Daniele Margarone

Extreme Light Infrastructure · ELI Beamlines Facility

The nuclear fusion channel of the p- ¹¹ B reaction producing α particles with multi-MeV kinetic energies was induced by a sub-nanosecond laser pulse focused onto 10 μm thick boron-doped thin targets at intensities of ∼ 10 ¹⁶ W/cm ² . A full characterization in terms of α particle flux and angular distribution was performed thanks to the simultaneou...

A controlled transition between two different ion acceleration mechanisms would pave the way to achieving different ion energies and spectral features within the same experimental set up, depending on the region of operation. Based on numerical simulations conducted over a wide range of experimentally achievable parameter space, reported here is a...

Laser-driven proton-boron (pB) fusion has been gaining significant interest for energetic alpha particles production because of its neutron-less nature. This approach requires the use of Band H-rich materials as targets, and common practice is the use of BN and conventional polymers. In this work, we chose plasma-assisted vapour phase deposition to...

An experimental platform for laser-driven ion (sub-MeV) acceleration and potential applications was recently commissioned at the HiLASE laser facility. The auxiliary beam of the Bivoj laser system operating at GW peak power (~10 J in 5-10 ns) and 1-10 Hz repetition rate enabled a sta-ble production of high-current ion beams of multiple species (Al,...

Real-time measurement and characterization of laser-driven proton beams have become crucial with the advent of high-repetition-rate laser acceleration. Common passive diagnostics such as radiochromic film (RCF) are not suitable for real-time operation due to time-consuming post-processing; therefore, a novel approach is needed. Various scintillator...

Ion acceleration resulting from the interaction of 11 fs laser pulses of ~35 mJ energy with ultrahigh contrast (<10^-10), and 10^19 W/cm^2 peak intensity with foil targets made of various materials and thicknesses at normal (0◦) and 45◦ laser incidence is investigated. The maximum energy of the protons reached ~1.4 MeV accelerated in laser propagat...

The topic of proton-boron fusion has recently attracted considerable interest in the scientific community, both for its future perspectives for energy production and for nearer-term possibilities to realize high-brightness α-particle sources. Very interesting experimental results have been obtained, in particular in laser-driven experiments but als...

Tight focusing with very small f-numbers is necessary to achieve highest at-focus irradiances. However, tight focusing also means short Rayleigh length, which imposes strong demands on the precise positioning of the target at the best focus to achieve the highest on-target irradiance. We describe several near-infrared, visible, ultraviolet, soft an...

Tight focusing with very small f-numbers is necessary to achieve highest at-focus irradiances. However, tight focusing also means short Rayleigh length, which imposes strong demands on the precise positioning of the target at the best focus to achieve the highest on-target irradiance. We describe several near-infrared, visible, ultraviolet, soft an...

HB11 Energy’s mission is to realize large-scale electricity generation from the fusion of hydrogen with boron-11 (the HB11, or “proton-boron”, reaction) without the environmental problems normally associated with nuclear energy. A non-thermal approach is taken in the initiation of the reaction using high-peak-power lasers, which was the pursuit of...

With this study, we present the development of a transportable x‐ray emission spectrometer (XES) that was realized in a net time of 20 h, in order to verify the presence of Platinum (Pt) in gold Celtic coins belonging to 3rd–1st century BCE. Prior to the XES study, measurements using Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spect...

An optical probing of laser–plasma interactions can provide time-resolved measurements of plasma density; however, single-shot and multi-frame probing capabilities generally rely on complex setups with limited flexibility. We have demonstrated a new method for temporal resolution of the rapid dynamics ( $\sim 170$ fs) of plasma evolution within a s...

The interaction of relativistically intense lasers with opaque targets represents a highly non-linear, multi-dimensional parameter space. This limits the utility of sequential 1D scanning of experimental parameters for the optimization of secondary radiation, although to-date this has been the accepted methodology due to low data acquisition rates....

We present the development and characterization of a high-stability, multi-material, multi-thickness tape-drive target for laser-driven acceleration at repetition rates of up to 100 Hz. The tape surface position was measured to be stable on the sub-micrometre scale, compatible with the high-numerical aperture focusing geometries required to achieve...

We investigate the different facets of ion acceleration by a relativistically intense circularly polarized laser pulse interacting with thin near-critical density plasma targets. Our simulations establish that plasma density gradient and laser frequency chirp can be controlled to switch the interaction from the transparent to the opaque regimes of...

The interaction of relativistically intense lasers with opaque targets represents a highly non-linear, multi-dimensional parameter space. This limits the utility of sequential 1D scanning of experimental parameters for the optimisation of secondary radiation, although to-date this has been the accepted methodology due to low data acquisition rates....

Solid-state nuclear track detectors (CR-39 type) are frequently used for the detection of ions accelerated by laser-plasma interaction because they are sensitive to each single particle. To the present day, CR-39 detectors are the main diagnostics in experiments focused on laser-driven proton-boron (p11B) fusion reactions to detect alpha particles,...

