Dielectric laser acceleration has made tremendous progress. We will give an overview of recent results, most of them obtained in the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation-funded Accelerator on a Chip International Program, ACHIP. Highlight results include: acceleration gradients of around 1 GeV/m; the generation of electron pulse trains with attosecond bunchlet duration via optical near field or...
For the past two decades, the interaction of ultra-intense lasers with over-critical plasma has been motivated by acceleration of proton/ions for radiobiological applications. Despite some progress, the realization of a stable high-charge narrow-energy-spread protons of hundreds MeV remains a challenge. One promising scheme is the “light sail” acceleration, where laser pressure directly pushes...
The range of potential applications of compact laser-plasma ion sources motivates the development of new acceleration schemes to increase achievable ion energies and conversion efficiencies. Whilst the evolving nature of laser-plasma interactions can limit the effectiveness of individual acceleration mechanisms, it can also enable the development of hybrid schemes, allowing additional degrees...
