Welcome and Introduction to the SPIE 2021 ALPA Workshop

The Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA) is a new research institute dedicated to bio-medical applications of state-of-the-art lasers, situated at the Garching research campus,. In particular, it is host to the upgraded ATLAS multi-petawatt laser system, which can drive a variety of novel radiation sources, including laser-driven betatron and Thomson X-ray sources. In this presentation, I will first review some of the experimental results obtained by its 100-TW-class predecessor, in particular fast X-ray microtomography of human bone samples [1] and first steps towards a multi-color Thomson X-ray source [2]. In the second part of my talk, I will give an update on the current performance of laser-driven electron acceleration and secondary sources using ATLAS. I will finish by an outlook on promising future concepts, such as betatron radiation from density-tailored plasmas and Thomson scattering with chirped laser pulses. [1] A. Döpp et al., Quick x-ray microtomography using a laser-driven betatron source, Optica, 5, (2018), 199 [2] J. Wenz et al., Dual-energy electron beams from a compact laser-driven accelerator,

Optimisation of betatron X-rays and their applications, SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics, 2021

Laser-accelerated proton bunches with kinetic energies of several tens of MeV can be produced with 100-TW to PW laser pulses. The increasing availability of high-power laser systems operating at repetition rates in the order of Hz, along with the unique features of laser-accelerated proton bunches and the meanwhile repeatably achievable kinetic energies are arousing interest in the field of radiological and biomedical applications. Accurate positioning and characterization of the biological specimen is crucial for such applications, raising the need for on-site imaging. Proton radiography could be promising, as it can make use of the intrinsic energy spread of laser-accelerated proton bunches [1]. The proton energy distribution obtained in the target-normal-sheath acceleration (TNSA) regime results in a monotonically decreasing depth-dose distribution in matter, resembling the attenuation of X-rays. With knowledge of the energy distribution of individual bunches and a pixelated semiconductor detector downstream of the imaged object, quantitative information on the object in terms of water-equivalent thickness (WET) can be obtained online. We present a detailed Monte Carlo (MC) study assessing the feasibility of laser-driven proton radiography [2] for object sizes relevant for small-animal experiments. The simulation setup (fig. 1, left) consists of a thin and coarsely pixelated transmission time-of-flight spectrometer prior to the object and a model of a CMOS sensor for imaging. Two scenarios with TNSA-like proton bunches of energies up to 20 MeV and up to 100 MeV were studied. Phantoms of different geometry and material with a thickness of 0.3 mm to 23 mm were placed at distances from 1 mm to 20 mm from the detector. The bunch energy distribution was determined from the time-dependent energy deposition in the spectrometer. Together with a MC generated look-up table, it was used to create a bunch-specific conversion from energy deposition per pixel of the imaging detector to WET. Requirements on the spectrometer performance were examined by variation of its temporal and spatial resolution. Exemplary, the reconstructed WET distribution of a 2 cm thick phantom is shown in fig. 1 (right). With an imaging dose of a few cGy, corresponding to a proton fluence in the detector plane of around 106 cm-2, reconstructed WET values are in good agreement with ground truth (differences < 1.5%). Due to Coulomb scattering in the object, spatial resolution strongly depends on the distance between object and detector. For a gap of 5 mm, which is realistic for an experimental setup, a spatial resolution of 2.5 lp/mm and 1.9 lp/mm was found for the low and the high-energy scenario, respectively. A temporal resolution of the spectrometer of 0.2 ns or better is required for a drift space of 1 m and 3 m for the two scenarios, respectively. We have shown the feasibility and the potential of a setup for online and quantitative laser-driven proton radiography. The relatively high imaging dose may be reduced by tailoring the initial proton energy distribution. Experimental radiographies are foreseen at the Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA), in Garching near Munich, Germany. [1] J. Schreiber, et al., “Hands-on” laser-driven ion acceleration: A primer for laser-driven source development and potential applications, Rev Sci Instrum, 87, (2016), 071101. [2] M. Würl, et al., A Monte Carlo feasibility study on quantitative laser-driven proton radiography, Z Med Phys, In Press, (2020).

