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An optical diagnostic based on resonant absorption of laser light in a plasma is introduced and is used for the determination of density scale lengths in the range of 10 nm to >1 μm at the critical surface of an overdense plasma. This diagnostic is also used to extract the plasma collisional frequency, allowing inference of the temporally evolving plasma composition on the tens of femtosecond timescale. This is found to be characterized by two eras: the early time and short scale length expansion (L 0.1λ); this is consistent with a hydrogen plasma decoupling from the bulk target material. Density gradients and plasma parameters on this scale are of importance to plasma mirror optical performance and comment is made on this theme.

As high-intensity short-pulse lasers that can operate at high-repetition-rate (HRR) (>10 Hz) come online around the world, the high-energy-density (HED) science they enable will experience a radical paradigm shift. The >10^3x increase in shot rate over today’s shot-per-hour drivers translates into dramatically faster data acquisition and more experiments, and thus the potential to significantly accelerate the advancement of HED science. We will present the vision and ongoing work to realize a HRR framework that allows for rapidly delivered optimal experiments by bringing together feedback laser control loops, high-throughput targetry and diagnostics, cognitive simulation, enhanced HED codes, and advanced data analytics.

High intensity, high-repetition rate (HRR) lasers, that is lasers that can operate on the order of 1 Hz or faster, are quickly coming on-line around the world. High intensity lasers have long been an impactful tool in high energy density (HED) science since they are capable of creating matter at extreme temperatures and pressures relevant to this field. The advent of HRR technology enhances to this capability since HRR enables these types of these experiments to be performed faster, thus leading to an acceleration in the rate of learning in fundamental HED science. However, in order to use the full potential of HRR systems, high repetition rate diagnostics in addition to real-time analysis tools must be developed to process experimental measurements and outputs at a rate that matches the laser. Towards this goal, we present an automated machine learning based analysis for a synthetic X-ray spectrometer, which is a common diagnostic in HED experiments.

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

Accessing novel ion acceleration mechanisms, such as Radiation Pressure Acceleration (RPA), is a promising route to generate high energy beams of both light and heavy ions [1]. In particular, the Light Sail (LS) regime predicts high efficiency, mono-energetic beams and can be accessed with currently available high power laser facilities with the use of ultra-thin foils and circular polarisation [2-4]. In recent experiments at the GEMINI laser facility (RAL, UK), target bulk (carbon) ions were favourably accelerated in the LS-RPA regime up to 33MeV/nucleon at an optimal carbon foil thickness of 15nm, whereas protons only reached energies of 18 MeV. This result, which differs from what is typically observed in laser-solid interactions, where protons are always accelerated more efficiently than heavier ions, is interpreted with the support of multi-dimensional Particle in Cell (PIC) simulations. While the 40fs pulse was temporally cleaned by a double plasma mirror arrangement to increase the laser contrast to 10-14 at the ns timescale, it is shown that the limited preceding laser fluence incident on the target on the ps scale causes target expansion, with protons, being lighter, escaping from the interaction region. This leaves a pre-dominantly carbon plasma which, for circular polarization, is accelerated by RPA, with proton energies determined instead by plasma expansion and sheath effects. It is shown through simulations that controlling the laser temporal profile and plasma mirror activation opens up a promising route for controlling which ion species is preferentially accelerated in the RPA regime. This has particular importance as

This work examines pulses with orbital angular momentum and simulates the characterization of these pulses using STRIPED FISH, which correctly retrieves optical vortices and can be leveraged to provide deeper insight into laser plasma interactions.

In linear optics, the concept of a mode or eigenmode is well established. Often these modes correspond to a set of fields that are mutually orthogonal with intensity profiles that are invariant as they propagate through a given optical system. More generally, using an eigenmode decomposition, one can define a set of orthogonal modes with respect to an optical measure given that is linear in the intensity of the fields or Hermitian in the fields themselves. However, if the intensity of the light is sufficiently large, the dipole response of an optical medium includes nonlinear terms that cause the eigenmode decomposition to break down. In this work, we introduce the eigenmode decomposition in the presence of these nonlinear source terms by introducing small perturbation fields whose interaction is mediated by some high-intensity background field. Unlike the eigenmodes of linear optics, these novel modes correspond to a set of orthogonal fields that are, in general, distributed across multiple wavelengths. Here, we study the definition and interaction of these eigenmodes for classical electromagnetic fields and multiphoton fields. In the context of classical fields, with our eigenmodes established, we highlight the influence of the high-intensity background field on the symmetry of the eigenmodes. At the multiphoton level, we show that the description of multiphoton fields is simplified by using the propagation eigenmodes while remaining equivalent to the standard approach. "Finally, I would like to acknowledge the funding provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), U.K. [grant ID: 1793529]" -- Acknowledgements

