Towards swift ion bunch acceleration by high-power laser pulses at the Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA)

Laser-driven acceleration of ions has inspired novel applications, that can benefit from ion bunch properties different from conventionally (non-laser based) accelerated particle beams. Those differences range from extremely short bunch durations, broad energy spectra, large divergence angles and small source sizes to ultra-high ion bunch densities. So far, the main focus of research has been concentrating on the physics of the interaction of intense laser pulses with plasmas and the related mechanisms of ion acceleration. Now, the new Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA) near Munich aims at pushing these ion bunches towards applications, including radiation therapy of tumors and the development of heavy ion bunches with solid-state-like density. These are needed for novel reaction mechanisms ('fission-fusion') to study the origin of heavy elements in the universe and to prepare for related studies at the upcoming EU-funded high-power laser facility ELI - Nuclear Physics in Bucharest.