Daniele Margarone and Jan Pšikal, two scientists from ELI Beamlines, have received a grant from the Czech Science Foundation (GACR), entitled Ultra-intense laser interaction with specially-designed targets as a source of energetic particles and radiation. This project is concerned with application of specially designed targets to obtain an efficient source of energetic particles (ions, photons, and positrons) from laser-matter interaction at ultra-high intensities. It includes theoretical analysis, large scale 2D/3D numerical simulations, target design and fabrication, and experimental investigation with a PW class laser. The targets will be specially designed (e.g. nanostructured) to increase laser absorption and depending on the application (ion acceleration, x-/gamma-ray or positron generation) they will be mass-limited, ultrathin, or bulk. The distributions of energetic particles and their generation efficiency will be investigated with reference to the target material and the nanostructure applied with the aim of optimizing the source of particles for applications, e.g. radiography or proton therapy. The complex approach of this project and wide national and international collaboration open the way to obtaining top-class scientific results stimulating novel applications of high-power lasers and nanofabrication techniques.
The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC
