About 10 years ago, first experimental works on high intensity( > 1018 W cm − 2) laser-driven proton acceleration showed the great potential of these ions bunches for different application domains (as, for instance, high resolution radiography, isochore heating, and fast ignition). Moreover, the prospect of a future exploitation of such high energy ions in hadron-therapy certainly further incited the scientific research in this domain. One of the goal of the present research lies in increasing the peak proton energy as this is a critical point for a number of applications. Reducing the target thickness is one of the suggested ways to get higher peak proton energies. Nevertheless, that can be realized using only very high contrast laser pulses.

High contrast laser pulses can increase the peak proton energy, potentially benefiting various applications like high resolution radiography, isochore heating, and fast ignition.

Laser-Driven Ion Generation with Short, Intense, and High Contrast Pulses

Key Takeaway: High contrast laser pulses can increase the peak proton energy, potentially benefiting various applications like high resolution radiography, isochore heating, and fast ignition.