title: Guided post-acceleration of laser-driven ions by a miniature modular structure.
abstract: All-optical approaches to particle acceleration are currently attracting a significant research effort internationally. Although characterized by exceptional transverse and longitudinal emittance, laser-driven ion beams currently have limitations in terms of peak ion energy, bandwidth of the energy spectrum and beam divergence. Here we introduce the concept of a versatile, miniature linear accelerating module, which, by employing laser-excited electromagnetic pulses directed along a helical path surrounding the laser-accelerated ion beams, addresses these shortcomings simultaneously. In a proof-of-principle experiment on a university-scale system, we demonstrate post-acceleration of laser-driven protons from a flat foil at a rate of 0.5 GeV m(-1), already beyond what can be sustained by conventional accelerator technologies, with dynamic beam collimation and energy selection. These results open up new opportunities for the development of extremely compact and cost-effective ion accelerators for both established and innovative applications.
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
authors.forename: Satyabrata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kar
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
authors.forename: Hamad
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Rajendra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Mirela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerchez
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brauckmann
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Bastian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aurand
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics E. Fermi, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, Pisa 56127, Italy.
authors.forename: Giada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cantono
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
authors.forename: Prokopis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hadjisolomou
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
authors.forename: Ciaran L S
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics E. Fermi, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, Pisa 56127, Italy.|Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Research Unit Adriano Gozzini, via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa 56124, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1835-2544
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
authors.forename: Gagik
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nersisyan
authors.affiliation: Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK.
authors.forename: Alexander P L
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schroer
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Swantusch
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.|Helmholtz Institut Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany.|Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Universität Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zepf
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany.
authors.forename: Oswald
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Willi
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borghesi