Ultrahigh-intensity laser-produced plasmas as a compact heavy ion injection source

The possibility of using high-intensity laser-produced plasmas as a source of energetic ions for heavy ion accelerators is addressed. Experiments have shown that neon ions greater than 6 MeV can be produced from gas jet plasm as, and well-collimated proton beams greater than 20 MeV have been produced from high-intensity Laser solid interactions. The proton beams from the ba ck of thin targets appear to be more collimated and reproducible than are h igh-energy ions generated in the ablated plasma at the front of the target and may be more suitable for ion injection applications. Lead ions have bee n produced at energies up to 430 MeV.