Towards ion stopping power experiments with the laser-driven LIGHT beamline

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • H. Nazary - , Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)
  • M. Metternich - , GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (Author)
  • D. Schumacher - , GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (Author)
  • F. Neufeld - , Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)
  • S. J. Grimm - , Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)
  • C. Brabetz - , GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (Author)
  • F. Kroll - , Faculty of Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • F. E. Brack - , Faculty of Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • A. Blažević - , GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Helmholtz-Institute Jena (Author)
  • Ulrich Schramm - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • V. Bagnoud - , Technische Universität Darmstadt, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Helmholtz-Institute Jena (Author)
  • M. Roth - , Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)

Abstract

The main emphasis of the Laser Ion Generation, Handling and Transport (LIGHT) beamline at GSI Helmholtzzentrum fÜr Schwerionenforschung GmbH are phase-space manipulations of laser-generated ion beams. In recent years, the LIGHT collaboration has successfully generated and focused intense proton bunches with an energy of 8 MeV and a temporal duration shorter than 1 ns (FWHM). An interesting area of application that exploits the short ion bunch properties of LIGHT is the study of ion-stopping power in plasmas, a key process in inertial confinement fusion for understanding energy deposition in dense plasmas. The most challenging regime is found when the projectile velocity closely approaches the thermal plasma electron velocity , for which existing theories show high discrepancies. Since conclusive experimental data are scarce in this regime, we plan to conduct experiments on laser-generated plasma probed with ions generated with LIGHT at a higher temporal resolution than previously achievable. The high temporal resolution is important because the parameters of laser-generated plasmas are changing on the nanosecond time scale. To meet this goal, our recent studies have dealt with ions of lower kinetic energies. In 2021, laser accelerated carbon ions were transported with two solenoids and focused temporally with LIGHT's radio frequency cavity. A bunch length of 1.2 ns (FWHM) at an energy of 0.6 MeV u was achieved. In 2022, protons with an energy of 0.6 MeV were transported and temporally compressed to a bunch length of 0.8 ns. The proton beam was used to measure the energy loss in a cold foil. Both the ion and proton beams will also be employed for energy loss measurements in a plasma target.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number302
JournalJournal of Plasma Physics
Volume90
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 16 May 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • intense particle beams, plasma applications