Description
Laser-plasma acceleration has enormous potential to provide sources of ultra-short ion beams. However, several factors hamper their wider adoption, such as the low shot-to-shot stability, large beam divergence and the difficulty of high-repetition rate operation. In recent years, there has been a large community effort to develop refreshing targets, together with online diagnostics so that the potential of the new multi-Hz laser facilities can be fully exploited. Here, we present results from an experiment in which automated experiment-control enabled parameter scanning with > 80,000 laser-shots at up to 5 Hz. Additionally, online feedback between diagnostics and control parameters allowed for optimization of the proton beam characteristics. Exploitation of both standard tape-drive and thin liquid leaf targets allowed for study of the interaction parameter space over a wide range of conditions with the liquid leaf target generating high flux and low-divergence proton beams. This experimental platform, combining low-debris, refreshing targetry with automated control, provides exciting possibilities for generation of ion beams optimised through tailored laser and target parameters.
