Compact high repetition rate Thomson parabola ion spectrometer

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Laser-driven Ion Acceleration
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Characterizing ion beams from high-intensity laser-plasma interactions is crucial for applications.
• Existing diagnostics often struggle with the high repetition rates of modern laser facilities.
• Micro-channel plate systems can introduce nonlinearities and complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact, high-repetition-rate Thomson parabola ion spectrometer.
• To enable robust energy spectra characterization of multi-MeV ion beams.
• To facilitate real-time experimental control for laser-plasma experiments.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a polyvinyl toluene based fast plastic scintillator (EJ-260) for light detection.
• Employing an optical imaging system coupled to a scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera.
• Implementing a modular magnet setup, variable electric field, and adjustable drift distance for energy range selection.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated operation at 0.2 Hz repetition rate, limited by the targeting system.
• Successfully characterized energy spectra of various ion species from laser-produced plasmas (>10^20 W/cm^2).
• Developed a robust data acquisition system avoiding micro-channel plate complexities.

Conclusions:

• The developed spectrometer is a viable diagnostic for high-repetition-rate laser facilities.
• On-the-fly spectral analysis will enable real-time experimental feedback and control.
• This diagnostic advances the characterization capabilities for laser-driven ion acceleration.