Generating Proton Beams Exceeding 10MeV Using High Contrast 60TW Laser

A prototype of a laser driven proton accelerator is built at Peking University. Protons exceeding 10 MeV are accelerated from micrometer-thick aluminum targets irradiated by tightly focused laser pulse with 1.8 J energy and 30 fs duration. The beam energy spectrum and charge distribution are measured by a Thomson parabola spectrometer and radiochromic film stacks. The sensitivity of proton cut-off energy to the focusing of the laser beam, the pulse duration, and the foil thickness are systematically investigated in the experiments. Stable proton beams have been produced with an optimized parameter set, providing a cornerstone for the future applications of laser accelerated protons.