Experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of helical coil targets on laser-driven proton and carbon accelerations

Lacoste C. L. C.; Catrix E.; Vallières S.; Hirsch-Passicos A.; Guilberteau T.; Lafargue M.; Lopez J.; Manek-Hönninger I.; Fourmaux S.; Raffestin D.; d’Humières E.; Antici P.; Bardon M.

doi:10.1063/5.0257518

Volume 10 Issue 3

May 2025

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Lacoste C. L. C., Catrix E., Vallières S., Hirsch-Passicos A., Guilberteau T., Lafargue M., Lopez J., Manek-Hönninger I., Fourmaux S., Raffestin D., d’Humières E., Antici P., Bardon M.. Experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of helical coil targets on laser-driven proton and carbon accelerations[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(3): 037602. doi: 10.1063/5.0257518

Citation:

Lacoste C. L. C., Catrix E., Vallières S., Hirsch-Passicos A., Guilberteau T., Lafargue M., Lopez J., Manek-Hönninger I., Fourmaux S., Raffestin D., d’Humières E., Antici P., Bardon M.. Experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of helical coil targets on laser-driven proton and carbon accelerations[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(3): 037602. doi: 10.1063/5.0257518

Citation:

Lacoste C. L. C., Catrix E., Vallières S., Hirsch-Passicos A., Guilberteau T., Lafargue M., Lopez J., Manek-Hönninger I., Fourmaux S., Raffestin D., d’Humières E., Antici P., Bardon M.. Experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of helical coil targets on laser-driven proton and carbon accelerations[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(3): 037602. doi: 10.1063/5.0257518

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Experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of helical coil targets on laser-driven proton and carbon accelerations

doi: 10.1063/5.0257518

Lacoste C. L. C.^{1, 2
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Catrix E.^2
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Vallières S.^2
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Hirsch-Passicos A.^{1
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Guilberteau T.^{1, 3
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Lafargue M.^{1, 4
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Lopez J.^1
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Manek-Hönninger I.^1
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Fourmaux S.^2
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Raffestin D.^1
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d’Humières E.^1
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Bardon M.^1
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1.
CELIA, Université de Bordeaux–CNRS–CEA, UMR 5107, Talence F-33405, France
2.
INRS EMT, Varennes, Quebec J3X 1P7, Canada
3.
ALPhANOV, Talence F-33400, France
4.
AMPLITUDE, Pessac F-33600, France

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: clement.lacoste@u-bordeaux.fr and clement.lacoste@inrs.ca; b)Current address: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, Dresden 01328, Germany
Received Date: 2025-01-10
Accepted Date: 2025-03-03

Available Online: 2025-11-28

Publish Date: 2025-05-01

Abstract

Abstract

Laser-driven ion acceleration, as produced by interaction of a high-intensity laser with a target, is a growing field of interest. One of the current challenges is to enhance the acceleration process, i.e., to increase the produced ion energy and the ion number and to shape the energy distribution for future applications. In this paper, we investigate the effect of helical coil (HC) targets on the laser–matter interaction process using a 150 TW laser. We demonstrate that HC targets significantly enhance proton acceleration, improving energy bunching and beam focusing and increasing the cutoff energy. For the first time, we extend this analysis to carbon ions, revealing a marked reduction in the number of low-energy carbon ions and the potential for energy bunching and post-acceleration through an optimized HC design. Simulations using the particle-in-cell code SOPHIE confirm the experimental results, providing insights into the current propagation and ion synchronization mechanisms in HCs. Our findings suggest that HC targets can be optimized for multispecies ion acceleration.

The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Conflict of Interest
C. L. C. Lacoste: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). E. Catrix: Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal). S. Vallières: Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – original draft (equal). A. Hirsch-Passicos: Conceptualization (supporting); Formal analysis (supporting); Investigation (supporting). T. Guilberteau: Conceptualization (equal); Methodology (equal). M. Lafargue: Conceptualization (equal); Methodology (equal). J. Lopez: Conceptualization (equal); Supervision (supporting). I. Manek-Hönninger: Conceptualization (supporting); Writing – original draft (equal). S. Fourmaux: Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Supervision (equal). D. Raffestin: Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Supervision (equal). E. d’Humières: Conceptualization (equal); Methodology (equal); Supervision (equal). P. Antici: Funding acquisition (equal); Investigation (supporting); Methodology (supporting); Supervision (equal); Validation (equal); Writing – original draft (equal). M. Bardon: Conceptualization (lead); Formal analysis (equal); Funding acquisition (equal); Investigation (lead); Methodology (lead); Supervision (lead); Validation (equal); Writing – original draft (equal).
Author Contributions
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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References(43)

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