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Laser-driven, quasimonoenergetic electron beams of up to $\ensuremath{\sim}200\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ in energy have been observed from steady-state-flow gas cells. These beams emitted within a low-divergence cone of $2.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mrad}$ FWHM display unprecedented shot-to-shot stability in energy (2.5% rms), pointing (1.4 mrad rms), and charge (16% rms) owing to a highly reproducible gas-density profile within the interaction volume. Laser-wakefield acceleration in gas cells of this type provides a simple and reliable source of relativistic electrons suitable for applications such as the production of extreme-ultraviolet undulator radiation.

We have investigated the radiation induced absorption (RIA) of optical fibers with high active ion concentration. Comparing our results to the literature leads us to the conclusion that RIA appears to be only weakly dependent on the rare earth dopant concentration. Instead, co-dopants like Al, Ge, or P and manufacturing processes seem to play the major role for the radiation sensitivity. It is also observed that different types of irradiation cause very similar RIA at the same dose applied, with the exception at very high dose rates. It has been studied how RIA can be efficiently reduced via moderate heating. Recovery of up to 70% of the original transmission has been reached after annealing at 450 K. We conclude that radiation induced color centers have weak binding energies between 20 and 40 meV. This suggests that annealing could become a key strategy for an improved survival of rare earth doped fibers in radiative environments, opening up new possibilities for long-term missions in space.

The paper is devoted to the prospects of using the laser radiation interaction with plasmas in the laboratory relativistic astrophysics context. We discuss the dimensionless parameters characterizing the processes in the laser and astrophysical plasmas and emphasize a similarity between the laser and astrophysical plasmas in the ultrarelativistic energy limit. In particular, we address basic mechanisms of the charged particle acceleration, the collisionless shock wave and magnetic reconnection and vortex dynamics properties relevant to the problem of ultrarelativistic particle acceleration., Comment: 58 pages, 19 figures

The early and reliable detection of breast cancer is often difficult with conventional mammography, especially within dense breast parenchyma. An alternative approach using x-rays are phase-sensitive imaging techniques, which are able to visualize the borders of tissues with different refraction indices with very high contrast. These phase contrast imaging techniques can generate projection images with much less glandular dose than conventional mammography. Even the acquisition of phase contrast CT data sets with an acceptable exposure dose is possible. As brilliant x-ray beams are required for phase contrast imaging, which up to now were only available at synchrotron facilities, these methods were restricted to only a few laboratories. However, with the advent of newly developed high intensity lasers which are also able to produce such radiation, a widespread and affordable use of this technique seems realistic. The further development of phase contrast imaging is funded by the excellence cluster MAP of the Munich universities.

A recent breakthrough in laser-plasma accelerators, based upon ultrashort high-intensity lasers, demonstrated the generation of quasi-monoenergetic GeV-electrons. With future Petawatt lasers ultra-high beam currents of ~100 kA in ~10 fs can be expected, allowing for drastic reduction in the undulator length of free-electron-lasers (FELs). We present a discussion of the key aspects of a table-top FEL design, including energy loss and chirps induced by space-charge and wakefields. These effects become important for an optimized table-top FEL operation. A first proof-of-principle VUV case is considered as well as a table-top X-ray-FEL which may open a brilliant light source also for new ways in clinical diagnostics., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Appl. Phys. B

The magnitudes and signs of twenty eight E2 and three M1 matrix elements involving 17 low-lying excited states in 104Ru have been measured by Coulomb excitation using 208Pb, 136Xe and 58Ni ions. The completeness of the set of E2 matrix elements is sufficient to extract, directly from the data, the expectation values of the intrinsic-frame E2 moments that provide considerable insight into the underlying collectivity. The measured E2 properties strongly correlate with macroscopic quadrupole collective degrees of freedom. Detailed comparison of the experimental results and theoretical microscopic calculations within the general quadrupole collective Bohr Hamiltonian are presented. Very good agreement of calculations and experiment is achieved without any parameters fitted to the 104Ru experimental data. Results of phenomenological γ-unstable and γ-rigid models are also given.

