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We studied the explosive evaporation of high energy density matter generated by irradiation of intense heavy ion beams and the resulting effect on the dynamic vacuum of the accelerator beamlines. High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) experiments are proposed at the plasma physics terminal at the Facility of Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), which is currently under construction. The target response to irradiation by intense beam was simulated by HEIGHTS (High Energy Interaction with General Heterogeneous Target Systems) simulation package. The vacuum deterioration resulting from the target evaporation was simulated with the Molflow+ Monte-Carlo simulator. Experimentally we measured the pressure wave propagation at the HTD beamline at GSI in order to benchmark the simulation. The pressure wave was generated through ohmic heating of a cold surface.

Physics of plasmas 27(4), 043103 (2020). doi:10.1063/1.5134846, The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will employ the World's highest intensity relativistic beams of heavy nuclei to uniquely create and investigate macroscopic (millimeter-sized) quantities of highly energetic and dense states of matter. Four principal themes of research have been identified: properties of materials driven to extreme conditions of pressure and temperature, shocked matter and material equation of state, basic properties of strongly coupled plasma and warm dense matter, and nuclear photonics with a focus on the excitation of nuclear processes in plasmas, laser-driven particle acceleration, and neutron production. The research program, principally driven by an international collaboration of scientists, called the HED@FAIR collaboration, will evolve over the next decade as the FAIR project completes and experimental capabilities develop. The first programmatic research element, called “FAIR Phase 0, officially began in 2018 to test components, detectors, and experimental techniques. Phase-0 research employs the existing and enhanced infrastructure of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) heavy-ion synchrotron coupled with the PHELIX high-energy, high-intensity laser. The “FAIR Day one” experimental program, presently scheduled to begin in 2025, commences the use of FAIR's heavy-ion synchrotron, coupled to new experimental and diagnostic infrastructure, to realize the envisaged high-energy-density-science research program., Published by American Institute of Physics, [S.l.]

The two-temperature, 2D hydrodynamic code Hydro–ELectro–IOnization–2–Dimensional (HELIO2D), which takes into account self-consistently the laser energy absorption in a target, ionization, heating, and expansion of the created plasma is elaborated. The wide-range two-temperature equation of state is developed and used to model the metal target dynamics from room temperature to the conditions of weakly coupled plasma. The simulation results are compared and demonstrated a good agreement with experimental data on the Mg target being heated by laser pulses of the nanosecond high-energy laser for heavy ion experiments (NHELIX) at Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung. The importance of using realistic models of matter properties is demonstrated.

Physical review letters 119(20), 204801 (2017). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.204801, A novel method to determine the total hydrogen density and, accordingly, a precise plasma temperature in a lowly ionized hydrogen plasma is described. The key to the method is to analyze the energy loss of swift heavy ions interacting with the respective bound and free electrons of the plasma. A slowly developing and lowly ionized hydrogen theta-pinch plasma is prepared. A Boltzmann plot of the hydrogen Balmer series and the Stark broadening of the $H_β$ line preliminarily defines the plasma with a free electron density of (1.9$±$0.1)×10$^{16}$ cm$^{−3}$ and a free electron temperature of 0.8–1.3 eV. The temperature uncertainty results in a wide hydrogen density, ranging from 2.3 × 10$^{16}$ to 7.8 × 10$^{18}$ cm$^{−3}$. A 108 MHz pulsed beam of $^{48}$Ca$^{+10}$ with a velocity of 3.652 MeV/u is used as a probe to measure the total energy loss of the beam ions. Subtracting the calculated energy loss due to free electrons, the energy loss due to bound electrons is obtained, which linearly depends on the bound electron density. The total hydrogen density is thus determined as (1.9$±$0.7) × 10$^{17}$ cm$^{−3}$, and the free electron temperature can be precisely derived as 1.01$±$0.04 eV. This method should prove useful in many studies, e.g., inertial confinement fusion or warm dense matter., Published by APS, College Park, Md.

Whereas the energy loss of ions penetrating cold matter is understood and several theories, codes and tables exist, the interaction with plasma is scarcely investigated and only a few experimental data exist. Therefore the interaction of heavy ions penetrating hot and dense plasma is explored at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung using powerful lasers to create a plasma and ions from the UNILAC accelerator to probe the target. For the interpretation of the experimental data it is crucial to know the plasma parameters like density and temperature as a function of time and space. Therefore a multiframe laser interferometry has been developed to fulfil the requirements. The set up of the interferometry is presented as well as some results of the free electron density distribution of expanding carbon and aluminium plasma at different times.

