Accelerating protons to therapeutic energies with ultraintense, ultraclean, and ultrashort laser pulses

Bulanov, S. S.; Brantov, A. V.; Bychenkov, V. Yu.; Chvykov, V.; Kalinchenko, G.; Matsuoka, Takeshi; Rousseau, P.; Reed, Stephen A.; Yanovsky, V.; Krushelnick, K.; Litzenberg, Dale W.; Maksimchuk, A.

doi:10.1118/1.2900112

Cited by 109 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Collisionless shocks have been studied for many decades, mainly in the context of space and astrophysics [1][2][3][4]. Recently, shock acceleration raised significant interest in the quest for a laser-based ion acceleration scheme due to an experimentally demonstrated high beam quality [5][6][7][8].Interpenetrating plasma slabs of hot electrons and cold ions are acting to set up the electrostatic fields via longitudinal plasma instabilities. The lighter electrons leaving the denser regions are held back by the electric fields, which pull the ions.…”

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confidence: 99%

Electromagnetic Field Generation in the Downstream of Electrostatic Shocks Due to Electron Trapping

et al. 2014

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A new magnetic field generation mechanism in electrostatic shocks is found, which can produce fields with magnetic energy density as high as 0.01 of the kinetic energy density of the flows on time scales ∼10 4 ω −1 pe . Electron trapping during the shock formation process creates a strong temperature anisotropy in the distribution function, giving rise to the pure Weibel instability. The generated magnetic field is well confined to the downstream region of the electrostatic shock. The shock formation process is not modified, and the features of the shock front responsible for ion acceleration, which are currently probed in laserplasma laboratory experiments, are maintained. However, such a strong magnetic field determines the particle trajectories downstream and has the potential to modify the signatures of the collisionless shock. Collisionless shocks have been studied for many decades, mainly in the context of space and astrophysics [1][2][3][4]. Recently, shock acceleration raised significant interest in the quest for a laser-based ion acceleration scheme due to an experimentally demonstrated high beam quality [5][6][7][8].Interpenetrating plasma slabs of hot electrons and cold ions are acting to set up the electrostatic fields via longitudinal plasma instabilities. The lighter electrons leaving the denser regions are held back by the electric fields, which pull the ions. Particles are trapped in the associated electrostatic potential, which steepens and eventually reaches a quasisteady-state collisionless electrostatic shock. Most of the theoretical work dates back to the 1970s [9-13] relying on the pseudo-Sagdeev potential [14] and progress has been mainly triggered by kinetic simulations [15][16][17][18].The short formation time scales and the one dimensionality of the problem make it easily accessible with theory and computer simulations. However, long time shock evolution was often one dimensional or electrostatic codes were used, and the role of electromagnetic modes was mostly neglected. More advanced multidimensional simulations have shown the importance of electromagnetic modes also in this context, due to transverse modes which are excited on the ion time scale [19,20]. We show that in the case of very high electron temperatures associated with the formation of electrostatic shocks [21], electromagnetic modes become important on electron time scales, creating strong magnetic fields in the downstream of the shock.With the increase in laser energy and intensity, the possibility to drive electrostatic shocks has become important for laboratory experiments of electrostatic shocks. Recent laser-driven shock experiments showed the appearance of an electromagnetic field structure [22][23][24], which was attributed to the ion-filamentation instability [25] that evolves on time scales of ten thousands of the inverse electron plasma frequency, ω −1 pe . As a main outcome of this Letter, we show that these structures can already be seeded and produced on tens of ω −1 pe and remain in a quasisteady state over t...

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Electromagnetic Field Generation in the Downstream of Electrostatic Shocks Due to Electron Trapping

et al. 2014

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“…There are also several mechanisms that through either modification or combination of some of the basic regimes enhance the maximum ion energy, number of accelerated ions, or improve their spectrum. For example, the burn-out-afterburner (BOA) [21], which employs an enhanced TNSA, and directed Coulomb explosion (DCE) [22], which is the combination of RPA and CE, are such composite mechanisms. Also the use of composite targets (consisting of low density and high density parts) was proposed in a number of papers to either inject the ions into accelerating fields or to enhance the interaction of the laser pulse with the high density part of the target [23][24][25].…”

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“…The simulations are performed using code REMP [31]. [22] to be beneficial for enhancing the maximum ion energy. The laser pulse is focused 8λ from the left border with f=D ¼ 2, giving the laser spot size at focus of about 1.5λ.…”

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Helium-3 and helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy

Bulanov

Esarey

Schroeder

et al. 2015

Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams

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The laser driven acceleration of ions is considered a promising candidate for an ion source for hadron therapy of oncological diseases. Though proton and carbon ion sources are conventionally used for therapy, other light ions can also be utilized. Whereas carbon ions require 400 MeV per nucleon to reach the same penetration depth as 250 MeV protons, helium ions require only 250 MeV per nucleon, which is the lowest energy per nucleon among the light ions (heavier than protons). This fact along with the larger biological damage to cancer cells achieved by helium ions, than that by protons, makes this species an interesting candidate for the laser driven ion source. Two mechanisms (magnetic vortex acceleration and hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration) of PW-class laser driven ion acceleration from liquid and gaseous helium targets are studied with the goal of producing 250 MeV per nucleon helium ion beams that meet the hadron therapy requirements. We show that He 3 ions, having almost the same penetration depth as He 4 with the same energy per nucleon, require less laser power to be accelerated to the required energy for the hadron therapy.

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“…There are also several composite mechanisms, which are the either the combinations of basic ones or somehow the enhancement of the basic ones, such as Break-Out-Afterburner (BOA) [25], Shock Wave Acceleration (SWA) [26], Relativistic Transparency (RT) [27], and Directed Coulomb Explosion (DCE) [28]. Also the use of composite targets (low density/high density or two layer -high Z/low Z) was proposed in a number of papers to either inject the ions into accelerating fields, enhance the interaction of the laser pulse with the high density part of the target, mitigate the effect of instabilities, or alter the accelerated ion spectra [29][30][31].…”

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confidence: 99%

Radiation pressure acceleration: The factors limiting maximum attainable ion energy

et al. 2016

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Radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is a highly efficient mechanism of laser-driven ion acceleration, with with near complete transfer of the laser energy to the ions in the relativistic regime. However, there is a fundamental limit on the maximum attainable ion energy, which is determined by the group velocity of the laser. The tightly focused laser pulses have group velocities smaller than the vacuum light speed, and, since they offer the high intensity needed for the RPA regime, it is plausible that group velocity effects would manifest themselves in the experiments involving tightly focused pulses and thin foils. However, in this case, finite spot size effects are important, and another limiting factor, the transverse expansion of the target, may dominate over the group velocity effect. As the laser pulse diffracts after passing the focus, the target expands accordingly due to the transverse intensity profile of the laser. Due to this expansion, the areal density of the target decreases, making it transparent for radiation and effectively terminating the acceleration. The off-normal incidence of the laser on the target, due either to the experimental setup, or to the deformation of the target, will also lead to establishing a limit on maximum ion energy.

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Accelerating protons to therapeutic energies with ultraintense, ultraclean, and ultrashort laser pulses

Cited by 109 publications

References 51 publications

Electromagnetic Field Generation in the Downstream of Electrostatic Shocks Due to Electron Trapping

Electromagnetic Field Generation in the Downstream of Electrostatic Shocks Due to Electron Trapping

Helium-3 and helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy

Radiation pressure acceleration: The factors limiting maximum attainable ion energy

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