Laser-Driven Sources of High Energy Particles and Radiation : Lecture Notes of the 'Capri' Advanced Summer School

This volume presents a selection of articles based on inspiring lectures held at the “Capri” Advanced Summer School, an original event conceived and promoted by Leonida Antonio Gizzi and Ralph Assmann that focuses on novel schemes for plasma-based particle acceleration and radiation sources, and which brings together researchers from the conventional accelerator community and from the high-intensity laser-matter interaction research fields. Training in these fields is highly relevant for ultra-intense lasers and applications, which have enjoyed dramatic growth following the development of major European infrastructures like the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) and the EuPRAXIA project. The articles preserve the tutorial character of the lectures and reflect the latest advances in their respective fields. The volume is mainly intended for PhD students and young researchers getting started in this area, but also for scientists from other fields who are interested in the latest developments. The content will also appeal to radiobiologists and medical physicists, as it includes contributions on potential applications of laser-based particle accelerators. Preface 7 Participants 9 Par13 11 Contents 12 Contributors 14 1 Laser-Driven Sources of High Energy Particles and Radiation 17 1.1 Introduction 17 1.2 Laser-Plasma Acceleration 18 1.3 Plasma Diagnostics 21 1.4 Radiation Sources 25 1.5 Laser ``Drivers'' for Plasma Accelerators 29 1.6 Industrial Development of Laser Drivers 33 1.7 Multidisciplinary Applications 34 1.8 Summary 36 References 36 2 Basics of Laser-Plasma Interaction: A Selection of Topics 41 2.1 Introduction 41 2.2 Single Electron Dynamics and Radiation Friction 42 2.2.1 Motion in Plane Wave Fields 42 2.2.2 Ponderomotive Force 44 2.2.3 Radiation Friction (Reaction) 45 2.3 Kinetic and Fluid Equations 46 2.4 ``Relativistic'' Optics 48 2.4.1 Wave Propagation and ``Relativistic'' Nonlinearities 48 2.4.2 Relativistic Self-focusing 49 2.4.3 Relativistic Transparency 51 2.5 Interaction With a Step Boundary Plasma 52 2.5.1 Energy Absorption: From Fresnel Formulas to ``Vacuum Heating'' 52 2.5.2 Momentum Absorption and Radiation Pressure 53 2.5.3 Absorption of Tangential Momentum 55 2.6 Moving Mirrors 56 2.6.1 Reflection from a Moving Mirror 56 2.6.2 High Harmonics from an Oscillating Mirror 57 2.6.3 Light Sail Acceleration 59 2.7 Instabilities 61 2.8 Angular Momentum Absorption and Magnetic Field Generation 62 References 64 3 Laser Wakefield Accelerators: Plasma Wave Growth and Acceleration 66 3.1 Laser Acceleration 66 3.1.1 Plasma Wave Generation 67 3.1.2 Energy Gain 77 References 85 4 LWFA Electrons: Staged Acceleration 86 4.1 Introduction 86 4.2 Basic Concepts of Beam Physics 87 4.2.1 Transverse Beam Dynamics 88 4.2.2 Longitudinal Beam Dynamics 94 4.2.3 Transfer Matrix 95 4.3 Comparison of RF Accelerators and LWFA 99 4.3.1 Liouvelle's Theorem and Emittance Conservation 100 4.4 Review of Staged LWFA Experiments 101 4.5 Beam Matching 103 4.6 Comparison of Focusing Devices 104 4.7 Further Topics 106 4.8 Conclusion 106 References 107 5 Fundamentals and Applications of Hybrid LWFA-PWFA 109 5.1 Introduction and Fundamental Considerations 110 5.2 Hybrid Combinations of LWFA and PWFA 117 5.2.1 Plasma Torch—All Optical Density Downramp Injection 121 5.2.2 Trojan Horse—Plasma Photocathode Injection 123 5.2.3 Wakefield-Induced Ionization—WII 127 5.3 Applications 129 5.4 Summary 131 References 131 6 Introduction to High Brightness Electron Beam Dynamics 135 6.1 Introduction 135 6.2 Laminar and Non-laminar Beams 136 6.3 The Emittance Concept 137 6.4 The Root Mean Square Envelope Equation 143 6.5 External Forces 145 6.6 Space Charge Forces 147 6.7 Correlated Emittance Oscillations 150 6.8 Matching Conditions in a Radiofrequency Linac 153 References 155 7 Ion Acceleration: TNSA and Beyond 156 7.1 Introduction 156 7.2 Sheath Acceleration 157 7.2.1 TNSA Scaling and Optimization 159 7.3 Beyond TNSA: Emerging Mechanisms 161 7.3.1 Radiation Pressure Acceleration 161 7.3.2 Relativistic Transparency Regimes 167 7.4 Applications of Laser-Driven Ions 168 7.4.1 Proton Radiography/Deflectometry 