368 research outputs found
Helium-3 and Helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy
The laser driven acceleration of ions is considered a promising candidate for
an ion source for hadron therapy of oncological diseases. Though proton and
carbon ion sources are conventionally used for therapy, other light ions can
also be utilized. Whereas carbon ions require 400 MeV per nucleon to reach the
same penetration depth as 250 MeV protons, helium ions require only 250 MeV per
nucleon, which is the lowest energy per nucleon among the light ions. This fact
along with the larger biological damage to cancer cells achieved by helium
ions, than that by protons, makes this species an interesting candidate for the
laser driven ion source. Two mechanisms (Magnetic Vortex Acceleration and
hole-boring Radiation Pressure Acceleration) of PW-class laser driven ion
acceleration from liquid and gaseous helium targets are studied with the goal
of producing 250 MeV per nucleon helium ion beams that meet the hadron therapy
requirements. We show that He3 ions, having almost the same penetration depth
as He4 with the same energy per nucleon, require less laser power to be
accelerated to the required energy for the hadron therapy.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
A high-intensity laser-based positron source
Plasma based acceleration is considered a promising concept for the next
generation of linear electron-positron colliders. Despite the great progress
achieved over last twenty years in laser technology, laser and beam driven
particle acceleration, and special target availability, positron acceleration
remains significantly underdeveloped if compared to electron acceleration. This
is due to both the specifics of the plasma-based acceleration, and the lack of
adequate positron sources tailored for the subsequent plasma based
acceleration. Here a positron source based on the collision of a high energy
electron beam with a high intensity laser pulse is proposed. The source relies
on the subsequent multi-photon Compton and Breit-Wheeleer processes to generate
an electron-positron pair out of a high energy photon emitted by an electron.
Due to the strong dependence of the Breit-Wheeler process rate on photon energy
and field strength, positrons are created with low divergence in a small volume
around the peak of the laser pulse. The resulting low emittance in the
submicron range potentially makes such positron source interesting for collider
applications.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 2 table
Radiative Losses in Plasma Accelerators
We investigate the dynamics of a relativistic electron in a strongly
nonlinear plasma wave in terms of classical mechanics by taking into account
the action of the radiative reaction force. The two limiting cases are
considered. In the first case where the energy of the accelerated electrons is
low, the electron makes many betatron oscillations during the acceleration. In
the second case where the energy of the accelerated electrons is high, the
betatron oscillation period is longer than the electron residence time in the
accelerating phase. We show that the force of radiative friction can severely
limit the rate of electron acceleration in a plasma accelerator.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
On the design of experiments to study extreme field limits
We propose experiments on the collision of high intensity electromagnetic
pulses with electron bunches and on the collision of multiple electromagnetic
pulses for studying extreme field limits in the nonlinear interaction of
electromagnetic waves. The effects of nonlinear QED will be revealed in these
laser plasma experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; 15th Advanced Accelerator Concepts
Workshop (AAC 2012), Austin, Texas, 10-15 June, 201
Laser acceleration of ion beams
We consider methods of charged particle acceleration by means of
high-intensity lasers. As an application we discuss a laser booster for heavy
ion beams provided, e.g. by the Dubna nuclotron. Simple estimates show that a
cascade of crossed laser beams would be necessary to provide additional
acceleration to gold ions of the order of GeV/nucleon.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Talk at the Helmholtz International Summer School
"Dense Matter in heavy Ion Collisions and Astrophysics", August 21 -
September 1, 2006, JINR Dubna, Russia; v2, misprints correcte
Excitation of nonlinear two-dimensional wake waves in radially-nonuniform plasma
It is shown that an undesirable curvature of the wave front of
two-dimensional nonlinear wake wave excited in uniform plasma by a relativistic
charged bunch or laser pulse may be compensated by radial change of the
equilibrium plasma density.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
On production and asymmetric focusing of flat electron beams using rectangular capillary discharge plasmas
A method for the asymmetric focusing of electron bunches, based on the active
plasma lensing technique is proposed. This method takes advantage of the strong
inhomogeneous magnetic field generated inside the capillary discharge plasma to
focus the ultrarelativistic electrons. The plasma and magnetic field parameters
inside the capillary discharge are described theoretically and modeled with
dissipative magnetohydrodynamic computer simulations enabling analysis of the
capillaries of rectangle cross-sections. Large aspect ratio rectangular
capillaries might be used to transport electron beams with high emittance
asymmetries, as well as assist in forming spatially flat electron bunches for
final focusing before the interaction point.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl
Laser beam coupling with capillary discharge plasma for laser wakefield acceleration applications
One of the most robust methods, demonstrated up to date, of accelerating
electron beams by laser-plasma sources is the utilization of plasma channels
generated by the capillary discharges. These channels, i.e., plasma columns
with a minimum density along the laser pulse propagation axis, may optically
guide short laser pulses, thereby increasing the acceleration length, leading
to a more efficient electron acceleration. Although the spatial structure of
the installation is simple in principle, there may be some important effects
caused by the open ends of the capillary, by the supplying channels etc., which
require a detailed 3D modeling of the processes taking place in order to get a
detailed understanding and improve the operation. However, the discharge
plasma, being one of the most crucial components of the laser-plasma
accelerator, is not simulated with the accuracy and resolution required to
advance this promising technology. In the present work, such simulations are
performed using the code MARPLE. First, the process of the capillary filling
with a cold hydrogen before the discharge is fired, through the side supply
channels is simulated. The main goal of this simulation is to get a spatial
distribution of the filling gas in the region near the open ends of the
capillary. A realistic geometry is used for this and the next stage
simulations, including the insulators, the supplying channels as well as the
electrodes. Second, the simulation of the capillary discharge is performed with
the goal to obtain a time-dependent spatial distribution of the electron
density near the open ends of the capillary as well as inside the capillary.
Finally, to evaluate effectiveness of the beam coupling with the channeling
plasma wave guide and electron acceleration, modeling of laser-plasma
interaction was performed with the code INF&RNOComment: 11 pages, 9 figure
- …