Modeling of laser-driven proton radiography of dense matter.

Abstract: Laser-driven MeV proton beams are highly suitable for quantitative diagnosis of density profiles in dense matter by employing them as a particle probe in a point-projection imaging scheme. Via differential scattering and stopping, the technique allows to detect density modulations in dense compressed matter with intrinsic high spatial and temporal resolutions. The technique offers a viable alternative/complementary route to more established radiographic methods. A Monte-Carlo simulation package, MPRM, has been developed in order to quantify the density profile of the probed object from the experimentally obtained proton radiographs. A discussion of recent progress in this area is presented on the basis of analysis of experimental data, which has been supported by MPRM simulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]