Stability and debris-mitigation of a solid tape target delivery system for intense laser-matter interactions towards high-repetition-rate

• Published in: Plasma physics and controlled fusion 2024-04, Vol.66 (4), p.45003
• Main Authors: Ehret, Michael, de Luis, Diego, Apiñaniz, Jon Imanol, Henares, Jose Luis, Lera, Roberto, Pérez-Hernández, José Antonio, Puyuelo-Valdes, Pilar, Volpe, Luca, Gatti, Giancarlo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ablation; high repetition rate; laser-plasma accelerator; micro-structures; relativistic laser interaction; tape target
• ISSN: 0741-3335; 1361-6587
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6587/ad2690

The VEGA-3 laser system at the Centro de Láseres Pulsados delivers laser pulses up to 1 PW at 1 Hz repetition rate, focused to intensities up to 2.5 × 10 20  W cm −2 . A versatile and compact solid target suitable for up to 0.05 Hz is presented which can operate in the challenging petawatt laser environment close to the laser-plasma interaction. Strips are spooled in a tape target system to deliver a solid density target to the laser focus for every shot. Results are presented for different tape materials and thicknesses, and a shot-to-shot standard deviation of the cut-off energy of 1.5% was obtained for Kapton reinforced aluminium tapes of 9  µ m thickness. Experimental ion spectra are recorded by a Thomson Parabola Ion Spectrometer coupled with a scintillator screen; and an antenna array is used for the characterization of electromagnetic pulses. The results of both diagnostics show a good shot-to-shot stability of the system.