The fission probability of U-236 as a function of the excitation energy has been measured with high energy resolution using the U-235(d, pf) reaction in order to study hyperdeformed (HD) rotational bands. Rotational band structures with a moment of inertia of theta = 217 +/- 38 h(2)/MeV have been observed, corresponding to hyperdeformed configurations. From the level density of the rotational bands the excitation energy of the ground state in the third minimum was determined to be 2.7 +/- 0.4 MeV.The excitation energy of the lowest hyperdeformed transmission resonance and the energy dependence of the fission isomer population probability enabled the determination of the height of the inner fission barrier E-A = 5.05 +/- 0.20 MeV and its curvature parameter h omega(A) = 1.2 MeV. Using this new method the long-standing uncertainties in determining the height of the inner potential barrier in uranium isotopes could be resolved. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Radioactive beam EXperiment (REX) at CERN-ISOLDE has been commissioned and the first experiments successfully completed during 2002 and 2003. The concept used for post-acceleration has proven to be flexible and the experimental program has therefore been extended during the past year. This paper relays some experiences drawn from using the machine in the current program and also conveys some plans for the future.

Progress in the experimental techniques used to investigate superdeformed fission isomers in the actinides allowed for detailed spectroscopic results of collective properties as well as for the identification of the rotational structure of multiphonon vibrational excitations. A novel approach could be established to determine the depth of the second potential well.

MINIBALL a highly efficient, position sensitive γ -spectrometer is under construction for upcoming radioactive-beam experiments. In contrast to high spin arrays the total full energy peak efficiency and not the resolving power is optimized with a factor of two larger efficiency for γ -ray energies up to 10 MeV and for low to medium γ -ray multiplicity events. Cluster detectors, incorporating three or four Ge crystals, will be employed to provide high flexibility and to accomodate the various demands of the experiments.

REX-ISOLDE [1] is an experiment at ISOLDE/CERN with a twofold aim: (i) to demonstrate a novel efficient scheme for the acceleration of radioactive ions from the online mass separator ISOLDE to energies around the Coulomb barrier. (ii) to perform first nuclear physics experiments by studying the structure of the neutron-rich (N = 20, N = 28) nuclei by Coulomb excitation and neutron transfer reactions. An overview on the different components of the radioactive beam accelerator is given with special emphasis on the separation possibilities and ion number capabilities of the system.

We present a nuclear medical imaging technique, employing triple-gamma trajectory intersections from beta^+ - gamma coincidences, able to reach sub-millimeter spatial resolution in 3 dimensions with a reduced requirement of reconstructed intersections per voxel compared to a conventional PET reconstruction analysis. This '$\gamma$-PET' technique draws on specific beta^+ - decaying isotopes, simultaneously emitting an additional photon. Exploiting the triple coincidence between the positron annihilation and the third photon, it is possible to separate the reconstructed 'true' events from background. In order to characterize this technique, Monte-Carlo simulations and image reconstructions have been performed. The achievable spatial resolution has been found to reach ca. 0.4 mm (FWHM) in each direction for the visualization of a 22Na point source. Only 40 intersections are sufficient for a reliable sub-millimeter image reconstruction of a point source embedded in a scattering volume of water inside a voxel volume of about 1 mm^3 ('high-resolution mode'). Moreover, starting with an injected activity of 400 MBq for ^76Br, the same number of only about 40 reconstructed intersections are needed in case of a larger voxel volume of 2 x 2 x 3~mm^3 ('high-sensitivity mode'). Requiring such a low number of reconstructed events significantly reduces the required acquisition time for image reconstruction (in the above case to about 140 s) and thus may open up the perspective for a quasi real-time imaging., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figutes, 3 tables

