Dear Colleagues,

Quantum Beam Science is pleased to announce a special issue that will highlight Laser-Driven Quantum Beams (LDQB) and will feature research and development of laser-driven energetic particle and photon beams. The unique yield of energetic ions, electrons, neutrons, X-rays and gamma-rays driven by intense lasers is well-established and is a promising for candidate accelerator sources. The evolution of high power laser systems and the intense ultra-fast laser—plasma interactions they enable in specialized targets has also been well-documented during the last two decades or more. However, to realize meaningful applications of these laser-driven sources, the development of well-directed energetic beams that are suitably monitored, controllable, stable and reproducible is essential.  An application will typically require commensurate research and development of an integrated laser-driven accelerator system that can deliver a stable, reproducible beam of particles or photons of adequate accelerator quality. So, the laser-driven accelerator system remains the major challenge and one closely coupled with controlled high quality beamline development. Augmenting the current vast published literature on emergent laser-driven secondary sources from targets, the Laser-Driven Quantum Beams special issue will (i) present review of laser-driven accelerator component status and (ii) highlight the progress being made with laser-driven beamline development.

For electrons, laser acceleration has been demonstrated in intense laser—plasma interactions with gas targets and also directly by the laser field itself at much lower intensity (dielectric laser acceleration). While the latter approach has demonstrated record high acceleration gradients at kHz  rep-rates with sub-GW peak powers, the former approach typically requires peak powers that are higher by several orders of magnitude (~ tens of TW) and therefore significantly lower repetition rates, yielding ultrashort bunches of high peak current with kinetic energies at the GeV level. Further, these results afford exploration of laser-driven electron beam-based energetic photon sources (i.e., X-rays and gamma-rays), which can therefore constitute electron-mediated optical upconversion.

Proton acceleration in laser—plasma interactions has generated kinetic energies up to tens of MeV (reaching almost 100 MeV) with high at-source peak currents attributed to the significant bunch charge and ultrashort bunch durations. Proton and other ion acceleration to tens of MeV per nucleon energies can require hundreds of TW to PW peak power levels, for which the rep-rate rate is typically quite low (single shot to less than a few Hz). In this ion energy regime, neutron generation (considered as a tertiary source in contrast to secondary electron and ion sources from laser—plasmas) can also occur by the impact of laser-accelerated proton and/or deuteron bunches with a downstream second target.  The unique at-source features of emergent particle bunches are well-documented, as is the broad range of targetry options.

Review of essential components of the integrated laser-driven accelerator system with an added emphasis on basic beamline development is the focus of this special issue. It will include the following subject matter for which we welcome contributions:

• Reviews

• status of progress toward high power rep-rated lasers

• current laser-acceleration capability for:

• protons and other ions 

• electrons (by laser-plasma and direct acceleration by laser field)

• neutrons energetic photons (generation mechanisms etc.)

 (emphasis on unique particle yields as candidate accelerator sources) 

• targetry developments—types, metrology, yields, rep-rated capability

• unique beamline optics (components) —modeling and experimental tests (such as laser-induced plasma optics components, high field solenoid magnets, energy filters)

• post-acceleration schemes

• unique or innovative beamline architecture or design—modeling and experimental tests

• novel beamline instrumentation for diagnostics and control (such as fast scintillation, electron spectrometry, dosimetry)

• emerging and potential application examples for the study of matter (applied materials, nuclear, medical) and application categories for energetic particles and photons; preliminary experiments and theoretical projections;

• future prospects for integrated laser-driven particle accelerator systems.

This laser-driven quantum beam special issue will provide a valuable reference for the current state-of-the-art in laser-driven accelerator components and, as such, provide an augmentative update on global progress toward realizing integrated laser-driven accelerator systems that can deliver useful, controlled quantum beams.

Prof. Dr. Paul Bolton
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.