Suitability of hyperpolarized cryogenic foils as laser‑plasma polarized targets

Establish whether hyperpolarized cryogenic foils composed of hydrogen–deuterium molecules produced after recombination of nuclear‑polarized hydrogen atoms from an atomic beam source can serve as suitable targets for laser‑plasma acceleration of polarized proton or deuteron beams.

Background

Hyperpolarized cryogenic foils have been proposed as potential pre‑polarized solid targets for accelerating spin‑polarized ions via laser‑plasma interaction. Although these foils can, in principle, provide high nuclear spin polarization, their technical realization is demanding, and it has not yet been demonstrated that they function effectively under laser‑plasma accelerator conditions.