The Miniball germanium detector array has been operational at the REX (Radioactive ion beam EXperiment) post accelerator at the Isotope Separator On-Line facility ISOLDE at CERN since 2001. During the last decade, a series of successful Coulomb excitation and transfer reaction studies have been performed with this array, utilizing the unique and high-quality radioactive ion beams which are available at ISOLDE. In this article, an overview is given of the technical details of the full Miniball setup, including a description of the γ-ray and particle detectors, beam monitoring devices and methods to deal with beam contamination. The specific timing properties of the REX-ISOLDE facility are highlighted to indicate the sensitivity that can be achieved with the full Miniball setup. The article is finalized with a summary of some physics highlights at REX-ISOLDE and the utilization of the Miniball germanium detectors at other facilities. © The Author(s) 2013. ispartof: European Physical Journal A, Hadrons and Nuclei vol:49 issue:3 pages:1-32 status: published

The enhancement of spontaneous radiative recombination of C6+ ions with free electrons in a resonant laser field has been investigated at the Heidelberg cooler ring TSR for different transverse electron temperatures realized by adiabatically expanding the magnetically guided electron beam. The recombination spectra close to the ionization threshold strongly deviate from calculations for free independent electrons, showing important contributions at energies below this threshold. Shape and relative size of these contributions change significantly as the transverse temperature is varied. These changes are not consistent with the expected behaviour of sub-threshold contributions due to electric stray fields.

Experiments at the Heidelberg-Darmstadt Crystal Ball have shown an increased γ-intensity in the region 3–9 MeV for fission events with one fragment near A∼132 produced in three compound nucleus fission reactions 197Au(19F,f), 232Th(18O,f), and 238U(18O,f) at 120 MeV as well as in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf. Trends in the data are reproduced by an empirical description based on known shell-related properties of neutron-rich nuclei northwest of the doubly magic nucleus 132Sn. Theoretical attempts to account for the experimental results are reviewed.

Three promising scintillation materials, namely GSO(Ce), YAP(Ce), and CsI (pure), were investigated under 50MeV 12 C and 100MeV 32 S heavy-ion irradiation. The radiation resistance, light output and time structure of the scintillation were measured. The measurements were complemented by studies of the transmittance and thermoluminescence of the irradiated crystals. GSO(Ce) and CsI(pure) show an excellent radiation resistance together with a high light output. Maintaining a time resolution in the nanosecond regime, their applicability for heavy-ion detection with accumulated doses up to 5 × 10 13 ions/cm 2 was demonstrated. This enables their continuous operation in counting applications with high average ion rates occurring, e.g., at heavy-ion storage rings. A CsI(pure) scintillation detector realized on the basis of these measurements for electron-ion recombination experiments at the Heidelberg heavy-ion storage ring TSR is described.

Collisions between the circulating ions in an ion storage ring and electrons of an electron cooler can be used for the experimental determination of long atomic lifetimes. Our interest is in the 2s2p 3 P 1 0 level in Be-like ions and the 3s3p 3 5 S 2 0 level in Si-like ions. A time variation of the signal due to ionization of the circulating ions in the residual gas is tentatively used to extract the lifetime of the long-lived excited level in Be-like N 3+ and O 4+ .

Absolute rates and cross sections for dielectronic recombination and ionization of Na-like Fe15+ (1s22s22p63s) ions were measured at electron impact energies between 0 and 1030 eV using the Heidelberg heavy ion storage ring TSR with the cooling device as an electron target. In the region where excitation-autoionization and related resonant processes are relevant, variations of the ionization cross sections below 0.5% were observed with an energy resolution of 4 to 5 eV FWHM. The theoretical calculations are in good overall agreement with the measured cross sections but do not reproduce all the details of the rich resonance structures revealed by our experiment. In the lower energy range we made use of the magnetically expanded electron beam with a transverse temperature corresponding to only kT⊥ = (15 ± 3) meV. This resulted in an excellent energy resolution in the measurements of dielectronic recombination associated with 3s → 3p, 3d, 4l core excitations. Here, theory and experiment are in very good agreement.

Laser induced two-step recombination is used to populate Rydberg states in highly charged ions and to measure the fine structure of inter-Rydberg transitions. The experimental procedure employs photoionization in order to reduce the background due to one-photon recombination. In the spectrum for Rydberg levels of heliumlike C4+, transitions between low-l states are resolved. The signal due to the unresolved high-l states is possibly enhanced due to the mixing between the l levels in the radiation field at high laser intensities.

