The generation of high-current multi-MeV protons by irradiating thin foils with short-pulse, ultrahigh intensity lasers (τ < ps, Iλ >10 8 W/cm μm) has gained great attention in the field of laser-ion acceleration due to remarkable properties of the accelerated beam and its suitability for a new type of ion source. The acceleration process takes place on the nonirradiated rear side of the foil. ...

Abstract Multi-species ion acceleration from ultra-thin foils was studied experimentally, employing the Vulcan Petawatt laser at Central Laser Facility, UK. Plastic (CH) with thicknesses in range 10–340 nm were irradiated intense, short (750 fs) pulses producing maximum energies of <mml:m...

We report on experimental results laser-driven proton acceleration using high-intensity laser pulses. present power law scalings of the maximum energy with pulse and show that scaling exponent $\ensuremath{\xi}$ strongly depends scale length preplasma, which is affected by temporal intensity contrast. At lower intensities, a shortening leads to transition from square root toward linear scaling....

In the framework of the LIGHT project a dedicated test stand is under preparation at GSI for the transport and focusing of laser accelerated ion beams. The relevant acceleration mechanism for the parameters achievable at the GSI PHELIX laser is the TNSA (Target Normal Sheath Acceleration). The subsequent evolution of the ion beam can be described rather well by the isothermal plasma expansion m...

We present the results of a detailed study on the acceleration of intense ion beams by relativistic laser plasmas. The experiments were performed at the 100 TW laser at the Laboratoire pour L’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI). We investigated the dependence of the ion beams on the target conditions based on theoretical predictions by the target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) mechanism. ...