Laser-driven proton pulse provide unique properties in terms of pulse structure (ns) and instantaneous dose rate (10^9 Gy/s) but - inherently broadband and highly divergent - pose a challenge to established beamline concepts on the path to application-adapted irradiation field formation, particularly for three-dimensional cases. We present the successful implementation and characterisation of a highly efficient and tuneable dual pulsed solenoid beamline at the Draco PW facility[1] to generate volumetric dose distribution tailored to specific applications[2]. The vast experimental scope and already successfully performed studies range from systematic volumetric in-vivo tumour irradiations in a dedicated mouse model (with a stable mean dose delivery of ±10 % and a spatial dose homogeneity of ±5 % over a cylindrical volume of 5 mm diameter and height) to high-dose-rate irradiations in the FLASH regime (using proton peak dose rates of up to 10^9 Gy/s with about 20 Gy/shot homogeneously over a cylindrical sample volume of 4.5 mm diameter and 3 mm height) as well as particle diagnostics commissioning (with a multitude of spatial and spectral dose distributions). The beamline setup is complemented by a complex beam monitoring and dosimetry detector suite adapted to the ultra-high dose rate pulses and is in its unique synergy and redundancy capable of %-level precision dose delivery to samples as required for systematic irradiation studies. In addition to established radiochromic film dosimetry, the detector suite includes saturation-corrected (transmission) ionisation chambers [3] as well as screen and bulk scintillator setups, partly with tomographic reconstruction capabilities for 3D dose distribution retrieval. Moreover, non-invasive, single-shot-capable online time-of-flight-based spectral characterisation of filtered proton pulses has proven a powerful tool for beam monitoring as well as dosimetric purposes. In this presentation the complex and versatile dose delivery system of laser-driven protons at the Draco PW using pulsed solenoids will be discussed. Its characterisation, technological development and improvement as well as the dosimetry suite as a vital part of the precise dose delivery will be addressed, while the presentation by U. Schramm covers recent experimental activities in detail. [1] T. Ziegler, et al., Proton beam quality enhancement by spectral phase control of a PW-class laser system, https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.11499 (2020) [2] Brack, et al., Spectral and spatial shaping of laser-driven proton beams using a pulsed high-field magnet beamline, SciRep, 10:9118, (2020) [3] Gotz M, et al., A new model for volume recombination in plane‐parallel chambers in pulsed fields of high dose‐per‐pulse. Phys Med Biol., 62: 8634, (2017)

The direct use of so-called Very High Energy Electrons for radiotherapy is currently deserving a renewed and growing attention. This is mostly due to the recent emergence of the so-called FLASH effect in radiobiology [1], consisting in a surprising reduction of adverse effects on healthy tissue by ionizing radiation when dose delivery occurs at very high average dose rates (greater than a few tens of Gy/s). In order for a real clinical translation of this new protocol in the clinical practice, the development of novel kind of ionizing radiation sources featuring such very high dose rates, which are basically hindered by the relatively low Bremsstrahlung conversion efficiency in current machines, is considered as an essential step. With this respect, laser-driven accelerators of Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) beams, with energy in the range 100-250 MeV, are regarded as one of the most promising tool [2]. Furthermore, both early studies, dating back to 1990s, and more recent works suggest that an improved dose deposition pattern can be expected from electron beams, as compared to photon beams, when the very high energy region is reached. In this talk, we report on a recent experiment aimed at assessing dose deposition for deep seated tumors using advanced irradiation schemes, typical of current radiotherapy protocols, with an existing laser-driven VHEE source [3]. In particular, our measurements showed control of localized dose deposition and modulation, suitable to target a volume at depths in the range from 5 to 10 cm with mm resolution. Based on this experimental findings and on further numerical simulations, we also discuss the features and potentialities of laser-driven VHEE sources for radiobiology experiments aimed at deepening the understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the FLASH effect. The main requirements and the perspectives for a longer term translation of an electron-based radiotherapy into the real clinical practice will be also addressed. [1] M.-C. Vozenin et al., Biological Benefits of Ultra-high Dose Rate FLASH Radiotherapy: Sleeping Beauty Awoken, Clin. Oncol. 31 (2019), 407 [2] A. Giulietti (Eds), Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration Towards Radiobiology and Medicine, Springer (2016) [3] L. Labate et al., Toward an effective use of laser‐driven very high energy electrons for radiotherapy: Feasibility assessment of multi‐field and intensity modulation irradiation schemes, Sci. Rep. 10 (2020), 17307

