Proton Bragg curve and energy reconstruction using an online scintillator stack detector.

Real-time measurement and characterization of laser-driven proton beams have become crucial with the advent of high-repetition-rate laser acceleration. Common passive diagnostics such as radiochromic film (RCF) are not suitable for real-time operation due to time-consuming post-processing; therefore, a novel approach is needed. Various scintillator-based detectors have recently gained interest as real-time substitutes to RCF-thanks to their fast response for a wide range of dose deposition rates.

The Proton-Boron Reaction Increases the Radiobiological Effectiveness of Clinical Low- and High-Energy Proton Beams: Novel Experimental Evidence and Perspectives.

Protontherapy is a rapidly expanding radiotherapy modality where accelerated proton beams are used to precisely deliver the dose to the tumor target but is generally considered ineffective against radioresistant tumors. Proton-Boron Capture Therapy (PBCT) is a novel approach aimed at enhancing proton biological effectiveness. PBCT exploits a nuclear fusion reaction between low-energy protons and B atoms, i.

Energetic α-particle sources produced through proton-boron reactions by high-energy high-intensity laser beams.

In an experiment performed with a high-intensity and high-energy laser system, α-particle production in proton-boron reaction by using a laser-driven proton beam was measured. α particles were observed from the front and also from the rear side, even after a 2-mm-thick boron target. The data obtained in this experiment have been analyzed using a sequence of numerical simulations.

High-current stream of energetic α particles from laser-driven proton-boron fusion.

The nuclear reaction known as proton-boron fusion has been triggered by a subnanosecond laser system focused onto a thick boron nitride target at modest laser intensity (∼10^{16}W/cm^{2}), resulting in a record yield of generated α particles. The estimated value of α particles emitted per laser pulse is around 10^{11}, thus orders of magnitude higher than any other experimental result previously reported. The accelerated α-particle stream shows unique features in terms of kinetic energy (up to 10 MeV), pulse duration (∼10 ns), and peak current (∼2 A) at 1 m from the source, promising potential applications of such neutronless nuclear fusion reactions.

A new energy spectrum reconstruction method for time-of-flight diagnostics of high-energy laser-driven protons.

The Time-of-Flight (TOF) technique coupled with semiconductorlike detectors, as silicon carbide and diamond, is one of the most promising diagnostic methods for high-energy, high repetition rate, laser-accelerated ions allowing a full on-line beam spectral characterization. A new analysis method for reconstructing the energy spectrum of high-energy laser-driven ion beams from TOF signals is hereby presented and discussed. The proposed method takes into account the detector's working principle, through the accurate calculation of the energy loss in the detector active layer, using Monte Carlo simulations.