As an intense picosecond laser pulse irradiates a hydrocarbon target,the protons therein can be accelerated by the radiation pressure as well as the sheath field behind the target.We investigate the effect of the lase...As an intense picosecond laser pulse irradiates a hydrocarbon target,the protons therein can be accelerated by the radiation pressure as well as the sheath field behind the target.We investigate the effect of the laser and hydrocarbon target parameters on proton acceleration with two/threedimensional particle-in-cell simulations.It is found that the resulting two-ion species plasma can generate a multiple peaked charge-separation field that accelerates the protons.In particular,a smaller carbon-to-hydrogen ratio,as well as the thinner and/or lower density of the target,leads to a larger sheath field and thus proton beams with a larger cutoff energy and smoother energy spectrum.These results may be useful in achieving high-flux quasi-monoenergetic proton beams by properly designing the hydrocarbon target.展开更多
Analytical studies are made for the proton acceleration during its motion inthe fields of the fundamental mode excited by a high-intensity microwave in a rectangular waveguide,when the proton is injected along the pro...Analytical studies are made for the proton acceleration during its motion inthe fields of the fundamental mode excited by a high-intensity microwave in a rectangular waveguide,when the proton is injected along the propagating direction of the mode. The trajectory of theproton is calculated and the expressions are obtained for the energy gain and acceleration gradienttogether with the effects of plasma density, microwave frequency and waveguide width. Energy gain of181 keV is attained by a 50 keV proton in a 0.015m x 0.020 m evacuated waveguide when 0.5 x 10^(10)W/m^2 microwave intensity is used. However, this gain increases to 1387 keV when the waveguide isfilled with a plasma having a density of 1.0 x 10^(19) m^(-3). Higher acceleration gradients areachieved when the proton is injected with a higher initial energy and also when the microwaveintensity increases. The effects of the microwave frequency and width of the waveguide are found todecrease the acceleration gradient.展开更多
We put forward a new design of a compact beam transport system for intense laser-driven proton therapy,where instead of using conventional pulsed solenoids,our design relies on a helical coil irradiated by a nanosecon...We put forward a new design of a compact beam transport system for intense laser-driven proton therapy,where instead of using conventional pulsed solenoids,our design relies on a helical coil irradiated by a nanosecond laser pulse to generate strong magnetic fields for focusing protons.A pair of dipole magnets and apertures are employed to further filter protons with large divergences and low energies.Our numerical studies combine particle-in-cell simulations for laser-plasma interaction to generate high-energy monoenergetic proton beams,finite element analysis for evaluating the magnetic field distribution inside the coil,and MonteCarlo simulations for beam transport and energy deposition.Our results show that with this design,a spread-out Bragg peak in a range of several centimeters to a deep-seated tumor with a dose of approximately 16.5 cGy and fluctuation around 2% can be achieved.The instantaneous dose rate reaches up to 10^(9)Gy/s,holding the potential for future FLASH radiotherapy research.展开更多
The simultaneous measurement of the spatial profile and spectrum of laser-accelerated protons is important for further optimization of the beam qualities and applications.We report a detailed study regarding the under...The simultaneous measurement of the spatial profile and spectrum of laser-accelerated protons is important for further optimization of the beam qualities and applications.We report a detailed study regarding the underlying physics and regular procedure of such a measurement through the radioactivation of a stack composed of aluminum,copper,and CR-39 plates as well as radiochromic films(RCFs).After being radioactivated,the copper plates are placed on imaging plates(IPs)to detect the positrons emitted by the reaction products through contact imaging.The spectrum and energy-dependent spatial profile of the protons are then obtained from the IPs and confirmed by the measured ones from the RCFs and CR-39 plates.We also discuss the detection range,influence of electrons,radiation safety,and spatial resolution of this measurement.Finally,insights regarding the extension of the current method to online measurements and dynamic proton imaging are also provided.展开更多
Forward fast protons are generated by the moderate-intensity laser-foil interaction. Protons with maximum energy 190 keV are measured by using magnetic spectrometer and CR-39 solid state track detectors along the dire...Forward fast protons are generated by the moderate-intensity laser-foil interaction. Protons with maximum energy 190 keV are measured by using magnetic spectrometer and CR-39 solid state track detectors along the direction normal to the rear surface. The experimental results are also modeled by the paxticle-in-cell method, investigating the timevarying electron temperature and the rear sheath field. The temporal and spatial structure of the sheath electrical field, revealed in the simulation, suggests that these protons are accelerated by target normal sheath acceleration （TNSA） mechanism.展开更多
The dynamics of the compressed electron layer（CEL） are investigated when a linearly polarized（LP） laser pulse irradiates a plasma target. The turbulent motion of the CEL is investigated by a simple model, which is...The dynamics of the compressed electron layer（CEL） are investigated when a linearly polarized（LP） laser pulse irradiates a plasma target. The turbulent motion of the CEL is investigated by a simple model, which is verified by particlein-cell（PIC） simulations. It is found that the compressed layer disperses in a few cycles of the laser duration, because the CEL comes back with a large velocity in the opposite direction of the laser incident. A larger wavelength laser can be used to tailor the proton beam by reducing the turbulence of the CEL in the region of the LP laser acceleration.展开更多
基金the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2016YFA0401100)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12175154,11875092,and 12005149)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Top Talent of SZTU(Nos.2019010801001 and 2019020801001)The EPOCH code is used under UK EPSRC contract(EP/G055165/1 and EP/G056803/1).
文摘As an intense picosecond laser pulse irradiates a hydrocarbon target,the protons therein can be accelerated by the radiation pressure as well as the sheath field behind the target.We investigate the effect of the laser and hydrocarbon target parameters on proton acceleration with two/threedimensional particle-in-cell simulations.It is found that the resulting two-ion species plasma can generate a multiple peaked charge-separation field that accelerates the protons.In particular,a smaller carbon-to-hydrogen ratio,as well as the thinner and/or lower density of the target,leads to a larger sheath field and thus proton beams with a larger cutoff energy and smoother energy spectrum.These results may be useful in achieving high-flux quasi-monoenergetic proton beams by properly designing the hydrocarbon target.
文摘Analytical studies are made for the proton acceleration during its motion inthe fields of the fundamental mode excited by a high-intensity microwave in a rectangular waveguide,when the proton is injected along the propagating direction of the mode. The trajectory of theproton is calculated and the expressions are obtained for the energy gain and acceleration gradienttogether with the effects of plasma density, microwave frequency and waveguide width. Energy gain of181 keV is attained by a 50 keV proton in a 0.015m x 0.020 m evacuated waveguide when 0.5 x 10^(10)W/m^2 microwave intensity is used. However, this gain increases to 1387 keV when the waveguide isfilled with a plasma having a density of 1.0 x 10^(19) m^(-3). Higher acceleration gradients areachieved when the proton is injected with a higher initial energy and also when the microwaveintensity increases. The effects of the microwave frequency and width of the waveguide are found todecrease the acceleration gradient.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2022YFA1603200 and 2022YFA1603201)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12135001,11921006,12475243 and 11825502)+1 种基金Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS(No.XDA25050900)support from the National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar(No.11825502)。
文摘We put forward a new design of a compact beam transport system for intense laser-driven proton therapy,where instead of using conventional pulsed solenoids,our design relies on a helical coil irradiated by a nanosecond laser pulse to generate strong magnetic fields for focusing protons.A pair of dipole magnets and apertures are employed to further filter protons with large divergences and low energies.Our numerical studies combine particle-in-cell simulations for laser-plasma interaction to generate high-energy monoenergetic proton beams,finite element analysis for evaluating the magnetic field distribution inside the coil,and MonteCarlo simulations for beam transport and energy deposition.Our results show that with this design,a spread-out Bragg peak in a range of several centimeters to a deep-seated tumor with a dose of approximately 16.5 cGy and fluctuation around 2% can be achieved.The instantaneous dose rate reaches up to 10^(9)Gy/s,holding the potential for future FLASH radiotherapy research.
基金supported by the Institute for Basic ScienceKorea under the project code IBS-R012-D1by the Ultrashort Quantum Beam Facility(UQBF)operation program(No.140011)through APRI,GIST。
文摘The simultaneous measurement of the spatial profile and spectrum of laser-accelerated protons is important for further optimization of the beam qualities and applications.We report a detailed study regarding the underlying physics and regular procedure of such a measurement through the radioactivation of a stack composed of aluminum,copper,and CR-39 plates as well as radiochromic films(RCFs).After being radioactivated,the copper plates are placed on imaging plates(IPs)to detect the positrons emitted by the reaction products through contact imaging.The spectrum and energy-dependent spatial profile of the protons are then obtained from the IPs and confirmed by the measured ones from the RCFs and CR-39 plates.We also discuss the detection range,influence of electrons,radiation safety,and spatial resolution of this measurement.Finally,insights regarding the extension of the current method to online measurements and dynamic proton imaging are also provided.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10834008)the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2006CB806004)
文摘Forward fast protons are generated by the moderate-intensity laser-foil interaction. Protons with maximum energy 190 keV are measured by using magnetic spectrometer and CR-39 solid state track detectors along the direction normal to the rear surface. The experimental results are also modeled by the paxticle-in-cell method, investigating the timevarying electron temperature and the rear sheath field. The temporal and spatial structure of the sheath electrical field, revealed in the simulation, suggests that these protons are accelerated by target normal sheath acceleration （TNSA） mechanism.
基金Project supported by the Shanghai Provincial Special Foundation for Outstanding Young Teachers in University,China(Grant No.yyy10043)
文摘The dynamics of the compressed electron layer（CEL） are investigated when a linearly polarized（LP） laser pulse irradiates a plasma target. The turbulent motion of the CEL is investigated by a simple model, which is verified by particlein-cell（PIC） simulations. It is found that the compressed layer disperses in a few cycles of the laser duration, because the CEL comes back with a large velocity in the opposite direction of the laser incident. A larger wavelength laser can be used to tailor the proton beam by reducing the turbulence of the CEL in the region of the LP laser acceleration.