The fission probability of 232Pa was measured as a function of the excitation energy in order to search for hyperdeformed (HD) transmission resonances using the (d,pf) transfer reaction on a radioactive 231Pa target. The experiment was performed at the Tandem accelerator of the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory (MLL) at Garching using the 231Pa(d,pf) reaction at a bombarding energy of E=12 MeV and with an energy resolution of dE=5.5 keV. Two groups of transmission resonances have been observed at excitation energies of E=5.7 and 5.9 MeV. The fine structure of the resonance group at E=5.7 MeV could be interpreted as overlapping rotational bands with a rotational parameter characteristic to a HD nuclear shape. The fission barrier parameters of 232Pa have been determined by fitting TALYS 1.2 nuclear reaction code calculations to the overall structure of the fission probability. From the average level spacing of the J=4 states, the excitation energy of the ground state of the 3rd minimum has been deduced to be E(III)=5.05 MeV., Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures

Via refractive or diffractive scattering one can shape γ ray beams in terms of beam divergence, spot size and monochromaticity. These concepts might be particular important in combination with future highly brilliant gamma ray sources and might push the sensibility of planned experiments by several orders of magnitude. We will demonstrate the experimental feasibility of gamma ray monochromatization on a ppm level and the creation of a gamma ray beam with nanoradian divergence. The results are obtained using the inpile target position of the High Flux Reactor of the ILL Grenoble and the crystal spectrometer GAMS. Since the refractive index is believed to vanish to zero with 1/E2, the concept of refractive optics has never been considered for gamma rays. The combination of refractive optics with monochromator crystals is proposed to be a promising design. Using the crystal spectrometer GAMS, we have measured for the first time the refractive index at energies in the energy range of 180 - 2000 keV. The resul...

Next-generation gamma beams beams from laser Compton-backscattering facilities like ELI-NP (Bucharest)] or MEGa-Ray (Livermore) will drastically exceed the photon flux presently available at existing facilities, reaching or even exceeding 10^13 gamma/sec. The beam structure as presently foreseen for MEGa-Ray and ELI-NP builds upon a structure of macro-pulses (~120 Hz) for the electron beam, accelerated with X-band technology at 11.5 GHz, resulting in a micro structure of 87 ps distance between the electron pulses acting as mirrors for a counterpropagating intense laser. In total each 8.3 ms a gamma pulse series with a duration of about 100 ns will impinge on the target, resulting in an instantaneous photon flux of about 10^18 gamma/s, thus introducing major challenges in view of pile-up. Novel gamma optics will be applied to monochromatize the gamma beam to ultimately Delta E/E~10^-6. Thus level-selective spectroscopy of higher multipole excitations will become accessible with good contrast for the first time. Fast responding gamma detectors, e.g. based on advanced scintillator technology (e.g. LaBr3(Ce)) allow for measurements with count rates as high as 10^6-10^7 gamma/s without significant drop of performance. Data handling adapted to the beam conditions could be performed by fast digitizing electronics, able to sample data traces during the micro-pulse duration, while the subsequent macro-pulse gap of ca. 8 ms leaves ample time for data readout. A ball of LaBr3 detectors with digital readout appears to best suited for this novel type of nuclear photonics at ultra-high counting rates., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 1 table

Two new research facilities will be ready for operation very soon (MEGa-Ray at Liver-more National Laboratory) or start construction (ELI-Nuclear Physics in Bucharest), both providing highly brilliant γ beams with so far unprecedented properties via Compton backscattering of laser photons from a high-quality, relativistic electron beam. With these intense, monochromatic γ beams, a new era of photonuclear physics will be enabled. A new research campaign is proposed to exploit the unprecedented properties of these highly-brilliant, novel γ beams on highly-selective studies of extremely deformed nuclei in the multiple-humped potential energy landscape of the actinides via photofission. With the unique γ beam bandwidth of ΔE/E = 10−3, we can aim at resolving individual resonances which could never be achieved so far due to the limited γ bandwidth of bremsstrahlung beams. Exploratory, non-bremsstrahlung photofission experiments are going to be performed very soon at the HIγS facility (Duke University, USA) to ...

