High Repetition Rate Ion Acceleration Achieved with Tabletop Lasers
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) May 20, 2025
Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Hyderabad have achieved a significant breakthrough in laser-driven ion acceleration, demonstrating the potential for compact, high-repetition-rate proton acceleration using tabletop lasers. This advancement, detailed in a recent study in Physical Review Research, leverages small, millijoule-class lasers to produce megavolt energy protons at a remarkable rate of 1,000 pulses per second.

Traditional laser ion acceleration methods rely on high-energy, multi-joule laser systems to generate extreme ion speeds, typically requiring massive and complex setups. However, the TIFR team, led by Prof. M. Krishnamurthy and including researchers S.V. Rahul and Ratul Sabui, developed a new approach that harnesses a known limitation of these systems-the presence of pre-pulses.

Pre-pulses are small bursts of laser energy that precede the main, intense laser pulse, often complicating the acceleration process by disrupting the target surface. However, rather than suppressing these pre-pulses, the TIFR researchers found a way to exploit them. Their approach uses pre-pulses to sculpt hollow cavities in liquid microdroplets, creating a low-density plasma environment. This plasma serves as a highly efficient medium for absorbing subsequent laser pulses, generating powerful electron bursts that can drive protons to hundreds of kilovolts of energy.

This innovative technique effectively bridges the gap between traditional low-repetition, high-energy laser systems and more practical, compact setups, potentially transforming applications ranging from medical treatments to advanced materials processing.

Research Report:High-repetition rate ion acceleration driven by a two-plasmon decay instability

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