Hannover 2010 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 27: Ultrashort Laser Pulses: Applications I

Q 27.5: Talk

Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 11:30–11:45, F 342

Simultaneous diagnostics of laser-accelerated protons and electrons — •Josefine Metzkes, Karl Zeil, Stephan Kraft, Tom Richter, Thomas Cowan, Roland Sauerbrey, and Ulrich Schramm — Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01314 Dresden, Germany

Pulses of energetic protons with energies of several MeV can be produced by focusing an ultra-short intense laser pulse onto a solid target. The protons stem from the target rear side where they gain energy in an electric field that builds up due to charge separation effects triggered by electrons that are accelerated during the interaction of the laser with the target.

In order to investigate the acceleration of protons at solid targets which is expected to be strongly correlated to the properties of the electrons that set up the electric field at the target rear side we have set up a diagnostic which allows for the simultaneous online analysis of the accelerated protons as well as electrons. Here we are going to present first experimental results that have been measured at a table-top Ti:Sapphire laser with a pulse length of 30 fs and a peak intensity exceeding 10²¹ W/cm². From these data fundamental parameters can be derived that allow for a testing of theoretical scaling laws for the proton acceleration mechanism.