Two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics calculations were performed to analyze how a homogeneous plasma layer for ion-stopping measurements can be created by direct laser irradiation of thin carbon foils. At the initial stage, the assumed (so as to imitate the discussed experimental conditions) strongly non-uniform intensity distribution in the laser spot leads to the formation of relatively dense and cold clumps in the plasma. However, it is shown that after several nanoseconds the clumpy structure dissipates predominantly due to the energy transport by thermal radiation. Laser irradiation schemes with the fundamental and doubled frequency light, as well as one- and two-sided heating of the target foil are analyzed and compared. We find that the two-sided irradiation with the doubled laser frequency creates a fully ionized plasma layer and allows to reduce the plasma column-density variations to a level of ≲1%.

Cylindrical cryogenic targets are required to carry out the Laboratory Planetary Science scheme of the experiments of the High Energy Density matter Generated by Heavy Ion Beams collaboration at FAIR. In this paper, for the first time a thorough analysis of the problem of such targets' fabrication, delivery and positioning in the center of the experimental chamber has been made. Particular attention is paid to the issue of a specialized cryogenic system creation intended for rep-rate supply of the High Energy Density matter Generated by Heavy Ion Beams experiments with the cylindrical cryogenic targets.

Interaction of intense ion radiation with matter has numerous applications in different fields of science, ranging from basic research of plasma properties to application in energy science. Energy loss processes of heavy ions in plasma and cold matter are important to understand the generation of high energy density states in matter. The hot dense plasma of an inertial fusion target is just one example. Of special interest are phase transitions, when irradiated matter passes through the parameter regime of warm dense matter, which is located in the phase diagram at high density but relatively low temperature. Typical parameters are in the pressure range of kbar to Mbar and temperatures ranging into the few eV regime. We present an overview on recent results and developments of beam plasma, and beam matter interaction processes studied with heavy ion beams from the GSI accelerator facilities, which consist of an rf-accelerator (UNILAC: Universal Linear Accelerator), a heavy ion synchrotron (SIS 18) and an experimental storage ring (ESR). The synchrotron SIS18 currently delivers an intense uranium beam that deposits about 1 kJ/g specific energy in solid matter. Using this beam, high energy density states close to the critical point of lead, have been reached and solid lead foils have been heated to a measured brightness temperature on the order of 5000 K.

The dependence of calcium ion subshell populations on the target density during the ion stopping process was analyzed using a five charge-state collisional-radiative model. The model, which consists of the ground and three excited states for every ion charge, was successfully compared with the experiment. The gas-solid difference of calcium ion charge state distribution has been numerically demonstrated. For Ca projectiles with energies of 4–11 MeV/u, the increase of the mean ion charge in solid target is explained by the increase of the total ionization rate and by suppression of the bound electron capture process at high densities of the stopping medium.

This paper reports on recent results of a series of experiments on laser-generated ion beams. The experiments were done at the 30 TW ‘Trident’ laser system at the Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico, USA, and we demonstrated the first accelerated ions at the 10 TW beamline of the PHELIX laser system at Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany. The experiments show the dependence of the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration Process (TNSA) on laser imprint and target parameters. The results are compared to a simple model for the ion propagation. It shows that TNSA-driven protons form an ion beam with superior beam quality, following the versatile spatial beam-shaping approaches.

European activities on inertial fusion energy are coordinated by “keep in touch activities” of the European Fusion Programme coordinated by the European Commission. There is no general inertial fusion program in Europe. Instead, a number of activities relevant to inertial fusion are carried out by university groups and research centers. The Helmholtz-Research Center GSI-Darmstadt (Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung) operates accelerator facilities which provide the highest intensity for heavy ion beams and therefore key issues of ion beam driven fusion can be addressed. In addition to the accelerator facilities, one high-energy laser system is available (nhelix: nanosecond high-energy laser for ion experiments) and another one is under construction (PHELIX: petawatt high-energy laser for ion experiments). The heavy ion synchrotron facility, SIS18 (Schwer-Ionen-Synchrotron 18) recently delivered an intense uranium beam that deposits about 1 kJ/g specific energy in solid matter. Using this beam, experiments have been performed where solid Pb- and Ta-targets have been heated to the level of 1 eV. Experiments to study interaction mechanism of heavy ion beams with matter have been continued and are reported here.

