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- Title
All-optical structuring of laser-driven proton beam profiles.
- Authors
Obst-Huebl, Lieselotte; Ziegler, Tim; Brack, Florian-Emanuel; Branco, João; Bussmann, Michael; Cowan, Thomas E.; Curry, Chandra B.; Fiuza, Frederico; Garten, Marco; Gauthier, Maxence; Göde, Sebastian; Glenzer, Siegfried H.; Huebl, Axel; Irman, Arie; Kim, Jongjin B.; Kluge, Thomas; Kraft, Stephan D.; Kroll, Florian; Metzkes-Ng, Josefine; Pausch, Richard
- Abstract
Extreme field gradients intrinsic to relativistic laser-interactions with thin solid targets enable compact MeV proton accelerators with unique bunch characteristics. Yet, direct control of the proton beam profile is usually not possible. Here we present a readily applicable all-optical approach to imprint detailed spatial information from the driving laser pulse onto the proton bunch. In a series of experiments, counter-intuitively, the spatial profile of the energetic proton bunch was found to exhibit identical structures as the fraction of the laser pulse passing around a target of limited size. Such information transfer between the laser pulse and the naturally delayed proton bunch is attributed to the formation of quasi-static electric fields in the beam path by ionization of residual gas. Essentially acting as a programmable memory, these fields provide access to a higher level of proton beam manipulation. Shaping particle beams generated from laser-plasma accelerators is challenging. Here the authors demonstrate an all-optical method to structure the accelerated proton beam by modulating and imprinting the spatial laser profile onto the proton beam.
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2018, Vol 9, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-018-07756-z