Efficient laser-driven proton and bremsstrahlung generation from cluster-assembled foam targets
Irene Prencipe, Josefine Metzkes-Ng, Andrea Pazzaglia, Constantin Bernert, D. Dellasega, Luca Fedeli, Arianna Formenti, Marco Garten, T. Kluge, Stephan Kraft, Alejandro Laso García, Alessandro Maffini, Lieselotte Obst-Huebl, Martin Rehwald, M. Sobiella, Karl Zeil, U. Schramm, T. E. Cowan, M. Passoni
Abstract
Abstract The interaction between intense 30 fs laser pulses and foam-coated 1.5 μ m-thick Al foils in the relativistic regime (up to 5 × 10 20 W cm −2 ) is studied to optimize the laser energy conversion into laser-accelerated protons. A significant enhancement is observed for foam targets in terms of proton cut-off energy (18.5 MeV) and number of protons above 4.7 MeV (4 × 10 9 protons/shot) with respect to uncoated foils (9.5 MeV, 1 × 10 9 protons/shot), together with a sixfold increase in the bremsstrahlung yield. This enhancement is attributed to increased laser absorption and electron generation in the foam meso- and nanostructure.