The Kα X-ray emission spectra of the low-density SiO2 aerogel target bombarded by 48Ca ions with initial energy of 11.4 MeV/u were measured with a high spectral and spatial resolution along 80% of the ion beam stopping path. The Si KαL0 diagram and KαLn (up to n = 5) X-ray satellite lines corresponding to the radiative decays of atomic states with one hole in the K-shell and n-holes in the L-shell were measured. Energy shifts of the KαLn satellites with respect to their diagram Kα lines were determined and compared with the results of multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock (MCDF) calculations. The experimental energy shifts are smaller than values obtained from free-ion MCDF theory assuming an empty M-shell. The influence of the valence M-shell configuration on the satellite X-ray spectra is discussed.

FAIR with its intense beams of ions and antiprotons provides outstanding and worldwide unique experimental conditions for extreme matter research in atomic and plasma physics and for application oriented research in biophysics, medical physics and materials science. The associated research programs comprise interaction of matter with highest electromagnetic fields, properties of plasmas and of solid matter under extreme pressure, density, and temperature conditions, simulation of galactic cosmic radiation, research in nanoscience and charged particle radiotherapy. A broad variety of APPA-dedicated facilities including experimental stations, storage rings, and traps, equipped with most sophisticated instrumentation will allow the APPA community to tackle new challenges. The worldwide most intense source of slow antiprotons will expand the scope of APPA related research to the exciting field of antimatter.

The chlorine Heαradiation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was investigated with respect to X-ray scattering experiments on dense plasmas. The X-ray source was a laser-produced plasma that was observed with a highly reflective highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) crystal spectrometer as it is used in current x-ray scattering experiments on dense plasmas. The underlying dielectronic satellites of Heαcannot be resolved, therefore the plasma was observed at the same time with a focusing spectrometer with spatial resolution. To reconstruct the spectrum a simple model to calculate the spectral line emission based on dielectronic recombination and inner shell excitation of helium- and lithium-like ions was used. The analysis shows that chlorine dielectronic satellite emission is intense compared to Heαin laser-produced chlorine plasmas with a temperature of 300 eV in this wavelength range of Δλ = 0.07 Å (ΔE= 43 eV). The method proposed in this paper allows deducing experimentally the role of the underlying dielectronic satellites in the scatter spectrum measured with a HOPG crystal spectrometer. It is shown that the dielectronic satellites can be neglected when the scattering is measured with low spectral resolution in the non-collective regime. They are of major importance in the collective scatter regime where a high spectral resolution is necessary.

Intense lasers of femtosecond pulse duration are known to be drivers for intense electron and ion beams. Those beams, generated at laser intensities exceeding 10 19 W/cm 2 , are known to have unique characteristics and are therefore a subject of intense research world wide. Recently, the parameters of laser driven ion beams have been measured using new methods and it has been demonstrated, that beam patterns on a nanometer scale can be generated and propagated over long distances. We report on recent results and prospects for future application with special respect to further laser developments.

Interaction phenomena of intense ion- and laser radiation with matter have a large range of application in different fields of science, extending from basic research of plasma properties to applications in energy science, especially in inertial fusion. The heavy ion synchrotron at GSI now routinely delivers intense uranium beams that deposit about 1 kJ/g of specific energy in solid matter, e.g. solid lead. Our simulations show that the new accelerator complex FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) at GSI as well as beams from the CERN large hadron collider (LHC) will vastly extend the accessible parameter range for high energy density states. A natural example of hot dense plasma is provided by our neighbouring star the sun, and allows a deep insight into the physics of fusion, the properties of matter at high energy density, and is moreover an excellent laboratory for astroparticle physics. As such the sun's interior plasma can even be used to probe the existence of novel particles and dark matter candidates. We present an overview on recent results and developments of dense plasma physics addressed with heavy ion and laser beams combined with accelerator- and nuclear physics technology.

High intensity particle beams from accelerators induce high energy density states in bulk matter. The SIS-18 heavy ion synchrotron at GSI now routinely delivers intense Uranium beams that deposit about I kJ/g of specific energy in solid matter, e.g. solid lead. Due to the specific nature of the ion-matter interaction a volume of matter is heated uniformly with low gradients of temperature and pressure in the initial phase, depending on the pulse structure of the beam with respect to space and time. The new accelerator complex FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and ion Research) at GSI as well as beams from the CERN large hadron collider (LHC) will vastly extend the accessible parameter range for high energy density states. One special piece of accelerator equipment a superconducting high field dipole magnet, developed for the LHC at CERN is now serving as a key instrument to diagnose the dense plasma of the sun interior plasma, thus providing an extremely interesting combination of accelerator physics, plasma physics and astro-particle physics.