An ever-increasing number of strong-field applications, such as ultrafast coherent control over matter and light, require driver light pulses that are both high power and spectrally tunable. The realization of such a source in the terahertz (THz) band has long been a formidable challenge. Here, we demonstrate, via experiment and theory, efficient production of terawatt (TW)-level THz pulses from high-intensity picosecond laser irradiation on a metal foil. It is shown that the THz spectrum can be manipulated effectively by tuning the laser pulse duration or target size. A general analytical framework for THz generation is developed, involving both the high-current electron emission and a time-varying electron sheath at the target rear, and the spectral tunability is found to stem from the change of the dominant THz generation mechanism. In addition to being an ultrabright source (brightness temperature of about 10^{21} K) for extreme THz science, the THz radiation presented here also enables a unique in situ laser-plasma diagnostic. Employing the THz radiation to quantify the escaping electrons and the transient sheath shows good agreement with experimental measurements.

Funding: UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Grant EP/M000869/1 (M.M.). In linear optics, modes correspond to a set of fields that are mutually orthogonal, however, in the nonlinear regime the principle of linear superposition is no longer valid and consequently, the method of mode decomposition breaks down. This is the case when considering sum-frequency generation in a nonlinear crystal. Here, we use the non-depleting pump approximation to describe the nonlinear interaction with low-intensity multiphoton fields. We show that the description of multiphoton fields using the propagation eigenmodes simplifies the Fock state quantum behaviour of the system while remaining equivalent to the standard approach. Postprint

1. Introduction One of the most studied short-pulse laser-driven particle acceleration schemes is proton generation via the target-normal sheath-acceleration[1] mechanism, where hundreds of experiments[2] have been performed at facilities worldwide. This acceleration mechanism relies on the production of MeV energy electrons from the laser interaction with the target in order to produce 10’s of MeV proton energies. To date, most short-pulse experiments have been performed with single Gaussian-like pulses that are often not well characterized in terms of pulse-length and time-dependent intensity. This is in contrast to nanosecond-scale laser pulses that utilize pulse shaping technique to deliver precise pulse shapes for manipulating time-dependent physics. Such pulse shaping has allowed access to novel physics such as in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) [3] and Equation of State (EOS) [4] experiments. It has similarly allowed for increased efficiency of laser-driven x-ray [5] and particle (proton or neutron) sources [6]. Multiple methods for generating custom pulse shapes at the sub-picosecond level already exist but are rarely employed for high-intensity laser-driven experiments. These methods include combining separate short-pulse beams, splitting and recombining single pulses, interferometric methods [7], or spectral shaping [8]. A limited number of experiments with some form of pulse shaping for high-intensity lasers have shown significant spectral enhancements to secondary sources such as MeV proton beams[9], implying that controlled manipulation of time-dependent particle acceleration physics is possible at the fs to ps level.

We present a deep learning based framework for real-time analysis of a differential filter based x-ray spectrometer that is common on short-pulse laser experiments. The analysis framework was trained with a large repository of synthetic data to retrieve key experimental metrics, such as slope temperature. With traditional analysis methods, these quantities would have to be extracted from data using a time-intensive and manual analysis. This framework was developed for a specific diagnostic, but may be applicable to a wide variety of diagnostics common to laser experiments and thus will be especially crucial to the development of high-repetition rate (HRR) diagnostics for HRR laser systems that are coming online.

