Laser driven ion acceleration and limiting factors

by Domenico Doria (ELI-NP)

Monday 24 Sept 2018, 10:00 → 11:00 Europe/Bucharest

Big Meeting Room

Laser-driven ion acceleration is an area receiving increasing interest in
fundamental research due to the continuous progress in high power laser
and in targetry technology, giving new insights into the acceleration
mechanisms and expanding the possibilities of application to
interdisciplinary fields. Research in this area is also motivated by
applicative prospects in fields ranging from Highenergy-density physics to
biology and medicine, neutron production and nuclear physics. Until
recently, most experimental research has been interpreted in terms of the
Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) mechanism, where ions are
accelerated by space charge fields generated at the rear surface of the
target by relativistic electrons; while the Radiation Pressure
Acceleration (RPA) mechanism remains still not adequately explored. This
talk will give a light overview both on the acceleration mechanisms and on
the properties of the laseraccelerated ion beams. Most of the talk will
focus on the theoretical and experimental issues related to
laser-acceleration. Finally, the potentiality of the 10PW ELI-NP laser in
accelerating ions will be briefly examined.