Detail Project and Funding

Abstract: The objective of the project is the realization of new sources of radiation and high energy particles based on the interaction of ultraintense lasers with matter.
In view of these studies, a new laser installation, capable of extreme laser intensities will be developed at the Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory (ILIL) of the National Institute of Optics in Pisa.
The new laser, an upgrade to the existing high intensity laser at ILIL, will deliver sub-PW power pulses that will be used to drive acceleration of charged particles to high energy and to generate ionizing radiation.
Particle and radiation obtained with this new technique exhibit unprecedented properties of intensity and time structure. Radiobiological effect of these sources will be investigated in view of future applications to radiotherapy and medical diagnostics.

The Scientific Results:
1) A new technique for X-ray spectroscopy of laser-plasmas with simultaneous 2D spatial resolution over a broad spectral range
2) High-charge divergent electron beam generation from high-intensity laser interaction with a gas-cluster target
3) Electron radiography using a table-top laser-cluster plasma accelerator
4) First electrons from the new 220 TW Frascati Laser for Acceleration and Multidisciplinary Experiments (FLAME) at Frascati National Laboratories (LNF)
5) High energy electrons from interaction with a 10 mm gas-jet at FLAME
6) Acceleration with self-injection for an all-optical radiation source at LNF
7) Precision X-ray spectroscopy of intense laser-plasma interactions
8) Investigation on laser-plasma coupling in intense, ultrashort irradiation of a nanostructured silicon target
9) Laser-Plasma Particle Sources for Biology and Medicine
10) X-ray conversion of ultra-short laser pulses on a solid sample: Role of electron waves excited in the pre-plasma
11) Focusing and stabilizing laser-plasma-generated electron beams with magnetic devices
12) Particle acceleration based on intense lasers and plasmas: scientific and technological challenges
13) The LILIA (laser induced light ions acceleration) experiment at LNF
14) IRIDE: Interdisciplinary research infrastructure based on dual electron linacs and lasers
15) High energy electrons from interaction with a structured gas-jet at FLAME
16) Yb:YAG structured ceramic slabs based on differently doped layers for high energy laser applications
17) Interferometric characterization of gas targets used in
laser wakefield acceleration
18) Graded Yb:YAG ceramic structures: design, fabrication and characterization of the laser performances