Time-of-flight methodologies with large-area diamond detectors for the effectively characterization of tens MeV protons. (1st April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Salvadori, M.; Andreoli, P.L.; Cipriani, M.; Cristofari, G.; De Angelis, R.; Malko, S.; Volpe, L.; Perez Hernandez, J.A.; Apiñaniz, J.I.; Morace, A.; Antici, P.; Migliorati, M.; Di Giorgio, G.; Consoli, F.
• Is Part Of: Journal of instrumentation. Volume 17:Number 4(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-04-01
• Subjects: Diamond Detectors -- Instrumentation and methods for time-of-flight (TOF) spectroscopy -- Plasma diagnostics — charged-particle spectroscopy; Scientific apparatus and instruments -- Periodicals; 502.84
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/17/04/C04005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1748-0221

Abstract

Abstract: A novel detector based on a polycrystalline diamond sensor is here employed in an advanced time-of-flight scheme for the characterization of energetic ions accelerated during laser-matter interactions. The optimization of the detector and of the advanced TOF methodology allow to obtain signals characterized by high signal-to-noise ratio and high dynamic range even in the most challenging experimental environments, where the interaction of high-intensity laser pulses with matter leads to effective ion acceleration, but also to the generation of strong Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) with intensities up to the MV/m order. These are known to be a serious threat for the fielded diagnostic systems. In this paper we report on the measurement performed with the PW-class laser system Vega 3 at CLPU (∼30 J energy, ∼10 21 W/cm 2 intensity, ∼30 fs pulses) irradiating solid targets, where both tens of MeV ions and intense EMP fields were generated. The data were analyzed to retrieve a calibrated proton spectrum and in particular we focus on the analysis of the most energetic portion ( E > 5.8 MeV) of the spectrum showing a procedure to deal with the intrinsic lower sensitivity of the detector in the mentioned spectral-range.