Laser-based proton acceleration on ultrathin foil with a 100-TW-class high intensity laser system

Abstract

Focusing a high intensity laser pulse, onto a thin foil target generates a plasma and energetic proton and ion beams from the target rear and front sides, propagating along the target normal. Such laser produced collimated and energetic protons beams are of high interest because of the wide range of applications: ion based fast ignitor schemes, probing of electromagnetic fields in plasma, isotopes production or hadron therapy. The 100 TW class laser system at the Advanced Laser Light Source facility, is used with an intensity close to 1019 W/cm2, to study protons acceleration with femtosecond laser pulses, ultra thin foil target and high contrast laser pulse ratio. To characterize the plasma expansion, we monitor it with an imaging technique using a femtosecond laser probe. In this configuration we were able to reach a proton critical energy of 12 MeV and to work with target foil thickness as small as 15 nm.