Abstract. The development of the ultraintense laser continues to open up new fields of physics. The laser accelerator development is now entering a new matured stage at which it becomes possible to manipulate in a controllable way the parameters of accelerated charged particle beams. In the electron acceleration the particle injection by breaking wake waves left by the laser pulse in underdense plasmas results in the quasi-monoenergetic beam production. When the ions are accelerated during the laser–matter interaction the tailored multi-layer foil targets provide conditions for the high quality proton beam generation.

Print publication: Issue 12B (December 2006)
Received 23 June 2006
Published 8 November 2006