Laser-plasma accelerators can preserve polarization of Helium-3 ions

Key Points:

• Researchers at Heinrich Heine University (HHU) have advanced the development of compact laser–plasma accelerators, which offer acceleration gradients up to 1,000 times higher than conventional particle accelerators and can be built at a fraction of the cost.
• A study led by Prof. Dr. Markus Büscher demonstrated for the first time that the polarization (spin alignment) of Helium-3 ions is preserved during laser–plasma acceleration, an important factor for applications in nuclear fusion and particle physics.
• The preservation of particle spin alignment is crucial because it influences particle interactions and could significantly enhance reaction probabilities in controlled nuclear fusion.
• The research involved transporting pre-polarized Helium-3 gas to a facility in Darmstadt, where high-power lasers accelerated the particles and detectors confirmed the retention of their polarization.
• These findings have broader implications for accelerating other polarized particles like protons and electrons, potentially enabling deeper investigations into fundamental physics and aiding searches for dark matter candidates such as axions.