Laserlab-Europe Talk: 'A multi-MeV Alpha Particle Source via Proton-Boron fusion driven by a 10-GW Tabletop Laser' on 21 June 2023, 4pm CEST

Valeria Istokskaia (ELI Beamlines) will report on a pioneering experiment exploiting proton-boron fusion in CH/BN targets to obtain high-energy alpha particle beams (up to 5 MeV) using a compact approach and a tabletop laser system with a peak power of ~10 GW, which can operate at high-repetition rate (up to 1 kHz).

We are pleased to announce the next Laserlab-Europe Talk:
Valeria Istokskaia (ELI Beamlines) will present ‘A multi-MeV Alpha Particle Source via Proton-Boron fusion driven by a 10-GW Tabletop Laser’.

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 pulses with H- and B-rich targets. We report on a pioneering experiment exploiting proton-boron fusion in CH/BN targets to obtain high-energy alpha particle beams (up to 5 MeV) using a compact approach and a tabletop laser system with a peak power of ~10 GW, which can operate at high-repetition rate (up to 1 kHz). The secondary resonance in the cross section of proton-boron fusion (~150 keV in the center-of-mass frame) is exploited for the first time using a laser-based approach. The generated alpha particles are characterized in terms of energy, flux, and angular distribution using solid-state nuclear-track detectors, demonstrating a flux of ~10⁵ particles per second at 10 Hz, and ~10⁶ per second at 1 kHz. Numerical hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell simulations support our experimental findings. Potential impact of our approach on future spread of ultra-compact, multi-MeV alpha particle sources driven by moderate intensity (10¹⁶-10¹⁷ W/cm²) laser pulses is anticipated.

Speaker: Valeria Istokskaia (ELI Beamlines, Czech Republic)
Topic: A multi-MeV Alpha Particle Source via Proton-Boron fusion driven by a 10-GW Tabletop Laser
Date: Wednesday, 21 June 2023, 4pm CEST

Watch the recording on our YouTube channel >>

---

The Laserlab-Europe Talks consist of a series of online seminars and panel discussions proposed and organised by our community on specific topics (thematic or research-specific) and provide a platform for regular information exchange and knowledge sharing.

The talks take place on a Wednesday afternoon at 16h00 CEST each month and are open to all interested parties, from PhD students to experts in the field and industrial and medical partners as appropriate.