Abstract
All-optical approaches to particle acceleration are currently attracting a significant research effort internationally. Key to the interest in a laser based particle accelerator lies in its cost effective and compactness. However, the ion beams accelerated by the laser-driven mechanisms have shortcomings such as a broad energy spectrum and large beam divergence. A recently developed concept of a versatile, miniature linear accelerating module harnesses the extremely high electromagnetic pulses produced by the interaction of intense lasers, and achieves simultaneous focusing, energy selection and post-acceleration of the proton beams. The process boosts the energy of the ions accelerated from the foil, through the application of a large amplitude field within a helical coil, which travels synchronously with the ions. This process lends itself to multi-staging, i.e. the sequential application of laser-driven accelerating fields, which is highly promising for significant increase of the accelerated proton energies. The project aims to develop this multi-stage approach which is totally new in the context of laser-driven protons, and can pave the way towards miniature, modular ion accelerators providing beams suitable for medical, scientific and industrial applications.Thesis embargoed until 31 December 2026.
Date of Award | Dec 2021 |
---|---|
Original language | English |
Awarding Institution |
|
Sponsors | UKRI Unspecified |
Supervisor | Satyabrata Kar (Supervisor) & Marco Borghesi (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- Laser ion acceleration
- helical coil