In pioneered works of C. DesRosiers [1] in Radiotherapy (RT) domain, a numerical study of dose deposition conducted with very high energy electron (VHEE) virtual beam and real photon beams has been performed. The conclusion shows that VHEE are providing similar target coverage than X ray, with better sparing of normal tissue in favor of VHEE-RT. In Y. Glinec [2] and T. Fuchs [3] works, similar studies with real electron beam parameters as those delivered by laser plasma accelerator, have confirmed this conclusion with in [3] a detailed numerical study in the real case of a prostate cancer irradiated at seven directions by X ray or by VHEE beam. More important, as shown in [2], the use of focusing quadrupoles allows to change the on-axis dose deposition, permitting higher dose deeper into the patient while maintaining a lower dose at the entrance. This new level of control opens also rooms for improving future treatment. Since these pioneer works, many workshops and publications dedicated to VHEE have been performed showing more and more benefits of VHEE-RT, such as better performances for deep seated tumors like cancer, prostate or brain tumors, better sparing of surrounding organs at risk, and relative ease of beam steering and manipulation. Compared to photons or protons, VHEE-RT has a low sensitivity to unexpected changes in the path of the beam. As a consequence, the number of projects on VHEE-RT has increased considering both Radio-frequency or plasma cavity technologies. The progress realized these last years in developing laser plasma accelerators for delivering relativistic electrons of very high beam quality, in the hundreds of MeV energy range pertinent for RT, with an increasing stability and reliability, show the pertinence of VHEE for cancer treatment which can compete to the well-established X-ray RT machines. [1] C. DesRosiers, V. Moskvin, A. F. Bielajew, and L. Papiez, 150-250 MeV electron beams in radiation therapy, Phys. Med. Biol. 45, (2000), 1781. [2] Y. Glinec, J. Faure, V. Malka, T. Fuchs, H. Szymanowski, and U. Oelfke, Radiotherapy with laser-plasma accelerators: Monte Carlo simulation of dose deposited by an experimental quasimonoenergetic electron beam, Med. Phys. 33, (2006), 155. [3] T. Fuchs, H. Szymanowski, U. Oelfke, Y. Glinec, C. Rechatin, J. Faure, and V. Malka, Treatment planning for laser-accelerated very-high energy electrons, Phys. Med. Biol. 54, (2009), 3315.

We established an experimental platform for the investigation of the radiobiological effects of stable few-MeV laser-accelerated ions at the BELLA Center using a peak laser pulse intensity of 2x1019 W cm-2 [1]. The focal spot size of laser pulses from the BELLA PW laser system is large compared to that found in typical laser-driven ion beamlines, which resulted in reduced divergence and increased ion numbers [2]. Such beams are ideally suited for subsequent capture and transport with an active plasma lens (APL) [3]. Combined with our high shot rate capability (0.2 Hz), around 1000 shots at ultra-high instantaneous dose rates (0.6 Gy/shot resulting in 107 Gy/s), with a uniform dose distribution over a 1 cm diameter lateral area, could thus be delivered to biological cell sample cups, located in air at 1.7 m distance from the laser-target interaction. The proton beamline was complemented by online (integrating current transformer and scintillator) and offline (radiochromic films) beam diagnostics for dosimetry. This assembly was used to investigate the differential sparing of healthy tissues versus the tumor response under reduced oxygen conditions. This talk gives details on the proton beamline, dosimetry as well as preliminary cell irradiation results. This work is supported by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Fusion Energy Sciences, Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 and LBNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development Grant, PI A. M. Snijders [1] K. Nakamura, et al., Diagnostics, Control and Performance Parameters for the BELLA High Repetition Rate Petawatt Class Laser, IEEE J. Quantum Electron., 53, (2017), 1200121 [2] S. Steinke, et al., Acceleration of high charge ion beams with achromatic divergence by petawatt laser pulses, Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams, 23, (2020), 021302 [3] J. Van Tilborg, et al., Active Plasma Lensing for Relativistic Laser-Plasma-Accelerated Electron Beams, Phys. Rev. Lett., 115, (2015), 184802