Nuclear fusion between protons and boron-11 nuclei has undergone a revival of interest thanks to the rapid progress in pulsed laser technology. Potential applications of such reaction range from controlled nuclear fusion to radiobiology and cancer therapy. A laser-driven fusion approach consists in the interaction of high-power, high-intensity puls...

The aneutronic 11B(p, α)2α fusion reaction driven by the interaction of high-energy lasers with matter has become a popular topic of research, since it represents a potential long-term goal alternative to the most studied deuterium-tritium reaction. However, the detection of the typical ionic products, especially alpha particles, of this low-rate f...

The Lawson criterion for proton-boron (p-11B) thermonuclear fusion is substantially higher than that for deuterium-tritium (DT) because the fusion cross section is lower and peaks at higher ion energies. The Maxwellian averaged p-11B reactivity peaks at several hundred keV, where bremsstrahlung radiation emission may dominate over fusion reactions...

The generation, detection, and quantification of high-energy proton spectra that are produced from laser-target interaction methodologies is a field of increasingly growing popularity over the last 20 years. Generation methods such as target normal sheath acceleration or similar allow for collimated laminar ion beams to be produced in a compact env...

Ion acceleration resulting from the interaction of 11 fs laser pulses of ~35 mJ energy with ultrahigh contrast (<10^-10), and 10^19 W/cm^2 peak intensity with foil targets made of various materials and thicknesses at normal (0-degree) and 45-degree laser incidence is investigated. The maximum energy of the protons accelerated from both the rear and...

We report on the technological commissioning of the Laser–Plasma Ion Accelerator section of the ELIMAIA user beamline at the ELI Beamlines facility in the Czech Republic. The high-peak, high-average power L3-HAPLS laser system was used with an energy of ~10 J and pulse duration of ~30 fs on target, both in single-pulse and high repetition-rate (~0....

This paper presents experimental investigation of temperature scaling and threshold of instability in hot electron and bremsstrahlung radiation from the interaction of sub-nanosecond and kilo-joule class laser pulse with tantalum foil target at Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS). The laser intensity was varied between 4×10^{15} and 3×10^{16} W . cm...

Particle accelerators and radiation based on radio-frequency (RF) cavities have significantly contributed to the advancement of science and technology in the last century [...]

We report on recent progress in deploying a continuous solid hydrogen ribbon as a debris-free and renewable laser-driven source of pure proton beams generated by a 30-fs laser with ∼1-J laser energy focused on target at relativistic intensities of ∼10 ¹⁹ W/cm ² and repetition rate of 0.1 Hz. The stability of the ribbon position versus the laser int...

Nuclear reactions between protons and boron-11 nuclei (p–B fusion) that were used to yield energetic α-particles were initiated in a plasma that was generated by the interaction between a PW-class laser operating at relativistic intensities (~3 × 1019 W/cm2) and a 0.2-mm thick boron nitride (BN) target. A high p–B fusion reaction rate and hence, a...

A system of permanent magnet quadrupoles (PMQs) is going to be realized by INFNLNS to be used as a collection system for the injection of laser driven ion beams up to 60 AMeV in an energy selector based on four resistive dipoles. This system is the first element of the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical and Multidisciplinary applications) beam transport...

Particle therapy is a viable alternative to conventional radiotherapy for treating deep-seated tumors on account of reduced radiation loading on the patient arising from more targeted dose deposition by charged particles along their tracks. In order to exploit proton therapy to the fullest, a robust quality assurance (QA) protocol and tools for red...

ELIMED has been developed and installed at ELI beamlines as a part of the ELIMAIA beamline to transport, monitor, and use laser-driven ion beams suitable for multidisciplinary applications, including biomedical ones. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility to perform radiobiological experiments using laser-accelerated proton beams with inter...

Spectrometry in radiation fields generated by high power lasers is challenging, since the radiation is created in ultra short pulses (10-14-10-12 s) and thus standard spectrometric methods cannot be applied. The electromagnetic calorimeter developed within this study is an active system that can be used for such spectrometry in the energy range fro...

Protontherapy is a rapidly expanding radiotherapy modality where accelerated proton beams are used to precisely deliver the dose to the tumor target but is generally considered ineffective against radioresistant tumors. Proton-Boron Capture Therapy (PBCT) is a novel approach aimed at enhancing proton biological effectiveness. PBCT exploits a nuclea...

Improving parameters of laser-driven proton and ion beams becomes one of the most important goals in the field of laser acceleration in order to fulfill requirements of foreseen applications. This work presents parametric 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations of various target designs in order to reduce proton beam divergence without significant d...

Intense electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) accompany the production of plasma when a high-intensity laser irradiates a solid target. The EMP occurs both during and long after the end of the laser pulse (up to hundreds of nanoseconds) within and outside the interaction chamber, and interferes with nearby electronics, which may lead to the disruption or m...

In an experiment performed with a high-intensity and high-energy laser system, α-particle production in proton-boron reaction by using a laser-driven proton beam was measured. α particles were observed from the front and also from the rear side, even after a 2-mm-thick boron target. The data obtained in this experiment have been analyzed using a se...

