Proton beam production by a laser ion source with hydride target.

We studied proton beam production from a laser ion source using hydrogen rich target materials. In general, gas based species are not suitable for laser ion sources since formation of a dense laser target is difficult. In order to achieve reliable operation, we tested hydride targets using a sub nanosecond Q-switched Nd-YAG laser, which may help suppress target material consumption. We detected enough yields of protons from a titanium hydride target without degradation of beam current during the experiment. The combination of a sub nanosecond laser and compressed hydride target may provide stable proton beam.