With new gamma-beam facilities like MEGa-ray at LLNL (USA) or ELI-NP at Bucharest with 10^13 g/s and a bandwidth of Delta E_g/E_g ~10^-3, a new era of g-beams with energies, 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables

We present for the first time the concept of a seeded {\gamma} quantum Free-Electron-Laser (QFEL) at 478 keV, which has very different properties compared to a classical. The basic concept is to produce a highly brilliant {\gamma} beam via SASE. To produce highly intense and coherent {\gamma} beam, we intend to use a seeded FEL scheme. Important for the production of such a {\gamma} beam are novel refractive {\gamma} -lenses for focusing and an efficient monochromator, allowing to generate a very intense and coherent seed beam. The energy of the {\gamma} beam is 478 keV, corresponding to a wavelength in the sub-{\AA}ngstr{\o}m regime (1/38 {\AA}). To realize a coherent {\gamma} beam at 478 keV, it is necessary to use a quantum FEL design. At such high radiation energies a classical description of the {\gamma}-FEL becomes wrong.

The decay of e+e− at rest into four photons has been measured in a 20-day experiment at the Heidelberg-Darmstadt Crystal Ball. From a total of 4.9 × 1010 annihilations observed, 406 4gg events with an estimated background contamination of less than 5% have been isolated. Energy and angular distributions are found to agree excellently with simulations based on QED. Using a parallel measurement of 3γ-annihilation for a reduction of systematic uncertainties, the branching ratio Γ4γ/Γ2γ is obtained to be (1.50±0.07(stat.) ±0.09(syst.)) × 10−6, in agreement with lowest-order QED.

The spectacular progress of electron and heavy-ions acceleration driven by ultra-short high-power laser has opened the way for new methods of investigations in nuclear physics and related fields. On the other hand, upshifting the photon energies of a high repetition TW-class laser through inverse Compton scattering on electron bunches classically accelerated, a high-flux narrow bandwidth gamma beam can be produced. With such a gamma beam in the 1-20 MeV energy range and a two-arms 10-PW class laser system, the pillar of "Extreme Light Infrastructure" to be built in Bucharest will focus on nuclear phenomena and their practical applications. Nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental QED aspects as well as applications in material and life sciences, radioactive waste management and homeland security will be studied using the high-power laser, the gamma beam or combining the two. The article includes a general description of ELI-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility, an overview of the Physics Case and some details on the few, most representative proposed experiments.

In vacuum high-intensity lasers can cause photon-photon interaction via the process of virtual vacuum polarization which may be measured by the phase velocity shift of photons across intense fields. In the optical frequency domain, the photon-photon interaction is polarization-mediated described by the Euler-Heisenberg effective action. This theory predicts the vacuum birefringence or polarization dependence of the phase velocity shift arising from nonlinear properties in quantum electrodynamics (QED). We suggest a method to measure the vacuum birefringence under intense optical laser fields based on the absolute phase velocity shift by phase-contrast Fourier imaging. The method may serve for observing effects even beyond the QED vacuum polarization., 14 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by Applied Physics B

We propose to produce neutron‐rich nuclei in the range of the astrophysical r‐process around the waiting point N = 126 by fissioning a dense laser‐accelerated thorium ion bunch in a thorium target (covered by a CH2 layer), where the light fission fragments of the beam fuse with the light fission fragments of the target. Via the ‘hole‐boring’ mode of laser Radiation Pressure Acceleration using a high‐intensity, short pulse laser, very efficiently bunches of 232Th with solid‐state density can be generated from a Th target and a deuterated CD2 foil, both forming the production target assembly. Laser‐accelerated Th ions with about 7 MeV/u will pass through a thin CH2 layer placed in front of a thicker second Th foil (both forming the reaction target) closely behind the production target and disintegrate into light and heavy fission fragments. In addition, light ions (d,C) from the CD2 layer of the production target will be accelerated as well, inducing the fission process of 232Th also in the second Th layer. The laser‐accelerated ion bunches with solid‐state density, which are about 1014 times more dense than classically accelerated ion bunches, allow for a high probability that generated fission products can fuse again. The high ion beam density may lead to a strong collective modification of the stopping power, leading to significant range and thus yield enhancement. Using a high‐intensity laser as envisaged for the ELI‐Nuclear Physics project in Bucharest (ELI‐NP), order‐of‐magnitude estimates promise a fusion yield of about 103 ions per laser pulse in the mass range of A = 180–190, thus enabling to approach the r‐process waiting point at N = 126.

