119 Recent Progress in Laser Ion Acceleration Thanks to Innovative Targets and New Interaction Regimes
Invited Talk
E d'Humieres1, C L C Lacoste2, A Hirsch-Passicos1, C Salu1, K Aliane1, W Yao3, Ph Nicolaï1, D Raffestin1, V T Tikhonchuk1,4, N Luchier5, P Antici6, F Souris1, J Fuchs7, M Bardon1
1 Univ. Bordeaux - CNRS - CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, UMR 5107, Talence, France
2 University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
3 LULI, CNRS, CEA, Sorbonne Université, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
4 ELI-Beamlines, Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic
5 CEA, Grenoble, France
6 INRS-EMT, Varennes, Canada
7 Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Seminar: S9 — Extreme Light Technologies, Science, and Applications
Tuesday, 7 July 2026 · 13:30 – 14:00
Abstract
Laser ion acceleration has emerged as a promising, compact, and cost-effective alternative to conventional ion accelerators. Significant progress has been made over the past decade, with proton beams reaching 160 MeV in experiments at the HZDR in Germany, and the development of innovative new targets as well as the exploration of new interaction regimes. After introducing the main mechanisms of ion acceleration in laser-plasma interaction with short, intense lasers, the latest advances in this field will be reviewd. The potential of cryogenic targets, helical targets, and gas jets for improving the characteristics of laser-accelerated ions will be discussed. Applications of these ion sources to the production of neutrons, to the production of radio-isotopes, and to fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion will also be addressed.