Proton Surfing Acceleration via Propagating Electrostatic Waves Induced by Intense Laser Irradiation on Large-Area Suspended Graphene
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Generating 100-MeV protons is pivotal to developing laser-driven ion sources for many applications that range from medicine to laboratory astrophysics. An ultra-thin target is a way to increase the ion energy; however, such a target is easily destroyed by the interaction with laser prepulses. We have developed a large-area suspended graphene (LSG) target and demonstrated its durability by generating energetic protons and carbons by irradiating the thinnest target ever (2 nm) with an ultra-intense laser without a plasma mirror. Here, we show the experimental results of proton energies reaching 132 MeV by optimizing the laser conditions for the ultra-thin LSG targets. Ion diagnostics were primarily performed using a CR-39 stack detector combined with machine-learning-assisted analysis. Numerical simulations support the experimental results, where the radiation pressure of a relatively long-duration, low-intensity laser pulse slowly pushes the plasma, leading to the formation of a propagating electrostatic wave that efficiently accelerates protons, as in surfing acceleration.
DOI: 10.1093/ptep/ptag130
Authors: Takumi Minami, Che-Men Chu, Kentaro Sakai, Tomoya Taguchi, Takamasa Hihara, Naoya Tamaki, Soichiro Suzuki, Fuka Nikaido, Yuki Abe, Hideaki Habara, Yu-Tzu Liao, Leonard Döhl, Nigel Woolsey, Yasunobu Arikawa, Akifumi Yogo, Alessio Morace, Youichi Sakawa, Yao-Li Liu, Chun-Sung Jao, Tatiana Pikuz, Hideki Kohri, Atsushi O Tokiyasu, Satoshi Kodaira, Shogo Isayama, Harihara Sudhan Kumar, Naofumi Ohnishi, Nathaniel Saura, Sadruddin Benkadda, Satoshi Hamaguchi, Naoki Watamura, Hideyuki Suzuki, Masato Kanasaki, Yuji Fukuda, Wei-Yen Woon, Yasuhiro Kuramitsu
Institutions: National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Kansai Institute for Photon Science, The University of Osaka, National Central University, National Institute for Fusion Science, Institute of Laser Engineering, The University of Osaka, University of Leeds, University of York, National Cheng Kung University, National Center for High-Performance Computing, National Institutes of Applied Research, Institute for Laser Technology, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Research Center for Nuclear Physics, The University of Osaka, Tohoku University, Research Center for Accelerator and Radioisotope Science, Tohoku University, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Institute for Radiological Science, Kyushu University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Physique des interactions ioniques et moléculaires, Kobe University, Academia Sinica
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $979
OpenAlex ID: W7218761339