High power laser-driven relativistic optics and ion acceleration in ultrathin foils

Recent progress in high power laser technology enables laser intensities up to 1021 W/cm2 to be achieved. Such lasers are now available in a number of laboratories worldwide, and include the Phelix laser at GSI. Typical pulses have durations from tens to hundreds of femtoseconds and carry electric fields in the order of TV/m. They ionise solid targets and generate highly relativistic electrons. The radiation pressure of the focused laser light separates electrons from ions creating TV/m electrostatic fields, and multi-MA currents propagate and generate Gigagauss magnetic fields. In this seminar, I will provide an overview of the relativistic physics of ultrathin foils irradiated by intense laser light, which is important for the development of compact laser-driven ion sources. I will present recent experimental and simulation results on relativistic optical phenomena, collective plasma motion and particle acceleration, including measurements of near-100 MeV proton energies.