Dense monoenergetic proton beams from chirped laser-plasma interaction

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that chirped laser pulses interacting with plasma can produce dense, monoenergetic proton beams with energies suitable for medical applications, using analytical and simulation methods.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of using frequency-chirped laser pulses to generate high-quality proton beams with controlled energy spread and high density.

Findings

Generation of ultra-intense, phase-space collimated proton beams.

Proton energies around 250 MeV achieved.

Feasibility demonstrated with current laser technology.

Abstract

Interaction of a frequency-chirped laser pulse with single protons and a hydrogen plasma cell is studied analytically and by means of particle-in-cell simulations, respectively. Feasibility of generating ultra-intense (10^7 particles per bunch) and phase-space collimated beams of protons (energy spread of about 1 %) is demonstrated. Phase synchronization of the protons and the laser field, guaranteed by the appropriate chirping of the laser pulse, allows the particles to gain sufficient kinetic energy (around 250 MeV) required for such applications as hadron cancer therapy, from state-of-the-art laser systems of intensities of the order of 10^21 W/cm^2.