TERESA Target Area at ELI Beamlines

Maksym Tryus,Josef Cupal,Vasiliki Kantarelou,Michal Nevrkla,Karel Majer,Filip Grepl,Muhammad Fahad Nawaz,Davorin Peceli,Petr Szotkowski,Daniel Kramer,L Giuffrida ,F Schillaci ,G Grittani ,J Pšikal ,Leonardo V Goncalves ,C M Lazzarini ,Jonathan T Green ,A Velyhan ,L Koubíková ,S Buck ,Valeriia Istokskaia ,B Rus ,S Stanček ,Jack A Naylon ,J Weiss ,M Žáková ,T Levato ,G Korn ,T V Chagovets ,D Margarone

doi:10.3390/qubs4040037

Abstract

The TERESA (TEstbed for high REpetition-rate Sources of Accelerated particles) target area, recently commissioned with the L3-HAPLS laser at Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI)-Beamlines, is presented. Its key technological sections (vacuum and control systems, laser parameters and laser beam transport up to the target) are described, along with an overview of the available plasma diagnostics and targetry, tested at relativistic laser intensities. Perspectives of the TERESA laser–plasma experimental area at ELI-Beamlines are briefly discussed.

Highlights

Laser-driven particle acceleration is a new rapidly evolving field of physics, due to the continuing development of high-power laser systems, that allows researchers to study the interaction of ultrahigh laser intensities (>1019 W/cm2) with matter
Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI)-Beamlines in the Czech Republic is one of the ELI pillars, which will deliver secondary sources to users, thanks to the cutting edge diode-pumped laser technologies, which will provide a peak power of 1 PW (30 J/30 fs/10 Hz) and as high as 10 PW (1.5 kJ/150 fs/0.01 Hz) [4,5,6,7]
Additional operation scenarios of the TERESA target area include: optimization of plasma source parameters; study of laser–plasma interaction with over-critical and sub-critical density targets; ion irradiation of secondary targets of interest for ultrahigh dose rate radiobiology, cultural heritage and nuclear physics; functional tests of user equipment with the L3-HAPLS laser at the Joule level and at high repetition rate, prior to its installation in the experimental beamlines/platforms where L3-HAPLS will be mainly used at the petawatt level

Summary

Introduction

Laser-driven particle acceleration is a new rapidly evolving field of physics, due to the continuing development of high-power laser systems, that allows researchers to study the interaction of ultrahigh laser intensities (>1019 W/cm2) with matter. ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) is the largest photonic project worldwide It aims at offering secondary radiation and particle sources, generated by ultrahigh intensity laser-matter interaction, to a broad international user community, both for basic and applied science. Additional operation scenarios of the TERESA target area include: optimization of plasma source parameters (via target choice and fine-tuning of the laser features on target); study of laser–plasma interaction with over-critical and sub-critical density targets (pre-plasma expansion, laser absorption, transmission and back-reflection, plasma self-emission, etc.); ion irradiation of secondary targets of interest (user samples) for ultrahigh dose rate radiobiology, cultural heritage and nuclear physics; functional tests of user equipment with the L3-HAPLS laser at the Joule level and at high repetition rate, prior to its installation in the experimental beamlines/platforms where L3-HAPLS will be mainly used at the petawatt level

Vacuum and Control Systems

Findings

Laser Parameters and Beam Transport