New short-pulse kilojoule, Petawatt-class lasers, which have recently come online and are coupled to large-scale, many-beam long-pulse facilities, undoubtedly serve as very exciting tools to capture transformational science opportunities in high energy density physics. These short-pulse lasers also happen to reside in a unique laser regime: very high-energy (kilojoule), relatively long (multi-picosecond) pulse-lengths, and large (10s of micron) focal spots, where their use in driving energetic particle beams is largely unexplored. Proton acceleration via Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) using the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) short-pulse laser at the National Ignition Facility in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is demonstrated for the first time, and protons of up to 18 MeV are measured using laser irradiation of >1 ps pulse-lengths and quasi-relativistic (∼1018 W/cm2) intensities. This is indicative of a super-ponderomotive electron acceleration mechanism that sustains acceleration over long (multi-picosecond) time-scales and allows for proton energies to be achieved far beyond what the well-established scalings of proton acceleration via TNSA would predict at these modest intensities. Furthermore, the characteristics of the ARC laser (large ∼100 μm diameter focal spot, flat spatial profile, multi-picosecond, relatively low prepulse) provide acceleration conditions that allow for the investigation of 1D-like particle acceleration. A high flux ∼ 50 J of laser-accelerated protons is experimentally demonstrated. A new capability in multi-picosecond particle-in-cell simulation is applied to model the data, corroborating the high proton energies and elucidating the physics of multi-picosecond particle acceleration.

The bremsstrahlung x-ray emission profile from high intensity laser-solid interactions provides valuable insight to the internal fast electron transport. Using penumbral imaging, we characterise the spatial profile of this bremsstrahlung source as a function of laser intensity by incrementally increasing the laser focal spot size on target. The experimental data shows a dual-source structure; one from the central channel of electrons, the second a larger substrate source from the recirculating electron current. The results demonstrate than an order of magnitude improvement in the intensity contrast between the two x-ray sources is achieved with a large focal spot, indicating preferable conditions for applications in radiography. An analytical model is derived to describe the transport of suprathermal electron populations that contribute to substrate and central channel sources through a target. The model is in good agreement with the experimental results presented here and furthermore is applied to predict laser intensities for achieving optimum spatial contrast for a variety of target materials and thicknesses.

Significance Terahertz (THz) radiation, with frequencies spanning from 0.1 to 10 THz, has long been the most underdeveloped frequency band in electromagnetic waves, mainly due to the dearth of available high-power THz sources. Although the last decades have seen a surge of electronic and optical techniques for generating intense THz radiation, all THz sources reported until now have failed to produce above-millijoule (mJ) THz pulses. We present a THz source that enables a THz pulse energy up to tens of mJ, by using an intense laser pulse to irradiate a metal foil., Ultrahigh-power terahertz (THz) radiation sources are essential for many applications, for example, THz-wave-based compact accelerators and THz control over matter. However, to date none of the THz sources reported, whether based upon large-scale accelerators or high-power lasers, have produced THz pulses with energies above the millijoule (mJ) level. Here, we report a substantial increase in THz pulse energy, as high as tens of mJ, generated by a high-intensity, picosecond laser pulse irradiating a metal foil. A further up-scaling of THz energy by a factor of ∼4 is observed when introducing preplasmas at the target-rear side. Experimental measurements and theoretical models identify the dominant THz generation mechanism to be coherent transition radiation, induced by the laser-accelerated energetic electron bunch escaping the target. Observation of THz-field-induced carrier multiplication in high-resistivity silicon is presented as a proof-of-concept application demonstration. Such an extremely high THz energy not only triggers various nonlinear dynamics in matter, but also opens up the research era of relativistic THz optics.

A multichannel calorimeter system is designed and constructed which is capable of delivering single-shot and broad-band spectral measurement of terahertz (THz) radiation generated in intense laser–plasma interactions. The generation mechanism of backward THz radiation (BTR) is studied by using the multichannel calorimeter system in an intense picosecond laser–solid interaction experiment. The dependence of the BTR energy and spectrum on laser energy, target thickness and pre-plasma scale length is obtained. These results indicate that coherent transition radiation is responsible for the low-frequency component (${1 THz) of BTR. It is also observed that a large-scale pre-plasma primarily enhances the high-frequency component (${>}$3 THz) of BTR.

After a population of laser-driven hot electrons traverses a limited thickness solid target, these electrons will encounter the rear surface, creating TV/m fields that heavily influence the subsequent hot-electron propagation. Electrons that fail to overcome the electrostatic potential reflux back into the target. Those electrons that do overcome the field will escape the target. Here, using the particle-in-cell (PIC) code EPOCH and particle tracking of a large population of macro-particles, we investigate the refluxing and escaping electron populations, as well as the magnitude, spatial and temporal evolution of the rear surface electrostatic fields. The temperature of both the escaping and refluxing electrons is reduced by 30%–50% when compared to the initial hot-electron temperature as a function of intensity between $10^{19}$ and $10^{21}~~\text{W}/\text{cm}^{2}$ . Using particle tracking we conclude that the highest energy internal hot electrons are guaranteed to escape up to a threshold energy, below which only a small fraction are able to escape the target. We also examine the temporal characteristic of energy changes of the refluxing and escaping electrons and show that the majority of the energy change is as a result of the temporally evolving electric field that forms on the rear surface.

