Stable laser-acceleration of high-flux proton beams with plasma collimation

M. J. V. Streeter, G. D. Glenn, S. Dilorio, F. Treffert, B. Loughran, H. Ahmed, S. Astbury, M. Borghesi, N. Bourgeois, C. B. Curry, S. J. D. Dann, N. P. Dover, T. Dzelzainis, O. C. Ettlinger, M. Gauthier, L. Giuffrida, S. H. Glenzer, R. J. Gray, J. S. Green, G. S. HicksC. Hyland, V. Istokskaia, M. King, D. Margarone, O. McCusker, P. McKenna, Z. Najmudin, C. Parisuaña, P. Parsons, C. Spindloe, D. R. Symes, A.G.R. Thomas, N. Xu, C. A. J. Palmer*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Laser-plasma acceleration of protons offers a compact, ultra-fast alternative to conventional acceleration techniques, and is being widely pursued for potential applications in medicine, industry and fundamental science. Creating a stable, collimated beam of protons at high repetition rates presents a key challenge. Here, we demonstrate the generation of multi-MeV proton beams from a fast-replenishing ambient-temperature liquid sheet. The beam has an unprecedentedly low divergence of 1° (≤20 mrad), resulting from magnetic self-guiding of the proton beam during propagation through a low density vapour. The proton beams, generated at a repetition rate of 5 Hz using only 190 mJ of laser energy, exhibit a hundred-fold increase in flux compared to beams from a solid target. Coupled with the high shot-to-shot stability of this source, this represents a crucial step towards applications.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1004
Number of pages9
JournalNature Communications
Volume16
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Jan 2025

Keywords

  • laser accelerated protons
  • collimation
  • plasma-based accelerators
  • l1 lagrangian point

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