Lecture by Prof. Ishay Pomerantz: “Nuclear Photonics at Tel-Aviv University”

Date: December 17, 2025, 10.00–12.00
Venue: LITEK Conference Hall No. 2-16, Savanorių pr. 235, Vilnius
Speaker: Prof. Ishay Pomerantz, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Profile: https://en-exact-sciences.tau.ac.il/profile/ipom

We invite you to a lecture by Prof. Ishay Pomerantz from Tel Aviv University, who will present recent advances in the use of intense lasers for nuclear photonics and high-energy particle generation in compact, university-scale laboratories.

The lecture will cover two current experimental research campaigns.

Direct Laser Acceleration (DLA)

Prof. Pomerantz will discuss advanced DLA schemes in which the leading edge of an intense laser pulse ionizes the target and forms a positively charged plasma channel capable of efficiently accelerating electrons. DLA offers exceptionally high energy-conversion efficiency (often exceeding 20%), making it a promising approach for driving secondary X-ray and neutron sources.

The lecture will highlight:

• how tailoring the target’s atomic number enhances electron injection and acceleration,

• how flying-focus pulses help stabilize the plasma channel and extend the acceleration length,

• experiments demonstrating high accumulated neutron yields obtained via bremsstrahlung from MeV electron beams under high-repetition-rate laser operation.

Proton acceleration using micrometric bar targets

In the second part of the talk, Prof. Pomerantz will present a study in which intense laser pulses irradiate micrometric bar-shaped targets — transversely filling the focal spot and longitudinally shorter than half the laser wavelength. Using only 120 mJ of laser energy, proton energies exceeding 6 MeV were recorded — a threefold increase compared to traditional foil-target irradiation.

This technique opens the path to multi-stage laser-driven ion acceleration, where the ion spectrum can be manipulated using purely optical means.

The event is open to the public – all are welcome.