Investigations of Field Dynamics in Laser Plasmas with Proton Imaging

Beschreibung

Laser driven proton beams are still in their infancy but already have some outstanding attributes compared to those from conventional accelerators. One such attribute is the typically low beam emittance. This allows excellent resolution in imaging applications like proton radiography. In the thesis by Thomas Sokollik a novel imaging technique - the proton streak camera - was developed and first used to measure both the spatial and temporal evolution of ultra-strong electrical fields in laser-driven plasmas. Such investigations are of paramount importance for the understanding of laser-plasma interactions and, thus, for optimization of laser driven particle acceleration. In particular, the present work investigated micrometer-sized spherical targets after laser irradiation. The confined geometry of plasmas and fields was found to influence the kinetic energy and spatial distribution of accelerated ions. This could be shown both in experimental radiography images and and in numerical simulations, one of which was selected for the cover page of Physical Review Letters.
Laser-driven proton beams are still in their infancy but already have some outstanding attributes compared to those produced in conventional accelerators. One such attribute is the typically low beam emittance. This allows excellent resolution in imaging applications like proton radiography. This thesis describes a novel imaging technique - the proton streak camera - that the author developed and first used to measure both the spatial and temporal evolution of ultra-strong electrical fields in laser-driven plasmas. Such investigations are of paramount importance for the understanding of laser-plasma interactions and, thus, for optimization of laser-driven particle acceleration. In particular, the present work investigated micrometer-sized spherical targets after laser irradiation. The confined geometry of plasmas and fields was found to influence the kinetic energy and spatial distribution of accelerated ions. This could be shown both in experimental radiography images and and in numerical simulations, one of which was selected for the cover page of Physical Review Letters.
Develops and applies a novel imaging technique: The proton streak camera - Contributes to improvement of laser-driven particle acceleration - Nominated as an outstanding contribution by the Max Born Institute, Berlin Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autor*in

Thomas Sokollik

Themen in »Investigations of Field Dynamics in Laser Plasmas with Proton Imaging«

Laser driven ion acceleration Mass-Limited targets Proton deflectometry Proton imaging Proton streak camera

Stimmen zu »Investigations of Field Dynamics in Laser Plasmas with Proton Imaging«

Details

Link teilen