High-Brightness Picosecond Proton Beam Source Based on BNL TW CO2 Laser: Proof-of-Principle Experiments

We initiate study of a high-brightness multi-MeV ion and proton beam source driven by a picosecond CO2 laser. High-energy, collimated particle beams will originate from the rear surface of laser-irradiated foils by a process called Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA). The expected advantage of using a CO2 gas laser for this application rather than the ultra-fast solid state lasers is the 100-fold increase of the electron ponderomotive potential for the same laser intensity due to a 10 times longer CO2 laser wavelength. This promises to provide substantial enhancement in energy efficiency and particle yield, and will facilitate the advancement of the TNSA technique towards practical applications.