GSI (Darmstadt, Germany)

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany is an accelerator laboratory hosting PHELIX (Petawatt High-Energy Laser for Ion eXperiments), both for combined laser/accelerator and standalone laser experiments. The PHELIX laser at GSI presently permits two types of operation: Pulses of a duration between 0.5 ns and 20 ns with a widely variable pulse shape and energies up to 1 kJ, and 0.5 ps short-pulse petawatt-class operation. One high-energy and one low-energy laser stand-alone target area are available, as well as a target area for combined laser / linear accelerator ion beam experiments with a dedicated 100 TW proton acceleration beamline. A new target area dedicated to combined laser / synchrotron ion beam experiments will be available by 2021.
Research highlights

GSI
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung
Darmstadt, Germany

GSI

www.gsi.de

Contact: Email

Secondary source creation

The two-beam option of PHELIX was used to create a shock wave in a target and image this wave using X-ray phase contrast during an experiment supported by Laserlab Europe  [EPL 125, 35002 (2019)].

Laser particle acceleration and relativistic laser plasma interactions

By measuring the total reflected and scattered laser energy as a function of intensity, it was possible to distinguish between the influence of pulse energy and focal spot size on total energy absorption in the interaction of the PHELIX laser with thin foils during an experiment supported by Laserlab Europe [New J. Phys 20, 033021 (2018)].

At the 100 TW installation of the PHELIX facility, the laser-accelerated ions were captured by a pulsed solenoid and the bunches were re-compressed in a conventional accelerator cavity [Sci. Rep. 5, 12459 (2015)].

Using Fourier-transform spectral interferometry, the interaction of intense laser pulses with ultrathin targets was studied, underlining that the preplasma expansion happening during the rising slope of the pulse plays a dominant role for such targets [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 255003 (2017)].

Using the high-contrast option of PHELIX, protons accelerated via the TNSA mechanism have reached energies above 85 MeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 205002 (2016)].

Combined laser / ion beam experiments

Experimental discrimination of ion stopping models near the Bragg peak in highly ionized matter [Nat. Comm. 8, 15693 (2017)].

Projects performed by external users >>

Further application highlights

Lasers and the Universe Lasers and Metrology

Expertise

What makes PHELIX world-wide unique is the combination of this laser with the GSI heavy-ion accelerator facility. The accelerator features the exceptional combination of the linear accelerator UNILAC, the synchrotron SIS and the storage ring ESR, delivering heavy ions with energies up to 1 GeV/u. The ESR heavy-in cooler-storage ring is the only facility world-wide which provides high-quality cooled beams of highly-charged heavy ions in a broad energy range, with long storage times and single-ion detection sensitivity. In the laser standalone target area, the PW-class capabilities of PHELIX have been employed for particle beam and X-Ray generation experiments since more than 10 years with many different target and laser beam combinations. The LIGHT (Laser Ion Generation, Handling and Transport) experimental beam line installation allows the combination of laser-accelerated ions and conventional accelerator structures. The HHT experimental cave, situated in the synchrotron target hall, enables various combinations of long-pulse laser beams and GeV/u ion beams and ion-only experiments like warm dense matter investigations and proton radiography.

Equipment offered to external users

Laser Energy: the energy of the laser is adjusted depending on the configuration GSI.JPG

  • At the standalone laser PW target area (РТА), short pulses with up to either 150 J in combination with an f = 40 cm, 45° parabola, as well as 80 J in combination with an f =150cm, 90° parabola аrе available.

At the combined linear accelerator / laser target area Z6, long (1 - 10 ns) pulses with an energy of about 180 J (depending оn pulse length) at 527 nm аrе available with an f=4 m focusing lens. Two random phase plates creating top-hat foci of 1 mm ог 0.5 mm diameter аге available. In the same area, the 100 TW installation makes short pulses of 15 J at 1054 nm and а pulse duration of 500 fs available, but not in parallel with the nanosecond beam.

Pulse profiles

  • The pulse duration at PHELIX is 500 fs bу default. The pulse duration сап bе stretched to а few ps with on-line measurement. Above 3 ps, the pulse duration is set and calibrated off-line, but cannot bе verified on-line.
  • The temporal contrast of PHELIX is adjustable between 10-7 and 10-11 (10-12 best effort). Ву default, the contrast will bе set to10-7. The higher contrast values аrе obtained with а specific contrast-boosting module that represents the cutting edge of laser technology. lt is not а standard parameter and the proposal must explicitly request its use.
  • А programmable nanosecond front-end allows for pulses with а deterministic pulse profile with 1 ns resolution within а 10 ns window.
  • At РТА, а combination of the long and the short pulse саn bе requested to introduce а fully controllable pedestal. However, the timing jitter between the two frontends will bе at least +/-200 ps (peak-to-peak)

Further remarks

  • At РТА, it is possible to introduce apertures to create а double beam. ln such а case, each beam can deliver up to 30 J.
  • At Z6, а VISAR system (660 nm, 70 ns) is available.