We study the production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine in $(\gamma,x{\rm n}+y{\rm p})$ photonuclear reactions or ($\gamma,\gamma'$) photoexcitation reactions with high flux [($10^{13}-10^{15}$)$\gamma$/s], small diameter $\sim (100 \, \mu$m$)^2$ and small band width ($\Delta E/E \approx 10^{-3}-10^{-4}$) $\gamma$ beams produced by Compton back-scattering of laser light from relativistic brilliant electron beams. We compare them to (ion,$x$n$ + y$p) reactions with (ion=p,d,$\alpha$) from particle accelerators like cyclotrons and (n,$\gamma$) or (n,f) reactions from nuclear reactors. For photonuclear reactions with a narrow $\gamma$ beam the energy deposition in the target can be managed by using a stack of thin target foils or wires, hence avoiding direct stopping of the Compton and pair electrons (positrons). $(\gamma,\gamma')$ isomer production via specially selected $\gamma$ cascades allows to produce high specific activity in multiple excitations, where no back-pumping of the isomer to the ground state occurs. We discuss in detail many specific radioisotopes for diagnostics and therapy applications. Photonuclear reactions with $\gamma$ beams allow to produce certain radioisotopes, e.g. $^{47}$Sc, $^{44}$Ti, $^{67}$Cu, $^{103}$Pd, $^{117m}$Sn, $^{169}$Er, $^{195m}$Pt or $^{225}$Ac, with higher specific activity and/or more economically than with classical methods. This will open the way for completely new clinical applications of radioisotopes. For example $^{195m}$Pt could be used to verify the patient's response to chemotherapy with platinum compounds before a complete treatment is performed. Also innovative isotopes like $^{47}$Sc, $^{67}$Cu and $^{225}$Ac could be produced for the first time in sufficient quantities for large-scale application in targeted radionuclide therapy., Comment: submitted to Appl. Phys. B

The ultra‐high fields of high‐power short‐pulse lasers are expected to contribute to understanding fundamental properties of the quantum vacuum and quantum theory in very strong fields. For example, the neutral QED vacuum breaks down at the Schwinger field strength of 1.3 1018 V/m, where a virtual e+e− pair gains its rest mass energy over a Compton wavelength and materializes as a real pair. At such an ultra‐high field strength, an electron experiences an acceleration of as = 2 1028 g and hence fundamental phenomena such as the long predicted Unruh effect start to play a role. The Unruh effect implies that the accelerated electron experiences the vacuum as a thermal bath with the Unruh temperature. In its accelerated frame the electron scatters photons off the thermal bath, corresponding to the emission of an entangled pair of photons in the laboratory frame. In upcoming experiments with intense accelerating fields, we will encounter a set of opportunities to experimentally study the radiation from electr...

Latest developments in the field of laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) have led to relatively stable electron beams in terms of peak energy, charge, pointing and divergence from mmsized accelerators. Simulations and LWFA theory indicate that these beams have low transverse emittances and ultrashort bunch durations on the order of ∼ 10 fs. These features make LWFAs perfectly suitable for driving high-brightness X-ray undulator sources and free-electron lasers (FELs) on a university-laboratory scale.With the detection of soft-X-ray radiation from an undulator source driven by laser-wakefield accelerated electrons, we succeeded in achieving a first milestone on this path. The source delivers remarkably stable photon beams which is mainly due to the stable electron beam and our miniature magnetic quadrupole lenses, which significantly reduce its divergence and angular shot-to-shot variation. An increase in electron energy allows for compact, tunable, hard-Xray undulator sources. Improvements of the electron beams in terms of charge and energy spread will put table-top FELs within reach. © 2010 American Institute of Physids.

