Related papers: Ultra-short, MeV-scale laser-plasma positron sourc…
Particle beams focused to micrometer-sized spots play a crucial role in forefront research using low-energy positrons. Their expedient and wide application, however, requires highly-resolved, fast beam diagnostics. We have developed two…
Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) is a powerful technique for detecting microstructural defects in various material classes. In a commonly used 180{\deg} detector configuration equipped with plastic scintillators,…
Imaging the features of a sample using Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS) is currently achieved by rastering, i.e. by scanning the sample surface with a sharply focused positron beam. However, a beam of arbitrary shape (sculpted beam)…
Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) allows examining structure of materials in nano and sub-nanometer scale. This technique is based on the lifetime and intensity of ortho-positronium atoms in free volumes of given…
The generation of ultra-relativistic positron beams with short duration ($\tau_{e^+} \leq 30$ fs), small divergence ($\theta_{e^+} \simeq 3$ mrad), and high density ($n_{e^+} \simeq 10^{14} - 10^{15}$ cm$^{-3}$) from a fully optical setup…
Even 50 years after the discovery of a positron annihilation line from the inner Galaxy, no class of astrophysical sources has emerged as a definitive explanation for both the emission morphology and flux. Positrons produced by dark matter…
The intrinsic constraints in the amplitude of the accelerating fields sustainable by radio-frequency accelerators demand for the pursuit of alternative and more compact acceleration schemes. Among these, plasma-based accelerators are…
Proton beams with up to 100 pC bunch charge, 0.48 MeV cut-off energy and divergence as low as a $3^{\circ}$ were generated from solid targets at kHz repetition rate by a few-mJ femtosecond laser under controlled plasma conditions. The beam…
Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are prolific GeV $\gamma\text{-ray}$ emitters, and nearly 80\% of Fermi-LAT MSPs reside in compact binaries. We demonstrate that the companions in these compact MSPs binaries are also 511 keV annihilation line…
Laser-driven, high-brilliance secondary sources (electrons, ions, neutrons, X-rays) open new perspectives for compact material probing and imaging of high-speed events. A key advantage is their ability to perform multiplexed probing, as…
We demonstrate laser-plasma acceleration of high charge electron beams to the ~10 MeV scale using ultrashort laser pulses with as little energy as 10 mJ. This result is made possible by an extremely dense and thin hydrogen gas jet. Total…
An all-optical centimeter-scale laser-plasma positron accelerator is modeled to produce quasi-monoenergetic beams with tunable ultra-relativistic energies. A new principle elucidated here describes the trapping of divergent positrons that…
The spectrum of laser-plasma generated X-rays is very important, it characterizes electron dynamics in plasma and is basic for applications. However, the accuracies and efficiencies of existing methods to diagnose the spectrum of…
Muons, which play a crucial role in both fundamental and applied physics, have traditionally been generated through proton accelerators or from cosmic rays. With the advent of ultra-short high-intensity lasers capable of accelerating…
Laser-plasma acceleration is an emerging technique for accelerating electrons to high energies over very short distances. The accelerated electron bunches have femtosecond duration, making them particularly relevant for applications such as…
Although the annihilation of positrons towards the Galactic centre was established more than 50 years ago through the detection of a 511 keV $\gamma$-ray line, the origin of the positrons remains unknown. The $\gamma$-ray line should be…
We present an efficient method to produce laser-triggered proton pulses well below 500 ps pulse width at keV energies. We use femtosecond photoelectron pulses emitted from a cathode to enable ultrafast electron-stimulated desorption of…
We present a monoenergetic positron beam specifically tailored to the needs of (near-) surface positron annihilation spectroscopy. The Setup for LOw-energy Positron Experiments (SLOPE) comprises a high-activity 22Na source, a tungsten…
The new generation of laser facilities is expected to deliver short (10 fs - 100 fs) laser pulses with 10 - 100 PW of peak power. This opens an opportunity to study matter at extreme intensities in the laboratory and provides access to new…
We report on an indirect and non-invasive method to simultaneously characterise the energy-dependent emittance and source size of ultra-relativistic positron beams generated during the propagation of a laser-wakefield accelerated electron…