With the development of high-intensity and high-repetition rate laser systems, it has become crucial to be able to detect and characterize in real time the high-energy byproducts (mainly electrons and photons) of laser-generated plasma. A novel multi-purpose scintillator-based electromagnetic calorimeter focused on high-energy particle and photon m...

Fast solid target delivery and plasma-ion detection systems have been designed and developed to be used in high intensity laser-matter interaction experiments. We report on recent progress in the development and testing of automated systems to refresh solid targets at a high repetition rate during high peak power laser operation (>1 Hz), along with...

The main effort of the laser-driven ion acceleration community is aimed at improving particle beam features (in terms of final maximum energy, particle charge, and beam divergence) and to demonstrate reliable approaches for use for multidisciplinary applications. An ion acceleration target area based on unique laser capabilities is available at ELI...

The TERESA (TEstbed for high REpetition-rate Sources of Accelerated particles) target area, recently commissioned with the L3-HAPLS laser at Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI)-Beamlines, is presented. Its key technological sections (vacuum and control systems, laser parameters and laser beam transport up to the target) are described, along with an...

We present preliminary results on generation of energetic α-particles driven by lasers. The experiment was performed at the Institute of Laser Engineering in Osaka using the short-pulse, high-intensity, high-energy, PW-class laser. The laser pulse was focused onto a thin plastic foil (pitcher) to generate a proton beam by the well-known TNSA mechan...

Significant challenges in the detection of laser-accelerated ions result from the high flux (10¹⁰-10¹² ions/pulse) and the short bunch duration which are intrinsic to laser-driven sources. The development of diagnostic techniques able to operate in real-time and on a high-rep basis is a key step towards multidisciplinary applications of such non-co...

Working Group 2 was dedicated to presentations on ion acceleration by laser-plasma interaction. This summary reports some highlights on different topics, grouping the presentations in four different areas of interest for the community: (i) ion acceleration facilities, (ii) target engineering and manipulation, (iii) laser-plasma interaction and diag...

Generation of plasma-channels by interaction of gas targets with nanosecond laser beams was investigated experimentally. Such laser-generated plasma channels are very promising for subsequent guiding of high peak power femtosecond laser pulses, over several tens of centimeters, as required in laser wake field electron-acceleration (LWFA). The exper...

The nuclear reaction known as proton-boron fusion has been triggered by a subnanosecond laser system focused onto a thick boron nitride target at modest laser intensity (∼10 16 W/cm 2), resulting in a record yield of generated α particles. The estimated value of α particles emitted per laser pulse is around 10 11 , thus orders of magnitude higher t...

High-repetition rate target development for proton acceleration by laser-plasma experiments is of great importance for future multidisciplinary applications, as envisioned at the ELIMAIA user beamline. The use of gas-jet based target, capable of high-repetition rate (10Hz and beyond) and typically used to generate under-critical density plasma, can...

The ELIMAIA beamline, recently installed at ELI-Beamlines, aims at offering short ion bunches accelerated by high repetition-rate, PW-class lasers to users from multidisciplinary fields by using innovative and compact ion beam transport and dosimetry approaches.

Monte Carlo simulationELI-Beamlines nowadays one of the powerful approach for the simulation of very complex environments like those typical of medical physics where, in general, an accurate simulation of the involved radiation beams and of the patients are required to fully reproduce a clinical case. It since from 1963, when Berger introduced the...

The Time-of-Flight (TOF) technique coupled with semiconductorlike detectors, as silicon carbide and diamond, is one of the most promising diagnostic methods for high-energy, high repetition rate, laser-accelerated ions allowing a full on-line beam spectral characterization. A new analysis method for reconstructing the energy spectrum of high-energy...

Abstract The aim of this review was to define appropriate 11B delivery agents for boron proton-capture enhanced proton therapy (BPCEPT) taking into account the accumulated knowledge on boron compounds used for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). BPCEPT is a promising treatment approach which uses a high linear energy transfer (LET) dose componen...

The recent emergence of commercial, high repetition rate, intense lasers opens up new prospects for applications. Of particular interest is the production of energetic proton beams through the interaction of an intense laser with a hydrogen target: this beam can then be used e.g. for proton therapy (cancer treatment), or for neutron production thro...

The Time-of-Flight (ToF) technique coupled with semiconductor-like detectors, as silicon carbide and diamond, is one of the most promising diagnostic methods for high-energy, high repetition rate, laser-accelerated ions allowing a full on-line beam spectral characterization. A new analysis method for reconstructing the energy spectrum of high-energ...

A work recently published experimentally demonstrates an increase in the radiobiological efficacy of clinical proton beams when a tumour is treated in the presence of a concentration of 11B. The paper, for the first time, demonstrates the potential role of the p+11B to 3{\alpha} (for brevity, p-B) reaction in the biological enhancement of proton th...

Laser wake field acceleration (LWFA) is an efficient method to accelerate electron beams to high energy. This is a benefit in research infrastructures where a multidisciplinary environment can benefit from the different secondary sources enabled, having the opportunity to extend the range of applications that is accessible and to develop new ideas...