Effects of pulse chirp on laser-driven proton acceleration

Optimisation and reproducibility of beams of protons accelerated from laser-solid interactions require accurate control of a wide set of variables, concerning both the laser pulse and the target. Among the former ones, the chirp and temporal shape of the pulse reaching the experimental area may vary because of spectral phase modulations acquired along the laser system and beam transport. Here, we present an experimental study where we investigate the influence of the laser pulse chirp on proton acceleration from ultrathin flat foils (10 and 100 nm thickness), while minimising any asymmetry in the pulse temporal shape. The results show a ± 10 % change in the maximum proton energy depending on the sign of the chirp. This effect is most noticeable from 10 nm-thick target foils, suggesting a chirp-dependent influence of relativistic transparency.