Novel approach to laser-driven multi-stage particle accelerator
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Mathematics and Physics
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 ingeniously 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 project aims to unlock the full potential of the technique in a multi-stage scenario in order to control and improve upon the proton beam parameters. Similar to current trend in developing laser-driven, multistage electron accelerators, this scheme will pave the way towards miniature, modular ion accelerators to deliver beams for widespread applications in science, industry and healthcare.
The experimental programme involves, amongst other things, the use of high power (100s TW - PW) lasers to develop further the techniques towards control and optimisation of the laser driven proton beam parameters. Experiments will be carried out not only in the in-house TARANIS laser facility but also at external large-scale facilities both within and outside the UK. The successful candidate will work in a small/moderate team including PhD students and researchers from collaborating institutions.
The experimental programme involves, amongst other things, the use of high power (100s TW - PW) lasers to develop further the techniques towards control and optimisation of the laser driven proton beam parameters. Experiments will be carried out not only in the in-house TARANIS laser facility but also at external large-scale facilities both within and outside the UK. The successful candidate will work in a small/moderate team including PhD students and researchers from collaborating institutions.
Organisations
Publications
Ahmed H
(2021)
High energy implementation of coil-target scheme for guided re-acceleration of laser-driven protons.
in Scientific reports
Ferguson S
(2023)
Dual stage approach to laser-driven helical coil proton acceleration
in New Journal of Physics
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509541/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1782782 | Studentship | EP/N509541/1 | 01/10/2017 | 31/03/2021 | Simon Ferguson |
| Description | Experimental campaigns at the Jupiter Laser Facility in California USA and the Central Laser Facility in Oxford UK have indicated the viability of an all optical approach to multi stage laser driven ion acceleration. The experiments were centred upon a miniature modular structures (helical coils) which manipulate the original ion beam from the laser interaction into one more suitable for hadron-therapy applications. In the experiments a linear double stage design was investigated to address the problem of unsuitably low ion energies for potential applications. The experimental data reveals that the second stage increases ion energy beyond that of a single stage, retaining the desired ion beam properties of first stage. Supporting simulations demonstrate that the ion energy that experiences efficient acceleration in the second stage is highly dependent on the temporal duration between the laser irradiation of the first and second stages, thus the charging of the helical coil in the stages. This provides a method to control the output energy of the linear double stage ion accelerator and may be of use in applications. |
| Exploitation Route | The main outstanding issues are repetition rate and energy gain. Firstly, the modules employed experimentally operate in a single shot cycle and the process is restricted by a long turnaround time. One possible solution is separating the accelerating modules from the ion generating source in order to reuse modules multiple times. Secondly, the energies achieved are below even the lowest required for hadron-therapy applications. One way to address this issue is to manipulate the structure of the helical coil within the module to increase the energy gain of each module. However, the energy gain is ultimately limited by the electric field formed in the helical coil by the discharge current from the laser irradiation. Increasing this discharge current would be most beneficial to increasing the electric field strength and subsequently the energy gain in a helical coil module. |
| Sectors | Energy,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Other |