Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Article number | 105004 |
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 14/03/2008 |
<mark>Journal</mark> | Physical review letters |
Issue number | 10 |
Volume | 100 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Publication Status | Published |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
The emission characteristics of intense laser driven protons are controlled using ultrastrong (of the order of 10(9) V/m) electrostatic fields varying on a few ps time scale. The field structures are achieved by exploiting the high potential of the target (reaching multi-MV during the laser interaction). Suitably shaped targets result in a reduction in the proton beam divergence, and hence an increase in proton flux while preserving the high beam quality. The peak focusing power and its temporal variation are shown to depend on the target characteristics, allowing for the collimation of the inherently highly divergent beam and the design of achromatic electrostatic lenses.