A scaling study of short-pulse laser-driven proton and electron acceleration was conducted as a function of pulse duration, laser energy, and laser intensity in the multi-picosecond (ps) regime (∼0.8 ps–20 ps). Maximum proton energies significantly greater than established scaling laws were observed, consistent with observations at other multi-ps laser facilities. In addition, maximum proton energies and electron temperatures in this regime were found to be strongly dependent on the laser pulse duration and preplasma conditions. A modified proton scaling model is presented that is able to better represent the accelerated proton characteristics in this multi-ps regime.

Physical review letters 120(20), 204801 (2018). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.204801, A dual ion species plasma expansion scheme from a novel target structure is introduced, in which a nanometer--thick layer of pure deuterium exists as a buffer species at the target--vacuum interface of a hydrogen plasma. Modeling shows that by controlling the deuterium layer thickness, a composite H+ /D+ ion beam can be produced by target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA), with an adjustable ratio of ion densities, as high energy proton acceleration is suppressed by the acceleration of a spectrally peaked deuteron beam. Particle in cell modeling shows that a (4.3 +/- 0.7) MeV per nucleon deuteron beam is accelerated, in a directional cone of half angle 9 degrees. Experimentally, this was investigated using state of the art cryogenic targetry and a spectrally peaked deuteron beam of (3.4 +/- 0.7) MeV per nucleon was measured in a cone of half angle 7 degrees-9 degrees, while maintaining a significant TNSA proton component., Published by APS, College Park, Md.

This thesis contains the work of two recent developments in the Herwig general purpose event genrator. Firstly, the results from an new implementation of the KrkNLO method in the Herwig event generator are presented. This method allows enables the generation of matched next-to-leading order plus parton shower events through the application of simple positive weights to showered leading order events. This simplicity is achieved by the construction Monte Carlo scheme parton distribution functions. This implementation contains the necessary components to simulation Drell-Yan production as well as Higgs production via gluon fusion. This is used to generate the first differential Higgs results using this method. The results from this implementation are shown to be comparable with predictions from the well established approaches of POWHEG and MC@NLO. The predictions from KrkNLO are found to closely resemble the original configuration for POWHEG. Secondly, a benchmark study focussing on the source of perturbative uncertainties in parton showers is presented. The study employs leading order plus parton shower simulations as a starting point in order to establish a baseline set of controllable uncertainties. The aim of which is to build an understanding of the uncertainties associated with a full simulation which includes higher-order corrections and interplay with non- perturbative models. The uncertainty estimates for a number of benchmark processes are presented. The requirement that these estimates be consistent across the two distinct parton show implementations in Herwig provided an important measure to assess the quality of these uncertainty estimates. The profile scale choice is seen to be an important consideration with the power and hfact displaying inconsistencies between the showers. The resummation profile scale is shown to deliver consistent predictions for the central value and uncertainty bands.

New journal of physics 19(4), 043010 (2017). doi:10.1088/1367-2630/aa652c, It is shown for the first time that the spatial and temporal distribution of laser accelerated protons can be used as a diagnostic of Weibel instability presence and evolution in the rear surface scale lengths of a solid density target. Numerical modelling shows that when a fast electron beam is injected into a decreasing density gradient on the target rear side, a magnetic instability is seeded with an evolution which is strongly dependent on the density scale length. This is manifested in the acceleration of a filamented proton beam, where the degree of filamentation is also found to be dependent on the target rear scale length. Furthermore, the energy dependent spatial distribution of the accelerated proton beam is shown to provide information on the instability evolution on the picosecond timescale over which the protons are accelerated. Experimentally, this is investigated by using a controlled prepulse to introduce a target rear scale length, which is varied by altering the time delay with respect to the main pulse, and similar trends are measured. This work is particularly pertinent to applications using laser pulse durations of tens of picoseconds, or where a micron level density scale length is present on the rear of a solid target, such as proton-driven fast ignition, as the resultant instability may affect the uniformity of fuel energy coupling., Published by Dt. Physikalische Ges., [Bad Honnef]

