Resolution limit of laser-plasma protonography

It was found that maximum particle output and best possible spatial uniformity of proton beam took place for two-layer target when the front layer was the high-Z film. It was shown that the ion radiography of the convenient objects with using the two-layer targets allow to get the projecting pictures with high spatial resolution that was about one micron. Threshold spatial sensitivity of proton radiography is estimated. Laser-induce ionography _ is relatively new field of scientific activity received impulse for its progress today. It connects with creation of powerful Multi-TW lasers of sub picosecond duration. At laser intensity on solid-state target > 10 18 W/cm 2 high intensity beams of accelerated protons are generated on rear side target- vacuum interface. These protons have energy up to few tens MeV and relatively small angular divergence. If we locate a suitable object between target laser irradiated and detector system we can record projective image of the object onto detector due to changing of proton beam spatial profile because of the collisions or influence of electromagnetic fields into an object [1,2]. One of most important properties of laser-induced ion beam is high degree of laminarity: transverse and longitudinal emittance is several orders more than ones in any conventional accelerator [3]. Owing to high degree of laminarity it could be form proton images of the objects of fine structure with very high spatial resolution. It is impossible for X-ray source, which has usually isotropic distribution of the radiation. And consequently, spatial resolution of X-ray source is not better than size of X-ray. These properties define the potential applications for laser-induced ion accelerator for imaging:_at first, owing to the very short time of ions generation (less than 10 ps) it is proton imaging of fast processes up to the nanosecond range; second, it is proton imaging of static convenient objects including biological objects with relatively large field of vision and high spatial resolution simultaneously, third, recently, it has been demonstrated a possibility to develop ion patterned lithography.