168 7.4.2 Warm Dense Matter Studies 170 7.4.3 Radiobiology 172 7.4.4 Cancer Therapy 173 7.4.5 Neutron Generation 174 7.4.6 Proton Fast Ignition 174 References 175 8 Ultrafast Plasma Imaging 178 8.1 Introduction 178 8.2 Physical Effects Relevant for Ultrafast Plasma Imaging 180 8.2.1 The Plasma's Refractive Index 180 8.2.2 Effects Sensitive to Magnetic Fields 182 8.3 Generation of Synchronized Electromagnetic Probe Pulses 183 8.4 Specific Setups for Ultra-Fast Plasma Diagnostics 184 8.4.1 Interferometry 184 8.4.2 Shadowgraphy 187 8.4.3 Polarimetry 187 8.5 Experimental Examples for Ultra-Fast Plasma Probing 189 8.5.1 Measurement of the Plasma Density Using Interferometry 189 8.5.2 High-Resolution Shadowgrams of the Plasma Wave in a Laser-Wakefield Accelerator 193 8.5.3 Measurements of Magnetic Field Structures in a Laser-Wakefield Accelerator 193 8.6 Summary 195 References 196 9 Particles Simulation Through Matter in Medical Physics Using the Geant4 Toolkit: From Conventional to Laser-Driven Hadrontherapy 199 9.1 Introduction 200 9.1.1 The Monte Carlo Approach 200 9.2 Monte Carlo Simulation in Medical Physics 200 9.2.1 The Geant4 Simulation Toolkit 201 9.2.2 Geant4 Use in Medical Physics 202 9.3 Hadrontherapy: An Application for Clinical Passive Proton/Ion Beam Lines Simulation 203 9.3.1 Main Characteristics 203 9.3.2 Reference Physics Lists 204 9.3.3 Primary Event Generator 206 9.4 The CATANA Beamline and Its Complete Simulation 206 9.4.1 Set-Up of the Beamline 206 9.4.2 Design of a Scattering System: The Role of Monte Carlo 207 9.4.3 Energy Modulation System 208 9.5 Monte Carlo for the Extimation of Radiobiological Relevant Parameters 209 9.5.1 LET (Linear Energy Transfer) Calculation 209 9.5.2 RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness) Calculation 211 9.6 Using Simulations with Laser-Driven Beams: The ELIMED Beamline at ELI-Beamlines 213 References 217 10 Lectures About Intense Lasers: Amplification Process 221 10.1 Introduction 221 10.2 The Black Body Radiation 222 10.3 The Two-Level System 223 10.3.1 The Einstein Coefficients 224 10.3.2 Relationship Between Einstein Coefficients 226 10.3.3 Linewidth Broadening 227 10.3.4 Properties of the Relationship Between Einstein’s Coefficients 227 10.4 Amplification 228 10.4.1 Gain Saturation and the Amplification Process According to Frantz and Nodvik 229 10.4.2 Energetic and Temporal Behaviour 231 10.4.3 Multiple Pass Amplification 232 10.5 Achieving Short Pulse Duration 234 10.6 Conclusion 236 References 237 11 Diagnostics of Ultrafast and Ultraintense Laser Pulses 238 11.1 Introduction 238 11.2 Experimental Techniques for the Temporal Characterization of Ultrashort Pulses 239 11.2.1 A Brief Introduction to the Mathematical (and Physical) Description of an Ultrashort Laser Pulse 239 11.2.2 Basics on 1st and 2nd Order Autocorrelators 243 11.2.3 Advanced Pulse Shape Characterization Techniques in the Time-Frequency Domain 249 11.2.4 Ultrashort Pulse Contrast Measurement Methods 253 11.3 Wavefront Measurement Methods 256 References 260 Index 261 Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Laser-Driven Sources of High Energy Particles and Radiation (Leonida Antonio Gizzi)....Pages 1-24 Basics of Laser-Plasma Interaction: A Selection of Topics (Andrea Macchi)....Pages 25-49 Laser Wakefield Accelerators: Plasma Wave Growth and Acceleration (Zulfikar Najmudin)....Pages 51-70 LWFA Electrons: Staged Acceleration (Masaki Kando)....Pages 71-93 Fundamentals and Applications of Hybrid LWFA-PWFA (Bernhard Hidding, Andrew Beaton, Lewis Boulton, Sebastién Corde, Andreas Doepp, Fahim Ahmad Habib et al.)....Pages 95-120 Introduction to High Brightness Electron Beam Dynamics (M. Ferrario)....Pages 121-141 Ion Acceleration: TNSA and Beyond (Marco Borghesi)....Pages 143-164 Ultrafast Plasma Imaging (Malte C. Kaluza)....Pages 165-185 Particles Simulation Through Matter in Medical Physics Using the Geant4 Toolkit: From Conventional to Laser-Driven Hadrontherapy (G. A. P. Cirrone, G. Cuttone, L. Pandola, D. Margarone, G. Petringa)....Pages 187-208 Lectures About Intense Lasers: Amplification Process (Bruno LeGarrec)....Pages 209-225 Diagnostics of Ultrafast and Ultraintense Laser Pulses (Luca Labate)....Pages 227-249 Back Matter ....Pages 251-254