High-intensity X-ray sources such as synchrotrons and free-electron lasers need large particle accelerators to drive them. The demonstration of a synchrotron X-ray source that uses a laser-driven particle accelerator could widen the availability of intense X-rays for research in physics, materials science and biology. Synchrotrons and free-electron lasers are the most powerful sources of X-ray radiation. They constitute invaluable tools for a broad range of research1; however, their dependence on large-scale radiofrequency electron accelerators means that only a few of these sources exist worldwide. Laser-driven plasma-wave accelerators2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 provide markedly increased accelerating fields and hence offer the potential to shrink the size and cost of these X-ray sources to the university-laboratory scale. Here, we demonstrate the generation of soft-X-ray undulator radiation with laser-plasma-accelerated electron beams. The well-collimated beams deliver soft-X-ray pulses with an expected pulse duration of ∼10 fs (inferred from plasma-accelerator physics). Our source draws on a 30-cm-long undulator11 and a 1.5-cm-long accelerator delivering stable electron beams10 with energies of ∼210 MeV. The spectrum of the generated undulator radiation typically consists of a main peak centred at a wavelength of ∼18 nm (fundamental), a second peak near ∼9 nm (second harmonic) and a high-energy cutoff at ∼7 nm. Magnetic quadrupole lenses11 ensure efficient electron-beam transport and demonstrate an enabling technology for reproducible generation of tunable undulator radiation. The source is scalable to shorter wavelengths by increasing the electron energy. Our results open the prospect of tunable, brilliant, ultrashort-pulsed X-ray sources for small-scale laboratories.

Experiments on ion acceleration by irradiation of ultra-thin diamond-like carbon (DLC) foils, with thicknesses well below the skin depth, irradiated with laser pulses of ultra-high contrast and linear polarization, are presented. A maximum energy of 13 MeV for protons and 71 MeV for carbon ions is observed with a conversion efficiency of ~10%. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations reveal that the increase in ion energies can be attributed to a dominantly collective rather than thermal motion of the foil electrons, when the target becomes transparent for the incident laser pulse.

We present experimental studies on ion acceleration from ultrathin diamondlike carbon foils irradiated by ultrahigh contrast laser pulses of energy 0.7 J focused to peak intensities of $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{19}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. A reduction in electron heating is observed when the laser polarization is changed from linear to circular, leading to a pronounced peak in the fully ionized carbon spectrum at the optimum foil thickness of 5.3 nm. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations reveal that those ${\mathrm{C}}^{6+}$ ions are for the first time dominantly accelerated in a phase-stable way by the laser radiation pressure.

We report on the acceleration of ion beams from ultrathin diamondlike carbon foils of thickness 50, 30, and 10 nm irradiated by ultrahigh contrast laser pulses at intensities of $\ensuremath{\sim}7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{19}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. An unprecedented maximum energy of 185 MeV ($15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{u}$) for fully ionized carbon atoms is observed at the optimum thickness of 30 nm. The enhanced acceleration is attributed to self-induced transparency, leading to strong volumetric heating of the classically overdense electron population in the bulk of the target. Our experimental results are supported by both particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and an analytical model.

Laser-driven particle acceleration has been under intense investigation for the last decade and is of particular interest for key applications such as medical physics, fast ignition and inertial confinement fusion. The dominant ion acceleration mechanism is known as target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA); although easy accessible it suffers from a low energy conversion efficiency. Recently reported maximum ion energies1 are in the range of a few tens of MeV, which is well below the energies needed for most applications. Recently proposed acceleration mechanisms utilize ultra-high contrast laser pulses and ultra-thin solid targets allowing for generation of ions in the GeV range from intense laser-plasma interaction. A high laser contrast suppresses pre-ionization of the solid target by any pre-pulses or laser pedestals and in theory enables acceleration beyond TNSA in regimes such as the break-out afterburner (BOA)2 or radiation pressure acceleration (RPA).