Pilot experiment on proton acceleration using the 25Â TW femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser system at PALS

Fast plasma particle streams have been produced from the interaction of thin solid targets with the recently commissioned 25 TW, Ti:Sapphire, femtosecond laser operating at PALS Centre in Prague. A real-time diagnostic system was employed to characterize the produced particles. Low-current proton beams with energies exceeding 2 MeV were detected by a silicon-carbide detector and their typical energy spectrum is reported. High-current slow plasma ions were recorded by ion collectors placed at different distances and angles. Particle streams were characterized with the future aim to use them as probe beams in combination with the kJ-class, iodine, sub-nanosecond laser beamline available at PALS.