Stable laser-acceleration of high-flux proton beams with plasma collimation

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Particle Acceleration

Background:

• Laser-plasma acceleration offers compact, ultra-fast proton beams for medicine, industry, and science.
• A key challenge is generating stable, collimated proton beams at high repetition rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a new method for generating stable, low-divergence proton beams using laser-plasma acceleration.
• To overcome the limitations of existing proton beam sources.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a fast-replenishing ambient-temperature liquid sheet as the target.
• Employed laser-plasma acceleration to generate multi-MeV proton beams.
• Observed magnetic self-guiding during propagation through a low-density vapor.

Main Results:

• Generated multi-MeV proton beams with unprecedentedly low divergence (1°).
• Achieved high repetition rates (5 Hz) with low laser energy (190 mJ).
• Demonstrated a hundred-fold increase in proton flux compared to solid targets.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides a stable, high-flux, low-divergence proton beam source.
• This represents a significant advancement towards practical applications of laser-plasma acceleration.
• The technique is suitable for high repetition rate operation.