Ongoing developments in laser-driven ion acceleration warrant appropriate modifications to the standard Thomson Parabola Spectrometer (TPS) arrangement in order to match the diagnostic requirements associated to the particular and distinctive properties of laser-accelerated beams. Here we present an overview of recent developments by our group of the TPS diagnostic aimed to enhance the capability of diagnosing multi-species high-energy ion beams. In order to facilitate discrimination between ions with same Z / A , a recursive differential filtering technique was implemented at the TPS detector in order to allow only one of the overlapping ion species to reach the detector, across the entire energy range detectable by the TPS. In order to mitigate the issue of overlapping ion traces towards the higher energy part of the spectrum, an extended, trapezoidal electric plates design was envisaged, followed by its experimental demonstration. The design allows achieving high energy-resolution at high energies without sacrificing the lower energy part of the spectrum. Finally, a novel multi-pinhole TPS design is discussed, that would allow angularly resolved, complete spectral characterization of the high-energy, multi-species ion beams.

The collective response of electrons in an ultrathin foil target irradiated by an ultraintense ( ${\sim}6\times 10^{20}~\text{W}~\text{cm}^{-2}$ ) laser pulse is investigated experimentally and via 3D particle-in-cell simulations. It is shown that if the target is sufficiently thin that the laser induces significant radiation pressure, but not thin enough to become relativistically transparent to the laser light, the resulting relativistic electron beam is elliptical, with the major axis of the ellipse directed along the laser polarization axis. When the target thickness is decreased such that it becomes relativistically transparent early in the interaction with the laser pulse, diffraction of the transmitted laser light occurs through a so called ‘relativistic plasma aperture’, inducing structure in the spatial-intensity profile of the beam of energetic electrons. It is shown that the electron beam profile can be modified by variation of the target thickness and degree of ellipticity in the laser polarization.

Control of the collective response of plasma particles to intense laser light is intrinsic to relativistic optics, the development of compact laser-driven particle and radiation sources, as well as investigations of some laboratory astrophysics phenomena. We recently demonstrated that a relativistic plasma aperture produced in an ultra-thin foil at the focus of intense laser radiation can induce diffraction, enabling polarization-based control of the collective motion of plasma electrons. Here we show that under these conditions the electron dynamics are mapped into the beam of protons accelerated via strong charge-separation-induced electrostatic fields. It is demonstrated experimentally and numerically via 3D particle-in-cell simulations that the degree of ellipticity of the laser polarization strongly influences the spatial-intensity distribution of the beam of multi-MeV protons. The influence on both sheath-accelerated and radiation pressure-accelerated protons is investigated. This approach opens up a potential new route to control laser-driven ion sources., Intense laser pulse interaction with ultra-thin foils constitutes a promising approach for proton acceleration. Here the authors show that the degree of ellipticity in the laser beam polarization can be used to control the proton beam profile.

We describe the first demonstration of plasma mirrors made using freely suspended, ultra-thin films formed dynamically and in-situ. We also present novel particle-in-cell simulations that for the first time incorporate multiphoton ionization and dielectric models that are necessary for describing plasma mirrors. Dielectric plasma mirrors are a crucial component for high intensity laser applications such as ion acceleration and solid target high harmonic generation because they greatly improve pulse contrast. We use the liquid crystal 8CB and introduce an innovative dynamic film formation device that can tune the film thickness so that it acts as its own antireflection coating. Films can be formed at a prolonged, high repetition rate without the need for subsequent realignment. High intensity reflectance above 75% and low-field reflectance below 0.2% are demonstrated, as well as initial ion acceleration experimental results that demonstrate increased ion energy and yield on shots cleaned with these plasma mirrors.

We report on the experimental characterisation of laser-driven ion beams using a Thomson Parabola Spectrometer (TPS) equipped with trapezoidally-shaped electric plates, proposed by Gwynne et al. in Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 033304 (2014). While a pair of extended (30 cm long) electric plates was able to produce a significant increase in the separation between neighbouring ion species at high energies, deploying a trapezoidal design circumvented the spectral clipping at the low energy end of the ion spectra. The shape of the electric plate was chosen carefully considering, for the given spectrometer configuration, the range of detectable ion energies and species. Analytical tracing of the ion parabolas matches closely with the experimental data, which suggests a minimal effect of fringe fields on the escaping ions close to the wedged edge of the electrode. The analytical formulae were derived considering the relativistic correction required for the high energy ions to be characterised using such spectrometer.

