Speaker
Description
Understanding the effects of ion interactions in condensed matter has been a focus of research for decades. While many of these studies focus on the longer term effects such as cell death or material integrity, typically this is performed using relatively long (>100 ps) proton pulses from radiofrequency accelerators in conjunction with chemical scavenging techniques [1]. As protons traverse a material, they generate tracks of ionisation that evolve rapidly on femtosecond timescales. Recently, measurements of few-picosecond pulses of laser driven protons have been performed via observation of transient opacity induced in SiO2 with sub-picosecond resolution [2]. Here we present results showing a dramatic difference in the solvation time of electrons generated due to the interaction of relativistic electrons/X-rays and protons in liquid water. The solvation time of these electrons increases from <10 ps for fast electrons and X-rays to >190 ps for the protons. The role of ionisation tracks and subsequent formation of nanoscale cavities in water on the extended recovery time is discussed.
| Working group | Laser-driven ion acceleration |
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