The Journal Nature Communications has published our recent work on laser-driven protons for stress testing materials used in harsh conditions. In this work we demonstrate that laser-generated particles, in particular protons, can be used for stress testing materials and are particularly suited for identifying materials to be used in harsh conditions. We show that these laser-generated protons can produce, in a very short time scale, a strong mechanical and thermal damage, that, given the short irradiation time, does not allow for recovery of the material. We confirm this by analyzing changes in the mechanical, optical, electrical, and morphological properties of five materials of interest to be used in harsh conditions.
More details about the technique and this work, which took over one year to be published, can be found in different press coverage:
