi, and Jörg Schreiber from the Department of Medical Physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in München, Germany. Features: Reviews the current understanding and state-of-the-art capabilities of laser-driven particle acceleration and associated energetic photon and neutron generation Presents the intrinsically unique features of laser-driven acceleration and particle bunch yields Edited by internationally renowned researchers, with chapter contributions from global experts

Download or read book Applications of Laser Driven Particle Acceleration written by Paul Bolton and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-06-04 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book of its kind to highlight the unique capabilities of laser-driven acceleration and its diverse potential, Applications of Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration presents the basic understanding of acceleration concepts and envisioned prospects for selected applications. As the main focus, this new book explores exciting and diverse application possibilities, with emphasis on those uniquely enabled by the laser driver that can also be meaningful and realistic for potential users. It also emphasises distinction, in the accelerator context, between laser-driven accelerated particle sources and the integrated laser-driven particle accelerator system (all-optical and hybrid versions). A key aim of the book is to inform multiple, interdisciplinary research communities of the new possibilities available and to inspire them to engage with laser-driven acceleration, further motivating and advancing this developing field. Material is presented in a thorough yet accessible manner, making it a valuable reference text for general scientific and engineering researchers who are not necessarily subject matter experts. Applications of Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration is edited by Professors Paul R. Bolton, Katia Parodi, and Jörg Schreiber from the Department of Medical Physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in München, Germany. Features: Reviews the current understanding and state-of-the-art capabilities of laser-driven particle acceleration and associated energetic photon and neutron generation Presents the intrinsically unique features of laser-driven acceleration and particle bunch yields Edited by internationally renowned researchers, with chapter contributions from global experts

Download or read book Towards Reliable Intense and High Repetition rate Laser driven Ion Beamlines written by Simon Carrier-Vallieres and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Particle accelerators attract a lot of attention in the scientific and non-scientific community as a result of their wide applicability in fields ranging from fundamental sciences, medicine to industrial applications. This doctoral work stands at the forefront of laser-based ion accelerators, and pushes forward their development to make them more competitive ion sources compared to conventional particle accelerators. For achieving higher competitiveness, laser-driven ion sources must be compact, cost-effective, reliable, intense and operated at high repetition-rates, which all together yield ion beam characteristics that cannot be realistically matched by any other kind of ion accelerator. To do so, the general effort of this doctoral work tackled three different aspects of laser-based ion acceleration, namely precise target alignment, improved targetry using nanostructures and the development of efficient particle diagnostics. The endeavor required to perform equivalent amounts of numerical work, through simulations using High Performance Computing, as well as experimental work, by implementing a cutting-edge ion beamline at the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) 100 TW facility and to carry out several experimental campaigns abroad.The first part of the work aims at improving the reliability of ion beams through the precise positioning of solid targets used in laser-driven ion acceleration. For this purpose, a Target Positioning Interferometer (TPI) that reaches subwavelength positioning precision was developed. The TPI's novel design is a modified Michelson interferometer that incorporates an aspherical converging lens in the target arm to transform it from a relative to an absolute positioning device, having a single unambiguity point in space. The high positioning accuracy is also achieved by a numerical fringe analysis algorithm that maximizes the extraction of signals with high signal-to-noise ratio, in an optimized timeframe. The development of a fast algorithm is crucial to make the TPI a viable solution for its implementation in a laser-based ion accelerator.The second part of the work is focused on enhancing the acceleration mechanism to generate higher ion numbers and kinetic energies, leading to more intense ion bunches. The solid targets used are typically flat metallic targets which allow for less than 10% of laser energy absorption, thereby limiting the laser-to-ion conversion efficiency to a few percent. A way to increase this conversion efficiency is by using target surface nanostructuration to trap the incoming laser pulse, ultimately leading to a greater energy transfer to the ions. We have shown, both theoretically and experimentally, that a careful optimization of a nanostructure's geometrical parameters, in particular for nanospheres and nanowires, leads to multiple-fold enhancements of ion numbers and kinetic energies, compared to the use of the same laser pulse incident on flat targets of the same material.The final part of the work is dedicated to the development of efficient particle diagnostics suitable for being implemented on high repetition-rate laser-based ion beamlines. We first performed the absolute number calibration of the new EBT-XD type of radiochromic films (RCF). The EBT-XD exhibit larger dose detection range and higher minimum energy threshold compared to their EBT3 counterpart, hence more suitable for intense ion beamlines. A severe response quenching was remarked when the Bragg peak of the measured particle falls directly within the active layer of the RCF, causing significant particle number misestimation errors. Finally, we have developed a Thomson Parabola (TP) and Time-of-Flight cross-calibrated set of particle diagnostics that were incorporated on the ALLS 100 TW ion beamline. The TP spectrometer uses a microchannel plate (MCP) detector that was calibrated from single proton impacts to reconstruct the response function of the MCP detection system.

Download or read book Investigation of Laser driven Particle Acceleration for the Development of Tunable Ion Sources for Applications in High Energy Density Science written by Raspberry Simpson and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the innovation of chirped pulse amplification by Donna Strickland and Gerard Morou in 1985, laser technology has evolved such that we can create short pulses of light (10−15 − 10−12 seconds) with high peak powers (1015 Watts) in small, focused spots (∼a few microns). A prolific area of research that has emerged over the last two decades is the use of these high-intensity lasers to drive particle beams. Possible applications of these particle sources include isotope production for medical applications, proton cancer therapy, and fusion energy schemes. This thesis focuses on laser-driven proton acceleration and adds to the existing foundation of work in the area by investigating new empirical relationships, conducting new measurements of the accelerating electric field responsible for laser-driven proton acceleration, and developing a new data analysis methodology using machine learning. This work first examines laser-driven proton acceleration in the multi-picosecond regime (>1ps) at laser intensities of 1017 - 1019 W/cm2. This is motivated by recent results on laser platforms like the National Ignition Facility-Advanced Radiographic Capability laser and the OMEGA-Extended Performance laser, which have demonstrated enhanced accelerated proton energies when compared to established scaling laws. A detailed scaling study was performed on the Titan laser, which provided the basis for a new analytical scaling presented in this thesis. In addition, high-repetition-rate (HRR) lasers that can operate at 1 Hz or faster are now coming online around the world, opening a myriad of opportunities for accelerating the rate of learning on laser-driven particle experiments. To unlock these applications, HRR diagnostics combined with real-time analysis tools must be developed to process experimental measurements and outputs at HRR. Towards this goal, this thes is presents a novel automated data analysis framework based on machine learning and proposes a new methodology based on representation learning to integrate heterogeneous data constrain parameters that are not directly measurable. Taken together, these thrusts enable a new preliminary framework for enhanced analysis of complex HRR experiments and a foundational step towards realizing the goal of tunable laser-driven particle sources.

Download or read book Studies of Ion Acceleration from Thin Solid density Targets on High intensity Lasers written by Christopher R. Willis and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades, a number of experiments have been performed demonstrating the acceleration of ions from the interaction of an intense laser pulse with a thin, solid density target. These ions are accelerated by quasi-static electric fields generated by energetic electrons produced at the front of the target, resulting in ion energies up to tens of MeV. These ions have been widely studied for a variety of potential applications ranging from treatment of cancer to the production of neutrons for advanced radiography techniques. However, realization of these applications will require further optimization of the maximum energy, spectrum, or species of the accelerated ions, which has been a primary focus of research to date. This thesis presents two experiments designed to optimize several characteristics of the accelerated ion beam. The first of these experiments took place on the GHOST laser system at the University of Texas at Austin, and was designed to demonstrate reliable acceleration of deuterium ions, as needed for the most efficient methods of neutron generation from accelerated ions. This experiment leveraged cryogenically cooled targets coated in D2O ice to suppress the protons which typically dominate the accelerated ions, producing as many as 2 x 10^10 deuterium ions per 1 J laser shot, exceeding the proton yield by an average ratio of 5:1. The second major experiment in this work was performed on the Scarlet laser system at The Ohio State University, and studied the accelerated ion energy, yield, and spatial distribution as a function of the target thickness. In principle, the peak energy increases with decreasing target thickness, with the thinnest targets accessing additional acceleration mechanisms which provide favorable scaling with the laser intensity. However, laser prepulse characteristics provide a lower bound for the target thickness, yielding an optimum target thickness for ion acceleration which is dependent on the laser system. This experiment utilized new liquid crystal film targets developed at OSU, which may be formed at variable thicknesses from tens of nanometers to several microns. On this experiment, an optimum ion energy and flux was reached for targets of 600-900 nm, providing a peak proton energy of 24 MeV, and total ion flux of >10^9 protons over 3.4 MeV from 5.5 J of laser energy at an intensity of 1 x 10^20 W/cm^2. The primary ion diagnostics for these two experiments are described in detail, including the analysis techniques needed to extract absolutely calibrated spatial and spectral distributions of the accelerated ions. Additionally, a new technique for target alignment is presented, providing repeatable target alignment on the micron scale. This allows for a repeatable laser intensity on target, allowing improved shot to shot consistency on high intensity experiments. In addition to these two experiments, work on the upgrade and characterization of the 400 TW Scarlet laser is discussed, including several calculations critical to the design and upgrade of the laser system, as well as prepulse characterization needed for experiments on thin targets.

Download or read book Mechanism and Control of High intensity laser driven Ion Acceleration written by Teh Lin and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Laser driven ION Acceleration written by David C. Carroll and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Detector Development Source Characterization and Novel Applications of Laser Ion Acceleration written by Lovisa Senje and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Laser Driven Particle Acceleration Towards Radiobiology and Medicine written by Antonio Giulietti and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-05-04 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with the new method of laser-driven acceleration for application to radiation biophysics and medicine. It provides multidisciplinary contributions from world leading scientist in order to assess the state of the art of innovative tools for radiation biology research and medical applications of ionizing radiation. The book contains insightful contributions on highly topical aspects of spatio-temporal radiation biophysics, evolving over several orders of magnitude, typically from femtosecond and sub-micrometer scales. Particular attention is devoted to the emerging technology of laser-driven particle accelerators and their application to spatio-temporal radiation biology and medical physics, customization of non-conventional and selective radiotherapy and optimized radioprotection protocols.

Download or read book Laser plasma Acceleration Proceedings of the International School of Physics Enrico Fermi Varenna on Lake Como Villa Monastero 20 25 June 2011 written by Fernando Ferroni and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Impressive progress has been made in the field of laser-plasma acceleration in the last decade, with outstanding achievements from both experimental and theoretical viewpoints. Closely exploiting the development of ultra-intense, ultrashort pulse lasers, laser-plasma acceleration has developed rapidly, achieving accelerating gradients of the order of tens of GeV/m, and making the prospect of miniature accelerators a more realistic possibility.This book presents the lectures delivered at the Enrico Fermi International School of Physics and summer school: 'Laser-Plasma Acceleration', held in Varenna, Italy, in June 2011.

Download or read book Target Technology for Laser driven Ion Acceleration written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: