Design methodology for stable dispersion-suppressed helix post-acceleration in laser proton accelerators

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Laser-driven proton accelerators offer a compact and innovative alternative to conventional radio frequency accelerators, yet they are limited by the low energy efficiency and insufficient proton energy gain. To overcome these limitations, helical post-acceleration structures have been proposed as a promising solution. However, existing designs suffer from dispersion-induced field collapse and synchronization challenges, particularly in long-length helices exceeding centimeters. In this work, we present a self-consistent and self-adaptive numerical framework to design the pitch distribution of shielded helical structures for long-distance proton post-acceleration. Our method features a flexible synchronization condition based on suppressed dispersion, allowing phase-stable and transverse focusing at the same time. With the condition that corresponds to a petawatt laser, we achieve roughly 150% proton energy gain from 37 MeV, better Root Mean Square (RMS) emittance, and smaller beam spot variance at the same time within 40 mm of acceleration length. This study provides a general and practical design methodology for next-generation laser-driven ion accelerators.
Funding Information
  • The National Grand Instrument Project (2019YFF01014404)
  • The National Grand Instrument Project (2019YFF01014400)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (12122501)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (12205007)

This publication has 57 references indexed in Scilit: