Cascaded laser proton acceleration well beyond 100 MeV energy

Laser-driven ion accelerators can deliver high-energy, high peak current beams and are thus attracting attention as a compact alternative to conventional accelerators. However, achieving sufficiently high energy levels suitable for applications such as radiation therapy remains a challenge for laser-driven ion accelerators. Here, we generate proton beams with a spectrally separated high-energy component of up to 150MeV by irradiating solid-density plastic foil targets with ultrashort laser pulses from a repetitive petawatt laser. The preceding laser light heats the target, leading to the onset of relativistically-induced transparency upon main pulse arrival. The laser peak then penetrates the initially opaque target and triggers proton acceleration through a cascade of different mechanisms, as revealed by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The transparency of the target can be used to identify the high-performance domain, making it a suitable feedback parameter for automated laser and target optimisation to enhance stability of plasma accelerators in the future.