36 research outputs found
Spectral and spatial shaping of laser-driven proton beams using a pulsed high-field magnet beamline
Intense laser-driven proton pulses, inherently broadband and highly
divergent, pose a challenge to established beamline concepts on the path to
application-adapted irradiation field formation, particularly for 3D. Here we
experimentally show the successful implementation of a highly efficient (50%
transmission) and tuneable dual pulsed solenoid setup to generate a homogeneous
(8.5% uniformity laterally and in depth) volumetric dose distribution
(cylindrical volume of 5 mm diameter and depth) at a single pulse dose of 0.7
Gy via multi-energy slice selection from the broad input spectrum. The
experiments have been conducted at the Petawatt beam of the Dresden Laser
Acceleration Source Draco and were aided by a predictive simulation model
verified by proton transport studies. With the characterised beamline we
investigated manipulation and matching of lateral and depth dose profiles to
various desired applications and targets. Using a specifically adapted dose
profile, we successfully performed first proof-of-concept laser-driven proton
irradiation studies of volumetric in-vivo normal tissue (zebrafish embryos) and
in-vitro tumour tissue (SAS spheroids) samples.Comment: Submitted to Scientific Report
Recommended from our members
Observation of Ultrafast Solid-Density Plasma Dynamics Using Femtosecond X-Ray Pulses from a Free-Electron Laser
The complex physics of the interaction between short-pulse ultrahigh-intensity lasers and solids is so far difficult to access experimentally, and the development of compact laser-based next-generation secondary radiation sources, e.g., for tumor therapy, laboratory astrophysics, and fusion, is hindered by the lack of diagnostic capabilities to probe the complex electron dynamics and competing instabilities. At present, the fundamental plasma dynamics that occur at the nanometer and femtosecond scales during the laser-solid interaction can only be elucidated by simulations. Here we show experimentally that small-angle x-ray scattering of femtosecond x-ray free-electron laser pulses facilitates new capabilities for direct in situ characterization of intense short-pulse laser-plasma interactions at solid density that allows simultaneous nanometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution, directly verifying numerical simulations of the electron density dynamics during the short-pulse high-intensity laser irradiation of a solid density target. For laser-driven grating targets, we measure the solid density plasma expansion and observe the generation of a transient grating structure in front of the preinscribed grating, due to plasma expansion. The density maxima are interleaved, forming a double frequency grating in x-ray free-electron laser projection for a short time, which is a hitherto unknown effect. We expect that our results will pave the way for novel time-resolved studies, guiding the development of future laser-driven particle and photon sources from solid targets
Observation of ultrafast solid-density plasma dynamics using femtosecond X-ray pulses from a free-electron laser
The complex physics of the interaction between short pulse high intensity
lasers and solids is so far hardly accessible by experiments. As a result of
missing experimental capabilities to probe the complex electron dynamics and
competing instabilities, this impedes the development of compact laser-based
next generation secondary radiation sources, e.g. for tumor therapy
[Bulanov2002,ledingham2007], laboratory-astrophysics
[Remington1999,Bulanov2015], and fusion [Tabak2014]. At present, the
fundamental plasma dynamics that occur at the nanometer and femtosecond scales
during the laser-solid interaction can only be elucidated by simulations. Here
we show experimentally that small angle X-ray scattering of femtosecond X-ray
free-electron laser pulses facilitates new capabilities for direct in-situ
characterization of intense short-pulse laser plasma interaction at solid
density that allows simultaneous nanometer spatial and femtosecond temporal
resolution, directly verifying numerical simulations of the electron density
dynamics during the short pulse high intensity laser irradiation of a solid
density target. For laser-driven grating targets, we measure the solid density
plasma expansion and observe the generation of a transient grating structure in
front of the pre-inscribed grating, due to plasma expansion, which is an
hitherto unknown effect. We expect that our results will pave the way for novel
time-resolved studies, guiding the development of future laser-driven particle
and photon sources from solid targets
Visualizing Ultrafast Kinetic Instabilities in Laser-Driven Solids using X-ray Scattering
Ultra-intense lasers that ionize and accelerate electrons in solids to near
the speed of light can lead to kinetic instabilities that alter the laser
absorption and subsequent electron transport, isochoric heating, and ion
acceleration. These instabilities can be difficult to characterize, but a novel
approach using X-ray scattering at keV energies allows for their visualization
with femtosecond temporal resolution on the few nanometer mesoscale. Our
experiments on laser-driven flat silicon membranes show the development of
structure with a dominant scale of ~60\unit{nm} in the plane of the laser
axis and laser polarization, and ~95\unit{nm} in the vertical direction with
a growth rate faster than . Combining the XFEL experiments
with simulations provides a complete picture of the structural evolution of
ultra-fast laser-induced instability development, indicating the excitation of
surface plasmons and the growth of a new type of filamentation instability.
These findings provide new insight into the ultra-fast instability processes in
solids under extreme conditions at the nanometer level with important
implications for inertial confinement fusion and laboratory astrophysics
I-BEAT: Ultrasonic method for online measurement of the energy distribution of a single ion bunch
The shape of a wave carries all information about the spatial and temporal structure of its source, given that the medium and its properties are known. Most modern imaging methods seek to utilize this nature of waves originating from Huygens' principle. We discuss the retrieval of the complete kinetic energy distribution from the acoustic trace that is recorded when a short ion bunch deposits its energy in water. This novel method, which we refer to as Ion-Bunch Energy Acoustic Tracing (I-BEAT), is a refinement of the ionoacoustic approach. With its capability of completely monitoring a single, focused proton bunch with prompt readout and high repetition rate, I-BEAT is a promising approach to meet future requirements of experiments and applications in the field of laser-based ion acceleration. We demonstrate its functionality at two laser-driven ion sources for quantitative online determination of the kinetic energy distribution in the focus of single proton bunches
Laser produced electromagnetic pulses : Generation, detection and mitigation
This paper provides an up-to-date review of the problems related to the generation, detection and mitigation of strong electromagnetic pulses created in the interaction of high-power, high-energy laser pulses with different types of solid targets. It includes new experimental data obtained independently at several international laboratories. The mechanisms of electromagnetic field generation are analyzed and considered as a function of the intensity and the spectral range of emissions they produce. The major emphasis is put on the gHz frequency domain, which is the most damaging for electronics and may have important applications. The physics of electromagnetic emissions in other spectral domains, in particular THz and MHz, is also discussed. The theoretical models and numerical simulations are compared with the results of experimental measurements, with special attention to the methodology of measurements and complementary diagnostics. Understanding the underlying physical processes is the basis for developing techniques to mitigate the electromagnetic threat and to harness electromagnetic emissions, which may have promising applications
Example Dataset from a Laser Ion Beam Accelearation Experiment for the Lecture on Research Software Engineering
The dataset is an example experiment with images and metadata from the Laser-driven Ion Acceleration at HZDR from 2019-08-29. The dataset is used for the lecture on research Software Engineering (RSE) at Technische Universität Dresden.Example Dataset from a Laser Ion Beam Accelearation Experiment for the Lecture on Research Software Engineering is licensed under Attribution 4.0 Internationa