Acceleration of spin-polarized proton beams via two parallel laser pulses

TL;DR

This paper introduces a dual-laser-pulse method for accelerating spin-polarized proton beams, achieving higher energies and polarization than traditional single-pulse techniques, demonstrated through particle-in-cell simulations.

Contribution

The study proposes and analyzes a novel dual-pulse laser setup for proton acceleration, showing improved energy and polarization outcomes over single-pulse methods.

Findings

Peak proton energies of 124 MeV achieved.

Higher polarization in proton bunches with dual pulses.

Good angular spread observed in accelerated beams.

Abstract

We present a setup for highly polarized proton beams using two parallel propagating laser pulses that have a carrier envelope phase difference of $\pi$. This mechanism is examined utilizing particle-in-cell simulations and compared to a single-pulse setup commonly used for magnetic vortex acceleration. We find that the use of the dual-pulse setup allows for peak energies of 124 MeV and good angular spread for two pulses with normalized laser vector potential $a_0 = 100$. Compared to a single pulse, we further observe higher polarization of the accelerated bunch.