In this paper, we present experimental results on the excitation of solid-state matter by single, energetic heavy ions. The method of x-ray spectroscopy with spatial resolution along the projectile stopping path inside solids was applied to investigate the state of the medium inside the area of heavy-ion tracks. Spectral data of quartz and aluminium media excited by Ni, Ca and Mg ions from the GSI UNILAC accelerator are presented. The ions' initial energies of 11.4 and 5.9 MeV/u and the beam current on the target in the order of 1 µA were chosen. The observation was focused on relative intensities of Kα satellite lines radiated by Si and Al multicharged ions with different charges. The aerogel medium with extremely low bulk density (0.04 g cc−1) was used to investigate the evolution of target media radiation properties during the projectile ions' stopping and, respectively, the change of the ion's energy deposition into the solids. Due to very short lifetimes of the excited levels for the observed multicharged ions, the data for heavy-ion track area were obtained on tens of femtoseconds time scale after excitation. For further analysis and obtaining quantitative description of heavy-ion track parameters, the methods of numerical simulation are suggested.

Intense beams of protons and heavy ions have been observed in ultra-intense laser-solid interaction experiments. Thereby, a considerable fraction of the laser energy is transferred to collimated beams of energetic ions (e.g. up to 50 MeV protons; 100 MeV fluorine), which makes these beams highly interesting for various applications. Experimental results indicate very short pulse duration and an excellent beam quality, leading to beam intensities in the TW range. To characterize the beam quality and its dependence on laser parameters and target conditions we performed experiments at several high-power laser systems. We found a strong dependence on the target rear surface conditions allowing to tailor the ion beam by an appropriate target design. We also succeeded in the generation of heavy ion beams by suppressing the proton amount at the target surface.

Interaction phenomena of intense ion and laser radiation with matter have a large range of application in different fields of science, from basic research of plasma properties to application in energy science. The hot dense plasma of our neighbouring star the Sun provides a deep insight into the physics of fusion, the properties of matter at high energy density, and is moreover an excellent laboratory for astroparticle physics. As such the Sun's interior plasma can even be used to probe the existence of novel particles and dark matter candidates. We present an overview on recent results and developments of dense plasma physics addressed with heavy ion and laser beams combined with accelerator and nuclear physics technology.

This study deals with the simulation of the experimental study of Roth et al. (2000) on the interaction of energetic Zn projectiles in partially ionized laser produced carbon targets, and with similar type experiments. Particular attention is paid to the specific contributions of the K and L shell target electrons to electron recombination in the energetic Zn ionic projectile. The classical Bohr–Lindhard model was used for describing recombination, while quantum mechanical models were also introduced for scaling the L to K cross-section ratios. It was found that even for a hydrogen-like carbon target, the effect of the missing five bound electrons brings about an increase of only 0.6 charge units in the equilibrium charge state as compared to the cold target value of 23. A collisional radiative calculation was employed for analyzing the type of plasma produced in the experimental study. It was found that for the plasma conditions characteristic of this experiment, some fully ionized target plasma atoms should be present. However in order to explain the experimentally observed large increase in the projectile charge state a very dominant component of the fully ionized plasma must comprise the target plasma. A procedure for calculating the dynamic evolvement of the projectile charge state within partially ionized plasma is also presented and applied to the type of plasma encountered in the experiment of Roth et al. (2000). The low temperature and density tail on the back of the target brings about a decrease in the exiting charge state, while the value of the average charge state within the target is dependent on the absolute value of the cross-sections.

Proton beams, generated in the interaction process of short ultra-intense laser pulses with thin foils, carry imprints of rear side target structures. These intensity patterns, imaged with a particle detector, sometimes show slight deformations. We propose an analytical model to describe these deformations by the spatial shape of a monoenergetic layer of protons in the beginning of free proton propagation. We also present results of simulations, which reproduce the detected structures and allow finally making quantitative conclusions on the shape of the layer. In experiments with electrically conducting targets, the shape is always close to a parabolic one independently on target thickness or laser parameters. Since the protons are pulled by the free electrons, there must be a strong correlation to the electron space charge distribution on the rear side of the illuminated foil. Simulations demonstrate that the deformations in the detected patterns of the proton layers are very sensitive to the initial layer shape. Analyzing spatial structures of the generated proton beams we can indirectly conclude on electron transport phenomena in the overdense part of the target.

