Abstract:Industrial quality applications of high-power lasers working at high repetition rates, including laserdriven particle acceleration, will require laser systems capable of operating in a stable and prolonged manner. Several factors can affect this stability, including the environment conditions, such as temperature or humidity, and the progressive heating of the optical components involved. Here we report on the evolution of the main laser parameters for a 45TW system operating at 10 Hz, showing that a significa… Show more
“…Considering that the different parameters of the laser, such as energy, pointing and spatial phase, were not stabilized, the evolution of these parameters could be partially responsible for the observed variability of the ion spectra. Furthermore, the continuous irradiation of the laser results in the heating of the different optical elements along the beamline, which has been shown to rapidly affect the alignment and behaviour of the laser, in turn degrading the stability of the proton beam [ 22 ] .…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Laser-driven proton acceleration using the developed rotating wheel target and automatic alignment procedure has been studied experimentally at 10 Hz using the setup schematically depicted in Figure 4. The experiments were performed utilizing the STELA laser system, hosted at the L2A2 (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela) [ 21 , 22 ] , which provided p-polarized, 800 nm-wavelength pulses at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, containing energies of up to 0.3 J on target, and compressed to a duration of approximately 40 fs.Figure 4 Schematic representation of the experimental setup used at the L2A2.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Furthermore, we describe the procedure implemented to ensure automatic shot-to-shot replenishment and realignment of each target at 10 Hz, based on a few-minute measurement for the pre-characterization of the shooting positions with a high-precision industrial sensor, which allows for the positioning of the targets on the focal plane with a precision of . Experimental results on laser-driven ion acceleration from the developed target and alignment method at the Laser Laboratory for Acceleration and Applications (L2A2) [ 21 , 22 ] are presented, demonstrating stable, continuous operation for more than 1000 shots with deviations in the cut-off energy of the measured proton spectra of approximately , limited by the stability of the laser system. The rest of the paper is structured as follows.…”
A multi-shot target assembly and automatic alignment procedure for laser-plasma proton acceleration at high repetition rate are introduced. The assembly is based on a multi-target rotating wheel capable of hosting more than 5000 targets, mounted on a 3D motorized stage to allow rapid replenishment and alignment of the target material between laser irradiations. The automatic alignment procedure consists of a detailed mapping of the impact positions at the target surface prior to the irradiation that ensures stable operation of the target, which alongside the purpose-built design of the target wheel, enables operation at rates up to 10 Hz. Stable and continuous laser-driven proton acceleration at 10 Hz is demonstrated, with observed cut-off energy stability about 15%.
“…Considering that the different parameters of the laser, such as energy, pointing and spatial phase, were not stabilized, the evolution of these parameters could be partially responsible for the observed variability of the ion spectra. Furthermore, the continuous irradiation of the laser results in the heating of the different optical elements along the beamline, which has been shown to rapidly affect the alignment and behaviour of the laser, in turn degrading the stability of the proton beam [ 22 ] .…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Laser-driven proton acceleration using the developed rotating wheel target and automatic alignment procedure has been studied experimentally at 10 Hz using the setup schematically depicted in Figure 4. The experiments were performed utilizing the STELA laser system, hosted at the L2A2 (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela) [ 21 , 22 ] , which provided p-polarized, 800 nm-wavelength pulses at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, containing energies of up to 0.3 J on target, and compressed to a duration of approximately 40 fs.Figure 4 Schematic representation of the experimental setup used at the L2A2.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Furthermore, we describe the procedure implemented to ensure automatic shot-to-shot replenishment and realignment of each target at 10 Hz, based on a few-minute measurement for the pre-characterization of the shooting positions with a high-precision industrial sensor, which allows for the positioning of the targets on the focal plane with a precision of . Experimental results on laser-driven ion acceleration from the developed target and alignment method at the Laser Laboratory for Acceleration and Applications (L2A2) [ 21 , 22 ] are presented, demonstrating stable, continuous operation for more than 1000 shots with deviations in the cut-off energy of the measured proton spectra of approximately , limited by the stability of the laser system. The rest of the paper is structured as follows.…”
A multi-shot target assembly and automatic alignment procedure for laser-plasma proton acceleration at high repetition rate are introduced. The assembly is based on a multi-target rotating wheel capable of hosting more than 5000 targets, mounted on a 3D motorized stage to allow rapid replenishment and alignment of the target material between laser irradiations. The automatic alignment procedure consists of a detailed mapping of the impact positions at the target surface prior to the irradiation that ensures stable operation of the target, which alongside the purpose-built design of the target wheel, enables operation at rates up to 10 Hz. Stable and continuous laser-driven proton acceleration at 10 Hz is demonstrated, with observed cut-off energy stability about 15%.
“…To mitigate this, a pulse picker has been installed at the end of the final amplification stage, which prevents the propagation of these retro-reflections into the system. Currently, there are significant efforts to further improve the stability of the laser system, a key requirement to achieve a stable laser-based accelerator, particularly in the context of laser chain evolution due to heating of the different components in the case of high-power, high-repetition-rate laser systems [6].…”
In recent years, laser-driven accelerators have emerged as a promising technology for the development of compact and cost-effective sources of high-energy particles and radiation. Here, we introduce our research programme at the Laser Laboratory for Acceleration and Applications, which focusses on high-power laser systems, development of high-repetition rate targetry, and biomedical applications of laser-based accelerators. Our recent results include the generation of high-energy proton and ion beams through laser-plasma acceleration, which have potential applications in materials activation for medical imaging. We have also investigated the feasibility of using laser-driven X-rays and ion beams for radiobiological research, including FLASH therapy and hadron therapy.
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