Session C6 - Laser and Plasma Acceleration.
INVITED session, Saturday afternoon, April 29
Beacon A, LBHR
Intense laser pulses interacting with plasmas are giving rise to novel table-top accelerators of electrons and ions. With laser intensities of 10^19 W/cm^2 and wavelengths of 1-\mum, we observe the acceleration of MeV-energy electrons and protons into well collimated beams. In the case of electrons, we observe from an underdense plasma a narrow beam with less than a three-degree divergence angle. Detailed studies of the dynamics of the interaction are discussed. In the case of protons, we observe from an overdense plasma a beam with less than a forty-degree divergence angle. Also discussed is the application of ion beams to the preparation of medical isotopes.