The acceleration of ions by ultra-intense lasers has attracted great attention due to the unique properties and the unmatched intensities of the ion beams. In the early days the prospects for applications were already studied, and first experiments have identified some of the areas where laser accelerated ions can contribute to the ongoing inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. In addition to the idea of laser driven proton fast ignition (PFI) and its use as a novel diagnostic tool for radiography the strong dependence on the electron transport in the target was found to be helpful in investigating the energy transport by electrons in fast ignitor scenarios. More recently an additional idea has been presented to use laser accelerated ion beams as the next generation ion sources, and taking advantage of the luminosity of the beams, to develop a test bed for heavy ion beam driven inertial confinement fusion physics. We review our recent experiments and simulations relevant to ICF research presenting a possible scenario for PFI as well as the prospects for next generation ion sources.

The laminarity of high current multi-MeV proton beams produced by irradiating thin metallic foils with ultra-intense lasers has been measured. For proton energies >10 MeV, the transverse and longitudinal emittance are, respectively, −4 eV s, i.e. at least 100-fold and may be as much as 10 4 -fold better than conventional accelerators beams. The ion beam source size is measured to be 10 MeV. Magnetic stripping of the co-moving electrons out of the beam after a few cm of debunching is not observed to induce emittance growth.

A method for space resolved measurements of the fast heavy ion velocity during the interaction with matter are presented. The main idea is based upon the fact that the characteristic radiation from ions traveling in the stopping media undergoes the Doppler shift, which varies along the ion beam trajectory due to the ion deceleration. High spectrally (λ/Δλ=1000–3000) and spatially (up to 30–100 μm) resolved x-ray K-shell spectra of Ca projectile ions as well as of the ionized stopping media have been obtained using focusing spectrometers with spatial resolution (FSSR). Spherically bent crystals of quartz and mica with small curvature radii R=150 mm and large apertures (15×50 mm) have been used as dispersive elements. Fast Ca+6 ions with energies of 5.9 and 11.4 MeV/u were stopped in quartz, SiO2 aerogels and CaF2 targets. High spectral and spatial resolution of the spectra allowed measuring the velocity of heavy projectile ions at different points along the beam trajectory. A method based on the utilizatio...

Variation of the velocity of Ca6+ ions with initial energies of 5.9 and 11.4 MeV/nucleon has been experimentally studied in the course of ion stopping in a solid aerogel target. The method is based on measuring the Doppler shift in the K-shell spectrum of decelerated Ca19+ and Ca18+ ions. High spatial resolution (30–50 mm) in the direction of the ion beam propagation achieved simultaneously with high spectral resolution (λ/Δλ=1000–3000) in the X-ray wavelength interval of 2–4 A allowed the ion beam dynamics in the solid target to be directly measured. By measuring variations in the relative intensity of spectral lines, it is possible to monitor the redistribution of the ions over charged states during their motion in the target.

A beam of high energy ions and protons is observed from targets irradiated with intensities up to 5×1019 W/cm2. Maximum proton energy is shown to strongly correlate with laser-irradiance on target. Energy spectra from a magnetic spectrometer show a plateau region near the maximum energy cutoff and modulations in the spectrum at approximately 65% of the cutoff energy. Presented two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations suggest that modulations in the proton spectrum are caused by the presence of multiple heavy-ion species in the expanding plasma.

The X-ray spectral distribution of swift heavy Ti and Ni ions (11 MeV/u) observed inside aerogels (ρ = 0.1 g/cm3) and dense solids (quartz, ρ = 2.23 g/cm3) indicates a strong presence of simultaneous 3–5 charge states with one K-hole. We show that the theoretical analysis can be split into two tasks: first, the treatment of complex autoionizing states together with the originating spectral distribution, and, second, a charge-state distribution model. Involving the generalized line profile function theory, we discuss attempts to couple charge-state distributions.

One-neutron transfer data of the 16 O( 16 O, 17 O) 15 O reaction have been measured for the p1/2 ground state and p3/2 excited hole state in 15 O, at incident energies ranging from 250 to 1120 MeV. Some remnant of refraction (rainbow) pattern was observed for the ground state transition to 15 O1/2− , whereas for the neutron hole state 15 O ∗/2− at 6.176 MeV excitation energy the angular distributions show more or less an exponential fall-off. The data were analyzed using the full finiterange distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA). The DWBA description of the transfer data over the whole measured angular range was possible only, if the indirect term of the transition operator is properly included and the absorption in the exit channels is substantially increased, especially, for the 15 O ∗/2− channel. The energy dependence of the transfer cross sections has been consistently described with two choices for the real part of the optical potential: the folding potential and the squared Woods–Saxon potential. The obtained spectroscopic factors, S(1/2 − ) = 1.8 ± 0.3 and S(3/2 − ) = 4.0 ± 0.5, are energy independent.  2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

