2026-10-14T13:37:38Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32631591 2026-10-01T17:18:40Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

Novel approach to laser-driven multi-stage ion acceleration Simon Ferguson (24164511) PUREID: 244879333 Laser ion acceleration helical coil All-optical approaches to particle acceleration are currently attracting a significant research effort internationally. Key to the interest in a laser based particle accelerator lies in its cost effective and compactness. However, the ion beams accelerated by the laser-driven mechanisms have shortcomings such as a broad energy spectrum and large beam divergence. A recently developed concept of a versatile, miniature linear accelerating module harnesses the extremely high electromagnetic pulses produced by the interaction of intense lasers, and achieves simultaneous focusing, energy selection and post-acceleration of the proton beams. The process boosts the energy of the ions accelerated from the foil, through the application of a large amplitude field within a helical coil, which travels synchronously with the ions. This process lends itself to multi-staging, i.e. the sequential application of laser-driven accelerating fields, which is highly promising for significant increase of the accelerated proton energies. The project aims to develop this multi-stage approach which is totally new in the context of laser-driven protons, and can pave the way towards miniature, modular ion accelerators providing beams suitable for medical, scientific and industrial applications.<br><i><br>Thesis embargoed until 31 December 2026</i>. 2026-10-01T17:18:40Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32631591.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Novel_approach_to_laser-driven_multi-stage_ion_acceleration/32631591 All Rights Reserved Open Access after 2026-12-31