Diagnosing fast electrons is important to understand the physics underpinning intense laser-produced plasmas. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that a Cherenkov radiation-based optical fibre can serve as a reliable diagnostic to characterize the fast electrons escaping from solid targets irradiated by ultra-intense laser pulses. Using optical fibre loops, the number and angular distributions of the escaping electrons are obtained. The data agrees well with measurements made using image plate stacks. The optical fibre can be operated at high-repetition rates and is insensitive to X-rays and ion beams, which makes it advantageous over other routinely-used fast electron diagnostics in some aspects.

Sixty‐two paintings, most of which were on paper, by Balinese artists, were sent on loan to Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud, Bali, which had been set up in 1956 with help from the collector of the works, the Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet. The exhibition travelled from Bali to Jakarta. The museum building on Bali had no climate control; so the paintings were sealed in simple, unmodified frames in an unobtrusive manner. Conditions inside and outside the sealed packages were recorded throughout the loan using tiny electronic dataloggers developed for testing within food and drugs packaging. The project demonstrated that relatively simple and inexpensive techniques proved highly effective in protecting the works from warm and humid tropical conditions. Resume «Retour a Bali: l’efficacite de l’utilisation de micro‐climats au cours d’un pret d’œuvres sur papier entre les Pays‐Bas et l’Indonesie» Soixante deux peintures, dont la plupart realisees sur papier par des artistes de Bali, furent envoyees en pret au ...

The European physical journal / Web of Conferences 167, 02001 (2018). doi:10.1051/epjconf/201816702001, The interaction of a high-intensity laser with a solid target produces an energetic distribution of electrons that pass into the target. These electrons reach the rear surface of the target creating strong electric potentials that act to restrict the further escape of additional electrons. The measurement of the angle, flux and spectra of the electrons that do escape gives insights to the initial interaction. Here, the escaping electrons have been measured using a differentially filtered image plate stack, from interactions with intensities from mid 1020-1017 W/cm2, where the intensity has been reduced by defocussing to increase the size of the focal spot. An increase in electron flux is initially observed as the intensity is reduced from 4x1020 to 6x1018 W/cm2. The temperature of the electron distribution is also measured and found to be relatively constant. 2D particle-in-cell modelling is used to demonstrate the importance of pre-plasma conditions in understanding these observations., Published by EDP Sciences, Les Ulis

This paper describes the evaluation of the lighting policy that the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, Netherlands, developed for the display of its nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock prints. Colour measurements during one year on exhibition showed changes that exceeded the limit of one 'just noticeable change' in 50 years specified in the policy. In a series of experiments, members of a test panel were all able to perceive the magnitude of colour difference measured in the prints during exhibition when presented with patches of colour side by side, but only half the panel could distinguish the same change when it was seen in the context of a multicoloured image. The change measured in the prints was judged by the panel to represent an average 'loss of value' of 9%, and deemed to be acceptable over a period of 160 years. The outcome suggests exposure of the prints should be further limited for the benefit of future access.

The influence of low temperature (eV to tens-of-eV) electrical resistivity on the onset of the filamentation instability in fast-electron transport is investigated in targets comprising of layers of ordered (diamond) and disordered (vitreous) carbon. It is shown experimentally and numerically that the thickness of the disordered carbon layer influences the degree of filamentation of the fast-electron beam. Strong filamentation is produced if the thickness is of the order of 60 μm or greater, for an electron distribution driven by a sub-picosecond, mid-1020 Wcm-2 laser pulse. It is shown that the position of the vitreous carbon layer relative to the fast-electron source (where the beam current density and background temperature are highest) does not have a strong effect because the resistive filamentation growth rate is high in disordered carbon over a wide range of temperatures up to the Spitzer regime.

We measure a record 962.5 % specularly reflected energy fraction from an interaction with a plasma mirror surface preionised by a controlled prepulse and find that the optical quality is dependent on the inter pulse time delay. Simulations show that the main pulse reflected energy is a strong function of plasma density scale length, which increases with the time delay and reaches a peak reflectivity for a scale length of 0.3 m, which is achieved here for a pulse separation time of 3 ps. It is found that the incident laser quasi near field intensity distribution leads to nonuniformities in this plasma expansion and consequent critical surface position distribution. The plasma mirror optical quality is found to be governed by the resultant perturbations in the critical surface position, which become larger with inter pulse time delay.