We report on measurements of charge changing cross-sections and energy losses in dependence on the initial and final charge state of Ne ions at an incident energy of 2 MeV/u penetrating thin carbon foils. Different initial charge states could be separated in energy by applying a high voltage in front of the carbon foils; the final charges and their energy loss were measured with a high-resolution magnetic spectrometer. We derived a consistent evolution of the charge state distribution solving the corresponding rate equations for the measured cross-sections. Including the charge state dependent energy losses, ΔE(qi,qf), stopping power values for frozen charge states, S(q), could be extracted. The experimental data are compared with different theoretical predictions.

The structure of the neutron-rich isotopes7He,10Li and11Be has been studied in detail using multi-nucleon transfer reactions. New results have been obtained for7He, where we have evidence for the observation of the first excited state, i.e. the 1/2--resonance, which is of interest for the spin-orbit splitting in these light neutron-rich nuclei. Reactions of distinct selectivity have been chosen to study the states of10Li, which are all unbound. The structure of the eight states found in these reactions is discussed, and the relevance for the decay of11Li resonances is shown. The isotopes10Be and11Be have been investigated to study the α-cluster structure and high-lying states. Nine states of the observed11Be-resonances form a molecu-lar rotational band. The multi-nucleon transfer mechanism has also been applied to study the unbound proton-rich isotope11N, the mirror nucleus of11Be. In this case the12C(14N,15C)11N-reaction has been used. Five resonances have been observed, and the lowest two can be identified as 1/2- -and 5/2+ -states.

The method of coupled kinetic equations for a unified description of charge exchange and excitation of ions passing through matter is applied to calculate energy-loss spectra of swift 22Ne ions in carbon foils in the non-equilibrium regime. Good agreement is obtained for these calculations with the results of recent measurements, performed at the ISL-facility at the Hahn-Meitner Institute.

The elastic scattering cross section for 16 O ions on 16 O targets has been measured with high accuracy over large angular ranges at incident energies from 250 to 704 MeV. From these data which sample both diffractive and refractive scattering processes, we extract the underlying scattering potentials using model-unrestricted analysis methods. The extracted potentials fit very well into the systematics found in light-ion scattering. The real potential parts also compare very favourably with microscopically calculated folding potentials based on a weak density-dependence of the underlying effective nucleon-nucleon interaction at large overlap densities.

We report on a new experimental setup for ion energy loss measurements in dense moderately coupled plasma which has recently been developed and tested at GSI Darmstadt. A partially ionized, moderately coupled carbon plasma (ne ≤ 0.8• 1022 cm-3, Te = 15 eV, z = 2.5, Γ = 0.5) is generated by volumetrical heating of two thin carbon foils with soft X-rays. This plasma is then probed by a bunched heavy ion beam. For that purpose, a special double gold hohlraum target of sub-millimeter size has been developed which efficiently converts intense laser light into thermal radiation and guarantees a gold-free interaction path for the ion beam traversing the carbon plasma. This setup allows to do precise energy loss measurements in non-ideal plasma at the level of 10 percent solid-state density.

The experimental data presented in this paper address the energy loss determination for argon at 4 MeV/u projectile energy in laser-generated carbon plasma covering a huge parameter range in density and temperature. Furthermore, a consistent theoretical description of the projectile charge state evolution via a Monte Carlo code is combined with an improved version of the CasP code that allows us to calculate the contributions to the stopping power of bound and free electrons for each projectile charge state. This approach gets rid of any effective charge description of the stopping power. Comparison of experimental data and theoretical results allows us to judge the influence of different plasma parameters.

K-shell radiation of fast heavy ions penetrating solid matter was used to analyze the stopping dynamics of ions over more than 80% of the stopping path. The most important advantage of this method is that the data is obtained with a high spatial resolution directly from the interaction volume. In experiments 11.4 MeV/ u Ca projectile were slowed down in solid quartz and low-density SiO2 aerogel targets. Characteristic projectile and target spectra in the photon energy range of 1.5–4 keV were registered by means of spherically bent crystal spectrometers with high spectral and spatial resolution in the direction of the ion beam propagation. K-shell spectra of heavy ions induced by close collisions with target atoms provided information about the projectile charge state and velocity dynamics. The line intensity distribution of the K-shell transitions arising from ions with different ion charges represents the charge state distribution along the ion beam track. The variation of the line Doppler shift due to the ion deceleration in the target material was used to determine the ion velocity dynamics. The spectroscopic analysis of the stopping process was complemented by measurements of the energy loss and ion charge state distribution after the ion beam emerged from the target using a standard time-of-flight method and magnet spectrometer.

