Description
The ELIMAIA–ELIMED user beamline at ELI Beamlines provides an advanced platform for acceleration, selection, and application of laser-driven ion beams. Designed to bridge laser–plasma acceleration research with multidisciplinary applications, it combines a Petawatt-class level system with a versatile particle beam transport, diagnostic, and dosimetry system.
The ELIMAIA section [1, 2] hosts the interaction area where ions are generated from solid targets by interacting with the L3-HAPLS PW-class laser, while the ELIMED section [3] is dedicated to ion transport, energy selection, and dosimetry up to the irradiation stations. Together, they constitute an operational open-access user facility enabling controlled and reproducible experiments in radiobiology, medicine, and materials science.
Within this framework, ELIMED operates as the ion beam transport and dosimetry user station of ELIMAIA, collecting, selecting, and delivering laser-accelerated ion beams with precise energy definition and real-time diagnostics. The system integrates permanent magnets and an Energy Selection System (ESS), combined with time-of-flight diagnostics and radiochromic-film dosimetry, ensuring reliable beam characterization for user experiments.
A proton beam with a central energy of 20 MeV and a 30% FWHM energy spread (17–23 MeV) has been successfully delivered 7.5 m downstream from the interaction point, corresponding to a bunch duration of ~7 ns at the sample position. A peak dose of about 40 mGy per laser shot has been achieved at the irradiation point, and this beam configuration has been successfully employed in a proof-of-principle radiobiology experiment within the ELI User Program [4].
The platform is currently used within the ELI User Program for irradiation experiments on biological samples, including cells and embryos, demonstrating the maturity and user-readiness of the ELIMED beamline.
References
[1] ELIMAIA: A Laser-Driven Ion Accelerator for Multidisciplinary Applications, D. Margarone et al., Quantum Beam Sci. 2018, 2(2), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs2020008
[2] The ELIMAIA Laser–Plasma Ion Accelerator: Technological Commissioning and Perspectives, F. Schillaci et al., Quantum Beam Sci. 2022, 6(4), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs6040030
[3] GAP Cirrone at al., ELIMED-ELIMAIA: The First Open User Irradiation Beamline for Laser-Plasma-Accelerated Ion Beams, ront. Phys., 13 November 2020, Sec. Medical Physics and Imaging, Volume 8 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2020.564907
[4] ELIMAIA–ELIMED: A new user platform for radiobiological research utilizing laser-driven protons, P. Blaha et al., Front. Phys. Sec. Accelerator Physics Volume 13 – 2025; doi: 10.3389/fphy.2025.1567622
