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Originally published in Science Express on 16 February 2006
Science 21 April 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5772, pp. 410 - 413
DOI: 10.1126/science.1124412
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Reports

Ultrafast Laser-Driven Microlens to Focus and Energy-Select Mega-Electron Volt Protons

Toma Toncian,1 Marco Borghesi,2 Julien Fuchs,3 Emmanuel d'Humières,3,4 Patrizio Antici,3 Patrick Audebert,3 Erik Brambrink,3 Carlo Alberto Cecchetti,2 Ariane Pipahl,1 Lorenzo Romagnani,2 Oswald Willi1*

We present a technique for simultaneous focusing and energy selection of high-current, mega–electron volt proton beams with the use of radial, transient electric fields (107 to 1010 volts per meter) triggered on the inner walls of a hollow microcylinder by an intense subpicosecond laser pulse. Because of the transient nature of the focusing fields, the proposed method allows selection of a desired range out of the spectrum of the polyenergetic proton beam. This technique addresses current drawbacks of laser-accelerated proton beams, such as their broad spectrum and divergence at the source.

1 Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
2 School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland, UK.
3 Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses, UMR 7605 CNRS-CEA-Ecole Polytechnique-Université Paris VI, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
4 Centre de Physique Théorique, UMR 7644 CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: oswald.willi{at}laserphy.uni-duesseldorf.de

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)