The study of heavy ion stopping dynamics using associated K-shell projectile and target radiation was the focus of the reported experiments. Ar, Ca, Ti, and Ni projectile ions with the initial energies of 5.9 and 11.4 MeV/u were slowed down in quartz and arogels. Characteristic radiation of projectiles and target atoms induced in close collisions was registered. The variation of the projectile ion line Doppler shift due to the ion deceleration measured along the ion beam trajectory was used to determine the ion velocity dynamics. The dependence of the ion velocity on the trajectory coordinate was measured over 70–90% of the ion beam path with a spatial resolution of 50–70 μm. The choice of SiO 2 aerogel with low mean densities of 0.04–0.15 g/cm 3 as a target material, made it possible to stretch the ion stopping range by more than 20–50 times in comparison with solid quartz. It allowed for resolving the dynamics of the ion stopping process. Experimentally, it has been proven that the fine porous nano-structure of aerogels does not affect the ion energy loss and charge state distribution. The strong increase of the ion stopping range in aerogels made it possible to resolve fast ion radiation dynamics. The analysis of the projectile Kα-satellites structure allows supposing that ions propagate in solid in highly exicted states. This can provide an experimental explanation for so called gas-solid effect.

Intense heavy ion beams from the Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung ~GSI, Darmstadt, Germany! accelerator facilities, together with two high energy laser systems: petawatt high energy laser for ion experiments ~PHELIX! and nanosecond high energy laser for ion experiments ~NHELIX! are a unique combination to facilitate pioneering beam-plasma interaction experiments, to generate and probe high-energy-density ~HED! matter and to address basic physics issues associated with heavy ion driven inertial confinement fusion. In one class of experiments, the laser will be used to generate plasma and the ion beam will be used to study the energy loss of energetic ions in ionized matter, and to probe the physical state of the laser-generated plasma. In another class of experiments, the intense heavy ion beam will be employed to create a sample of HED matter and the laser beam, together with other diagnostic tools, will be used to explore the properties of these exotic states of matter. The existing heavy ion synchrotron facility, SIS18, deliver an intense uranium beam that deposit about 1 kJ0g specific energy in solid matter. Using this beam, experiments have recently been performed where solid lead foils had been heated and a brightness temperature on the order of 5000 K was measured, using a fast multi-channel pyrometer that has been developed jointly by GSI and IPCP Chernogolovka. It is expected that the future heavy ion facility, facility for antiprotons and ion research ~FAIR! will provide compressed beam pulses with an intensity that exceeds the current beam intensities by three orders of magnitude. This will open up the possibility to explore the thermophysical and transport properties of HED matter in a regime that is very difficult to access using the traditional methods of shock compression. Beam plasma interaction experiments using dense plasmas with a G-parameter between 0.5 and 1.5 have also been carried out. This dense Ar-plasma was generated by explosively driven shockwaves and showed enhanced energy loss for Xe and Ar ions in the energy range between 5.9 to 11.4 MeV.

Since their discovery, laser accelerated ion beams have been the subject of great interest. The ion beam peak power and beam emittance is unmatched by any conventionally accelerated ion beam. Due to the unique quality, a wealth of applications has been proposed, and the first experiments confirmed their prospects. Laser ion acceleration is strongly linked to the generation and transport of hot electrons by the interaction of ultra-intense laser light with matter. Comparing ion acceleration experiments at laser systems with different beam parameters and using targets of varying thickness, material and temperature, some insight on the underlying physics can be obtained. The paper will present experimental results obtained at different laser systems, first beam quality measurement on laser accelerated heavy ions, and ion beam source size measurements at different laser parameters. Using structured targets, we compare information obtained from micro patterned ion beams about the accelerating electron sheath, and the influence of magnetic fields on the electron transport inside conducting targets.

The comparative efficiency and beam characteristics of high-energy ions generated by high-intensity short-pulse lasers (approximately 1-6 x 10(19) W/cm2) from both the front and rear surfaces of thin metal foils have been measured under identical conditions. Using direct beam measurements and nuclear activation techniques, we find that rear-surface acceleration produces higher energy particles with smaller divergence and a higher efficiency than front-surface acceleration. Our observations are well reproduced by realistic particle-in-cell simulations, and we predict optimal criteria for future applications.

