CryoFlash
Together with the Institut für Laser- und Plasmaphysik of the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf we perform studies on laser-cluster interaction at the 200TW high-power laser facility ARCTURUS. This field of study includes the production of accelerated protons and highly energetic X-ray pulses among other things.
ARCTURUS is an ultra-short pulse laser with a pulse length of 30 fs. These pulses are amplified using the technique of chirped pulse amplification to energies of up to 7 J per pulse. With a focus width of 5µm this leads to enormous intensities of up to 1020 W/cm2.
Conventional targets for such a laser system are either foil or gas targets, with which proton energies of up to several tens of MeV have been achieved. However, the application of these targets is limited, as foil targets need to be periodically replaced and gas targets only allow for the interaction with singular atoms or molecules.
Cluster-jet targets offer an elegant solution to the drawbacks of each of these conventional technologies by providing a continuous stream of particles in the nanometre to micrometre size scale.
The AG Khoukaz has designed and constructed a cluster-jet target optimised for use at high power laser facilities, the MCT-D. After successful commissioning in Münster, MCT-D was installed at the ARCTURUS facility and has since then been used for cutting edge research, such as plasma-based proton acceleration, where proton energies of several MeV have been observed.
