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Published Online February 16, 2006
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1124412

Reports

Submitted on December 28, 2005
Accepted on February 9, 2006

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 4, Patrizio Antici 3, Patrick Audebert , Erik Brambrink 3, Carlo Alberto Cecchetti 2, Ariane Pipahl 1, Lorenzo Romagnani 2, Oswald Willi 1*

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

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

We present a technique for simultaneous focusing and energy selection of high-current, MeV proton beams using radial, transient electric fields (107-1010 V/m) triggered on the inner walls of a hollow micro-cylinder by an intense, subpicosecond laser pulse. Due to the transient nature of the focusing fields, the proposed method allows selection of a desired range out of the spectrum of the poly-energetic proton beam. This technique addresses current drawbacks of laser accelerated proton beams, i.e. their broad spectrum and divergence at the source.




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