Compact laser accelerators towards medical applications

Abstract

Laser particle acceleration is now in a new trend due to an enormous worldwide effort to increase the peak power of femtosecond lasers, as well as increasing their average power in order to make them useful for applications. The leading example is the Extreme Light Infrastructure in Europe, which has led to the establishment of three large research facilities in the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary that host some of the most powerful lasers worldwide (above PW peak power). This action is now being followed by the USA LaserNetUS initiative, that comprises all the big laser facilities in US, and similar efforts also happen in Asia. We are starting a program to establish a laser accelerator facility in Brazil, aiming to produce radiation (electrons, protons and X rays) to be used in medical applications, like X ray and electron therapy, nuclear reactions and, eventually, protontherapy.