Sprecher
Beschreibung
Laser-driven ion sources exhibit unique beam properties that open up application opportunities but also pose challenges. Especially the large source divergence (~ 20° half angle) as well as the broad energy bandwidth (100%) of laser-accelerated ion bunches limit their applicability. Yet, temporal structure (~ps bunch durations) and intensity ($10^{13}$ ions per bunch) have roused interest for these novel sources among multiple scientific communities, ranging from warm dense matter research, over cultural heritage to medicine and biology.
We present a versatile pulsed high-field magnet technology platform that is tailored to spectrally and spatially shape laser-driven ion beams while conserving their favorable qualities. The presentation will focus on the development, characterization and experimental proof-of-principle of a tunable pulsed beamline prototype suited to provide homogeneous dose distributions to radiobiological samples, such as zebra fish embryos, tumor spheroids and small in vivo tumors, e.g. in mice. The beamline consists of two pulsed high-field solenoids (B ≤ 20 T). It has been implemented at the Dresden laser acceleration source (Draco). Using the PW beam of Draco we investigated the feasibility of worldwide first controlled volumetric in vivo tumor irradiations in a dedicated mouse model with laser-accelerated protons. The study shows the reliable generation of homogeneous dose distributions laterally and in depth. Practical issues, like magnet repetition rate and beam optical quality, will be critically discussed in the light of new experimental findings and technological developments toward a high-repetition-rate, high-field beamline for in vivo radiobiology studies.
| Working group | Laser-driven ion acceleration |
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