ABSTRACT
Direct investigation of ion-induced dynamics on picosecond (ps, 10-12 s) timescales has been precluded to date by the relatively long nanosecond (ns, 10-9 s) scale ion pulses typically provided by radiofrequency accelerators. By contrast, laser-driven ion accelerators provide bursts of ps duration. Here, we show that these bursts provide a platform suitable for the temporally resolved study of ultra-fast, ion-induced transients in transparent media. Applying this to borosilicate glass, the induced electron-hole plasma, observed as an onset of opacity to optical probe radiation, is characterised by the few-ps ion pump rise-time With observed decay time scales of 10’s to 100’s of picoseconds this is in excellent agreement with modelling revealing the evolving electron temperature and number density. This work illustrates that ps laser-driven ion bursts are directly applicable to the investigation of the ultra-fast response of matter to ion interactions and the evolution of the resulting electron temperature. In the future, this scheme can be extended to ultra-fast, pulsed ion radiolysis of water, the radiolytic decompositions of which underpin biological cell damage and hadrontherapy for cancer treatment.