The laminarity of high current multi‐MeV proton beams produced by irradiating thin metallic foils with ultra‐intense lasers has been measured. For proton energies >10 MeV, the transverse and longitudinal emittance are respectively 10 MeV. Magnetic stripping of the co‐moving electrons out of the beam after a few cm of debunching is not observed to induce emittance growth.

The laminarity of high-current multi-MeV proton beams produced by irradiating thin metallic foils with ultraintense lasers has been measured. For proton energies10 MeV, the transverse and longitudinal emittance are, respectively,0.004 mm mrad and10(-4) eV s, i.e., at least 100-fold and may be as much as 10(4)-fold better than conventional accelerator beams. The fast acceleration being electrostatic from an initially cold surface, only collisions with the accelerating fast electrons appear to limit the beam laminarity. The ion beam source size is measured to be15 microm (FWHM) for proton energies10 MeV.

Transfer reactions are verified to be an important tool for the study of light unbound nuclei. We have studied the proton-rich nuclei 9 C and 15 F respectively through the 10 B( 14 N, 15 C) 9 C and 16 O( 14 N, 15 C) 15 F reactions. Resonance energies and widths were obtained for the first levels of the unbound 15 F nucleus. The angular distributions corresponding to these resonances were analysed using the coupled-channels transfer code FRESCO. For the bound 9 C nucleus only the ground state was observed.

We present the results of a detailed study on the acceleration of intense ion beams by relativistic laser plasmas. The experiments were performed at the 100 TW laser at the Laboratoire pour L'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses. We investigated the dependence of the ion beams on the target conditions based on theoretical predictions by the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism. A strong dependence of the ion beam parameters on the conditions on the target rear surface was found. We succeeded in shaping the ion beam by the appropriate tailoring of the target geometry and we performed a characterization of the ion beam quality. The production of a heavy ion beam could be achieved by suppressing the amount of protons at the target surfaces. Finally, we demonstrated the use of short pulse laser driven ion beams for radiography of thick samples with high resolution.

The discovery of intense ion beams off solid targets irradiated by ultra-intense laser pulses has become the subject of extensive international interest. These highly collimated, energetic beams of protons and heavy ions are strongly depending on the laser parameters as well as on the properties of the irradiated targets. Therefore we have studied the influence of the target conditions on laser-accelerated ion beams generated by multi-terawatt lasers. The experiments were performed using the 100 TW laser facility at Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Laser Intense (LULI). The targets were irradiated by pulses up to 5×1019 W/cm2 (∼300 fs,λ=1.05 μm) at normal incidence. A strong dependence on the surface conditions, conductivity, shape and purity was observed. The plasma density on the front and rear surface was determined by laser interferometry. We characterized the ion beam by means of magnetic spectrometers, radiochromic film, nuclear activation and Thompson parabolas. The strong dependence of the ion b...

Collimated jets of carbon and fluorine ions up to 5 MeV/nucleon ( approximately 100 MeV) are observed from the rear surface of thin foils irradiated with laser intensities of up to 5 x 10 (19)W/cm(2). The normally dominant proton acceleration could be surpressed by removing the hydrocarbon contaminants by resistive heating. This inhibits screening effects and permits effective energy transfer and acceleration of other ion species. The acceleration dynamics and the spatiotemporal distributions of the accelerating E fields at the rear surface of the target are inferred from the detailed spectra.

We have studied the influence of the target properties on laser-accelerated proton and ion beams generated by the LULI multi-terawatt laser. A strong dependence of the ion emission on the surface conditions, conductivity, shape and material of the thin foil targets were observed. We have performed a full characterization of the ion beam using magnetic spectrometers, Thompson parabolas, radiochromic film and nuclear activation techniques. The strong dependence of the ion beam acceleration on the conditions on the target back surface was found in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) mechanism. Proton kinetic energies up to 25 MeV have been observed.

Intense, collimated beams of ions were generated by ultra-intense laser interaction with solid targets. The origin of the accelerated ions are the rear, non-irradiated surfaces. The beams are highly directional and emitted always perpendicular to the rear surface.Due to their low emittance, short pulse duration and high intensity, they may become useful for a wealth of applications. We will present a detailed study of the influence of the target conditions on the generation of the ion beams. Based on our experimental results, we will discuss the prospects of tailoring laser accelerated ion beams for different experimental requirements.