Novel path towards compact laser ion accelerators for hadron therapy: Tenfold energy increase in laser-driven multi-MeV ion generation using a gas target mixed with submicron clusters

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to generate 10-20 MeV/u ions using a compact 4 TW laser and a gas target with submicron clusters, achieving ten times higher energy than previous solid target experiments, with potential for medical applications.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel gas target with submicron clusters for laser-driven ion acceleration, resulting in significantly higher ion energies.

Findings

Achieved 10-20 MeV/u ion energies with a 4 TW laser.

Observed formation of a strong dipole vortex structure.

Demonstrated potential for compact ion sources for hadron therapy.

Abstract

We demonstrate generation of 10-20 MeV/u ions with a compact 4 TW laser using a gas target mixed with submicron clusters, corresponding to tenfold increase in the ion energies compared to previous experiments with solid targets. It is inferred that the high energy ions are generated due to formation of a strong dipole vortex structure. The demonstrated method has a potential to construct compact and high repetition rate ion sources for hadron therapy and other applications.