Compact Plasma Accelerators for Science and Society

by Olle Lundh (Department of Physics, Lund University, Sweden)

Wednesday Dec 13, 2023, 11:00 AM → 1:00 PM Europe/Bucharest

IFIN-HH/ELI-NP Training and Conference Center

Plasma accelerators offer the potential for significantly higher acceleration gradients in a more compact size, promising breakthroughs in particle acceleration technology with applications in research, industry, and medicine. Relativistic laser-plasma interactions provide exciting opportunities for tunability and control of plasma accelerators. Recent experiments at Lund University focus on optimizing electron acceleration and x-ray emission and their emerging applications. Several schemes for controlling the energy, energy spread, and number of accelerated electrons are studied and compared. Combining two separate plasma sources, allows generation of low divergence x-ray pencil beams. We also explore the opportunities of using laser-plasma accelerators for applications in confined spaces, such as industrial and medical settings. In the field medical technology, the work involves using magnetically focused, laser-accelerated electrons with energies up to 160 MeV for precise dose deposition in fractionated stereotactic high-energy radiotherapy, potentially improving treatment outcomes. Furthermore, X-rays from laser-plasma accelerators are used to explore the 3D structure of fuel injection sprays. This technique allows for simultaneous optical fluorescence measurements, which provide valuable insights into various spray systems, including those for

clean-combustion biofuels.

Poster