Due to an error in the manuscript submission process Dr. Francesca Fiorini of the Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology was not included in the list of authors of the published work entitled “Instrumentation for diagnostics and control of laser-accelerated proton (ion) beams”. We deeply regret the occurrence and inconvenience of this error. This corrigendum is our published correction to the erroneous omission in which we include Dr. F. Fiorini as a listed author of this work. The correct complete list of the authors of the paper, “Instrumentation for diagnostics and control of laser-accelerated proton (ion) beams” (Phys Med 2014; 30: 255–270) is the following: P.R. Bolton, M. Borghesi, C. Brenner, D.C. Carroll, C. De Martinis, F. Fiorini, A. Flacco, V. Floquet, J. Fuchs, P. Gallegos, D. Giove, J. S. Green, S. Green, B. Jones, D. Kirby, P. McKenna, D. Neely, F. Nuesslin, R. Prasad, S. Reinhardt, M. Roth, U. Schramm, G.G. Scott, S. Ter-Avetisyan, M. Tolley, G. Turchetti, and J.J. Wilkens

Asymmetry in the collective dynamics of ponderomotively-driven electrons in the interaction of an ultraintense laser pulse with a relativistically transparent target is demonstrated experimentally. The 2D profile of the beam of accelerated electrons is shown to change from an ellipse aligned along the laser polarization direction in the case of limited transparency, to a double-lobe structure aligned perpendicular to it when a significant fraction of the laser pulse co-propagates with the electrons. The temporally-resolved dynamics of the interaction are investigated via particle-in-cell simulations. The results provide new insight into the collective response of charged particles to intense laser fields over an extended interaction volume, which is important for a wide range of applications, and in particular for the development of promising new ultraintense laser-driven ion acceleration mechanisms involving ultrathin target foils.

Suitable instrumentation for laser-accelerated proton (ion) beams is critical for development of integrated, laser-driven ion accelerator systems. Instrumentation aimed at beam diagnostics and control must be applied to the driving laser pulse, the laser-plasma that forms at the target and the emergent proton (ion) bunch in a correlated way to develop these novel accelerators. This report is a brief overview of established diagnostic techniques and new developments based on material presented at the first workshop on 'Instrumentation for Diagnostics and Control of Laser-accelerated Proton (Ion) Beams' in Abingdon, UK. It includes radiochromic film (RCF), image plates (IP), micro-channel plates (MCP), Thomson spectrometers, prompt inline scintillators, time and space-resolved interferometry (TASRI) and nuclear activation schemes. Repetition-rated instrumentation requirements for target metrology are also addressed. (C) 2013 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The first experimental measurements of intense (${\sim }7\times 10^{19}~ {\rm W}~ {\rm cm}^{-2}$) laser-driven terahertz (THz) radiation from a solid target which is preheated by an intense pulse of laser-accelerated protons is reported. The total energy of the THz radiation is found to decrease by approximately a factor of 2 compared to a cold target reference. This is attributed to an increase in the scale length of the preformed plasma, driven by proton heating, at the front surface of the target, where the THz radiation is generated. The results show the importance of controlling the preplasma scale length for THz production.

With the ever increasing demand for accurate and timely public transport information and the financial costs and environmental impact of producing and installing paper based timetables at bus stops IBI Group have been investigating the potential use of e-paper technology as a suitable, cost effective alternative to existing information provision at transportation locations.

The influence of lattice-melt-induced resistivity gradients on the transport of mega-ampere currents of fast electrons in solids is investigated numerically and experimentally using laser-accelerated protons to induce isochoric heating. Tailoring the heating profile enables the resistive magnetic fields which strongly influence the current propagation to be manipulated. This tunable laser-driven process enables important fast electron beam properties, including the beam divergence, profile, and symmetry to be actively tailored, and without recourse to complex target manufacture.

