The ultrashort chirped pulse amplification (CPA) laser technology opens the path to high intensities of 1021 W/cm2 and above in the laser focus. Such intensities allow laser-matter interactions in the relativistic intensity regime. Within the PENELOPE project (Petawatt ENergy-Efficient Laser for Optical Plasma Experiments) a High-peak power operation at the Petawatt level and High-average power performance at a repetition rate of 1 Hz are combined. The scientific goal of laser experiments with PENELOPE is to generate laser accelerated proton and ion beams with energies of more than 100 MeV, relevant for future medical applications.
All publications based on PENELOPE are welcome.