Speaker
Dr.
Jose Benlliure
(University of Santiago de Compostela)
Description
The development of high power laser systems based on the Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) technique [1] has lead to the advancement of the so called laser driven plasma accelerators. By focusing an ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulse in a target material, it is possible to produce accelerating gradients above 10 GeV/m, which are some 3 to 4 orders of magnitude larger than the values reached using conventional accelerators based on radiofrequency cavities. This achievement has generated during the last decade an intense research activity leading to the discovery of the physical mechanisms that can be used to produce high energy beams of electrons, ions or photons with unprecedented characteristics [2].
The Laser Laboratory for Acceleration and Applications (L2A2) at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain is a new infrastructure for the investigation of laser-plasma particle acceleration and the use of this new technology in several fields of application. In particular, L2A2 will focus its initial research program in developing alternative technologies for the production of medical radiotracers using laser-plasma accelerated beams of protons and light ions. Another field of interest is advanced tomographic techniques using laser-plasma generated X-rays.
Primary author
Dr.
Jose Benlliure
(University of Santiago de Compostela)