A partnership in the UK between a professional group, the Association of Clinical Research for the Pharmaceutical Industry (ACRPI), and a university, Liverpool John Moores University (JMU), has been highly successful for more than 6 years in offering high quality training and education of clinical research personnel. Two distinct but integrated courses have been developed. A Certificate of Professional Development in Clinical Research is offered primarily for study site co-ordinators and clinical pharmacology nurses. A post-graduate programme offers a variety of modules to suit the needs of clinical research personnel who wish to take more advanced training. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The measured spatial-intensity distribution of the beam of protons accelerated from the rear side of a solid target irradiated by an intense (>1019 Wcm−2) laser pulse provides a diagnostic of the two-dimensional fast electron density profile at the target rear surface and thus the fast electron beam transport pattern within the target. An analytical model is developed, accounting for rear-surface fast electron sheath dynamics, ionization and projection of the resulting beam of protons. The sensitivity of the spatial-intensity distribution of the proton beam to the fast electron density distribution is investigated. An annular fast electron beam transport pattern with filamentary structure is inferred for the case of a thick diamond target irradiated at a peak laser intensity of 6 × 1019 Wcm−2.

We propose and demonstrate an experimental setup capable of handling many 10's of Joules, allowing for the direct characterization of the focal spot of a petawatt-class laser after a plasma mirror. On the one hand we observed that the focal spot shape of the laser is qualitatively not affected by the mirror, even at high working intensities. On the other hand the Strehl ratio of the beam is largely reduced at high intensities because of scattering on the expending plasma. Together with the measurement of the mirror reflectivity, we could define the optimal working condition of the mirror.

Fast electron transport in Si, driven by ultraintense laser pulses, is investigated experimentally and via 3D hybrid particle-in-cell simulations. A transition from a Gaussian-like to an annular fast electron beam profile is demonstrated and explained by resistively generated magnetic fields. The results highlight the potential to completely transform the beam transport pattern by tailoring the resistivity-temperature profile at temperatures as low as a few eV.

Methods and techniques used to capture and analyze beam profiles produced from the interaction of intense, ultrashort laser pulses and ultrathin foil targets using stacks of Radiochromic Film (RCF) and Columbia Resin #39 (CR-39) are presented. The identification of structure in the beam is particularly important in this regime, as it may be indicative of the dominance of specific acceleration mechanisms. Additionally, RCF can be used to deconvolve proton spectra with coarse energy resolution while mantaining angular information across the whole beam.

An account is given of the Central Laser Facility's work to produce a cryogenic hydrogen targetry system using a pulse tube cryocooler. Due to the increasing demand for low Z thin laser targets, CLF (in collaboration with TUD) have been developing a system which allows the production of solid hydrogen membranes by engineering a design which can achieve this remotely; enabling the gas injection, condensation and solidification of hydrogen without compromising the vacuum of the target chamber. A dynamic sealing mechanism was integrated which allows targets to be grown and then remotely exposed to open vacuum for laser interaction. Further research was conducted on the survivability of the cryogenic targets which concluded that a warm gas effect causes temperature spiking when exposing the solidified hydrogen to the outer vacuum. This effect was shown to be mitigated by improving the pumping capacity of the environment and reducing the minimum temperature obtainable on the target mount. This was achieved by developing a two-stage radiation shield encased with superinsulating blanketing; reducing the base temperature from 14 0.5 K to 7.2 0.2 K about the coldhead as well as improving temperature control stability following the installation of a high-performance temperature controller and sensor apparatus. The system was delivered experimentally and in July 2014 the first laser shots were taken upon hydrogen targets in the Vulcan TAP facility.

We demonstrate three types of sensors based on spray-deposited Carbon Nanotube (CNT) networks on flexible substrates: humidity sensors, dew-point sensors and time-temperature indicators. The presence of Sodium Dodecylsulphate (SDS) significantly increases the sensitivity of the film resistance of CNT networks to changes of relative humidity. We observe up to a 3% change in film resistance in the 30–75% range of relative humidity, with a non-linear relationship. When these SDS-impregnated CNT films are cooled to the dew-point of air, with the temperature of the film monitored, the associated increase in sheet resistance can be used to establish the dew-point temperature. We use acid-doped CNT networks as time-temperature indicators, exploiting the de-doping of the CNT networks at higher temperature. We observe an increase in film resistance of such networks at temperatures higher than 50 °C. The rate of the resistance increase follows the Arrhenius law. The extent of the resistance increase ranges from ∼30%at 50 °C to >300% at 100 °C.

Summary form only given. The physics of the transport of large currents of fast (relativistic) electrons in dense matter underpins many topics in high intensity laser-solid interactions, including warm dense matter, ion acceleration and the fast ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion. The propagation of fast electrons within the target is subject to transport instabilities (e.g. resistive instabilities) which give rise to filamentation of the beam.