Coupling laser driven ion beams to accelerators - the light project

Summary form only given. Since the discovery of ion beams accelerated by ultra intense lasers many applications have been investigated in basic research, fusion and accelerator technology. Ions accelerated by TNSA, BOA and other mechanisms promise to become a new and exciting tool for these applications, provided a good control on the beam parameter and the availability of appropriate laser systems. The LIGHT project (Laser Ion Generation Handling and Transport) aims for the setup and operation of a test facility to explore the coupling of laser driven ion beams to accelerator structures. Therefore the Universities of Frankfurt, Jena, Dresden and Darmstadt teamed up with the Helmholtz Insitute in Jena, the Forschungszentrum Rossendorf and GSI. As a first result, we will report on recent developments with focus on experiments to control and combine laser accelerated ion beams with beam transport structures and new results using target geometries for optimizing the laser ion source.