Stable laser-acceleration of high-flux proton beams with plasma collimation

Tools

Streeter, M. J. V. and Glenn, G. D. and Dilorio, S. and Treffert, F. and Loughran, B. and Ahmed, H. and Astbury, S. and Borghesi, M. and Bourgeois, N. and Curry, C. B. and Dann, S. J. D. and Dover, N. P. and Dzelzainis, T. and Ettlinger, O. C. and Gauthier, M. and Giuffrida, L. and Glenzer, S. H. and Gray, R. J. and Green, J. S. and Hicks, G. S. and Hyland, C. and Istokskaia, V. and King, M. and Margarone, D. and McCusker, O. and McKenna, P. and Najmudin, Z. and Parisuaña, C. and Parsons, P. and Spindloe, C. and Symes, D. R. and Thomas, A.G.R. and Xu, N. and Palmer, C. A. J. (2025) Stable laser-acceleration of high-flux proton beams with plasma collimation. Nature Communications, 16. 1004. ISSN 2041-1723 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56248-4)

[thumbnail of Streeter-etal-NC-2025-Stable-laser-acceleration-of-high-flux-proton-beams]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Streeter-etal-NC-2025-Stable-laser-acceleration-of-high-flux-proton-beams.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 logo
Download (3MB)| Preview

Abstract

Laser-plasma acceleration of protons offers a compact, ultra-fast alternative to conventional acceleration techniques, and is being widely pursued for potential applications in medicine, industry and fundamental science. Creating a stable, collimated beam of protons at high repetition rates presents a key challenge. Here, we demonstrate the generation of multi-MeV proton beams from a fast-replenishing ambient-temperature liquid sheet. The beam has an unprecedentedly low divergence of 1° (≤20 mrad), resulting from magnetic self-guiding of the proton beam during propagation through a low density vapour. The proton beams, generated at a repetition rate of 5 Hz using only 190 mJ of laser energy, exhibit a hundred-fold increase in flux compared to beams from a solid target. Coupled with the high shot-to-shot stability of this source, this represents a crucial step towards applications.

ORCID iDs

Streeter, M. J. V., Glenn, G. D., Dilorio, S., Treffert, F., Loughran, B., Ahmed, H., Astbury, S., Borghesi, M., Bourgeois, N., Curry, C. B., Dann, S. J. D., Dover, N. P., Dzelzainis, T., Ettlinger, O. C., Gauthier, M., Giuffrida, L., Glenzer, S. H., Gray, R. J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0610-9595, Green, J. S., Hicks, G. S., Hyland, C., Istokskaia, V., King, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3370-6141, Margarone, D., McCusker, O., McKenna, P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8061-7091, Najmudin, Z., Parisuaña, C., Parsons, P., Spindloe, C., Symes, D. R., Thomas, A.G.R., Xu, N. and Palmer, C. A. J.;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)