Proton Imaging of High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas

TL;DR

Proton imaging is a crucial, non-perturbative diagnostic technique in high-energy-density plasmas, offering high-resolution measurements of electromagnetic fields with broad applications and ongoing development.

Contribution

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of proton imaging, including experimental methods, analysis theory, recent results, and future directions in high-energy-density plasma research.

Findings

Proton imaging effectively measures electromagnetic fields in HED plasmas.

It has been successfully applied in inertial confinement fusion and astrophysics.

Advances in proton sources and detectors are expanding capabilities.

Abstract

Proton imaging has become a key diagnostic for measuring electromagnetic fields in high-energy-density (HED) laboratory plasmas. Compared to other techniques for diagnosing fields, proton imaging is a non-perturbative measurement that can simultaneously offer high spatial and temporal resolution and the ability to distinguish between electric and magnetic fields. Consequently, proton imaging has been used in a wide range of HED experiments, from inertial confinement fusion to laboratory astrophysics. An overview is provided on the state of the art of proton imaging, including detailed discussion of experimental considerations like proton sources and detectors, the theory of proton-imaging analysis, and a survey of experimental results demonstrating the breadth of applications. Topics at the frontiers of proton imaging development are also described, along with an outlook on the future of the field.