Laser-triggered ion acceleration and table top isotope production

We have observed deuterons accelerated to energies of about 2 MeV in the interaction of relativistically intense 10 TW, 400 fs laser pulse with a thin layer of deuterated polystyrene deposited on Mylar film. These high-energy deuterons were directed to the boron sample, where they produced ∼105 atoms of positron active isotope C11 from the reaction B10(d,n)11C. The activation results suggest that deuterons were accelerated from the front surface of the target.