Compact Spatio-Temporal Shaping of Laser-Driven Ion Beams for Next-Generation Hybrid Particle Accelerators

Laser-driven ion beams generated during relativistic laser-interactions with solid targets exhibit superior brightness compared to conventional accelerators, but currently cannot simultaneously deliver the ion energy required for applications. In a hybrid accelerator, a laser-accelerated ion beam is injected into an RF linear particle accelerator to reach ion energies of 230+ MeV on a meter scale. This new concept has the potential to revolutionize proton radiographic imaging and hadron therapy. For optimal coupling, the ion beam should be manipulated to match the acceptance angle and energy bin width of the linac. Here, we demonstrate all-optical spatial and temporal manipulation of the forward propagating ion beam resulting from its overlap with the extreme electric and magnetic fields generated during the laser-plasma interaction.