Nuclear reactions in copper induced by protons from a petawatt laser-foil interaction

Abstract

High-intensity (>1019 W cm−2) laser-plasma interactions have been shown to produce large quantities of protons with energies up to several tens of MeV. A range of laser-driven proton-induced reactions in copper have been investigated and the observed reactions quantified. The energy spectrum of the accelerated protons was determined from the reactions in a single thin copper foil and found to be in agreement with that deduced from (p,n) reactions measured in a stack of copper foils. The potential applications of this diagnostic technique are discussed.