Laser plasma proton accelerators have long been discussed and exploited as drivers of high dose rate applications based on the high number of accelerated particles and the process inherent short pulse duration [1]. Recent development in laser technology, refined real-time laser and plasma diagnostics, and corresponding on-site target preparation enabled the reliable and reproducible generation of proton spectra of up to 80 MeV at DRACO-PW at laser pulse energies of the order of 15 J over many month [2]. Combined with dedicated energy selective pulsed magnet based beam transport systems [3] and adapted on-shot dosimetry instrumentation two series of volumetric irradiation of biological samples were performed. At high precision with respect to predefined dose value and homogeneity dedicated tumors prepared in the ear of mice were irradiated with a single dose value of 4 Gy and referenced to conventional irradiation at same integrated dose at the clinical proton cyclotron in Dresden. In contrast, highest single-shot values of beyond 20 Gy could be applied at only slightly reduced beam quality to tackle the regime of FLASH irradiation. Zebra-fish embryos were irradiated at three different dose values in order to study dose-rate effects with proton beams. Data of both experiments is currently evaluated and the talk will discuss the methods used in detail as well as the outcome and perspectives of the radiobiological studies. [1] F. Albert, et al., 2020 Roadmap on Plasma Accelerators, New Journal of Physics (2020) https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/abcc62 [2] T. Ziegler, et al., Proton beam quality enhancement by spectral phase control of a PW-class laser system, https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.11499 (2020) [3] F. Brack, et al., Spectral and spatial shaping of laser-driven proton beams using a pulsed high-field magnet beamline, Scientific Reports 10, 9118 (2020) and presentation at this conference

Dielectric laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons in nanophotonic structures is the analog of classical radio-frequency cavity-based particle acceleration but operating in the optical regime and using microfabricated photonic devices. Boundary conditions are chosen such that a structured vacuum results ideally suited to accelerate particles with the help of oscillating electro-magnetic fields. In conventional particle accelerators, these fields lie in the RF to microwave frequency range, while in the DLA case optical fields in the form of pulsed laser beams are being employed. DLA research has recently taken two major steps. The first optical wave-guide-fed DLA chip has been demonstrated. Based on silicon-on-insulator fabrication technology, two optical waveguides, the required laser beam input coupler and the accelerator channel have been incorporated on a single chip [1]. Driven with 1.94 µm central wavelength laser pulses at a peak field strength of 335 MV/m, a peak acceleration gradient of 30.5 MeV/m was demonstrated. In another experiment, active optical transport of electrons through a record-long DLA structure was demonstrated. We have recently demonstrated the concept of alternating phase focusing for the first time at optical frequencies and inside of a nanophotonic channel [2]. In principle, this technique allows us to guide electrons through the sub-micron-wide DLA channel over arbitrarily long distances with minimal particle loss. Active beam control is crucial for any particle accelerator to confine and transport the beam while it is being accelerated. Building from these results, within this year we plan to build an integrated particle accelerator on a chip to accelerate electrons from below 100 keV to 1 MeV. We will report on the experimental progress towards this goal and give an outlook on initial applications in science, radio-biology and as a medical treatment tool. ACHIP is generously funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. We acknowledge the contributions of all ACHIP team members. [1] Neil V. Sapra, Ki Youl Yang, Dries Vercruysse, Kenneth J. Leedle, Dylan S. Black, R. Joel England, Logan Su, Rahul Trivedi, Yu Miao, Olav Solgaard, Robert L. Byer, Jelena Vuckovic, On-chip integrated laser-driven particle accelerator, Science 367, (2020), 79 [2] Johannes Illmer, Roy Shiloh, Tomas Chlouba, Peyman Yousefi, Norbert Schönenberger, Uwe Niedermayer, Anna Mittelbach, Peter Hommelhoff, Complex electron phase space control for on-chip laser-driven particle accelerators, manuscript in preparation

The main direction proposed by the community of experts in the field of laser-driven ion acceleration is to improve particle beam features (maximum energy, charge, emittance, divergence, monochromaticity, shot-to-shot stability) in order to demonstrate reliable and compact approaches to be used for multidisciplinary applications, thus, in principle, reducing the overall cost of a laser-based facility compared to a conventional accelerator one and, at the same time, demonstrating innovative and more effective sample irradiation geometries. The mission of the laser-driven ion target area at ELI-Beamlines (Extreme Light Infrastructure) in Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic, called ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser-Ion Acceleration (ELIMAIA) [1], is to provide stable, fully characterized and tunable beams of particles accelerated by Petawatt-class lasers and to offer them to the user community for multidisciplinary applications. The ELIMAIA beamline has been designed and developed at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic (IoP-ASCR) in Prague and at the National Laboratories of Southern Italy of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNS-INFN) in Catania (Italy). The key section of the beamline, which includes the beam focusing, the energy selection, the beam transport, the dosimetric and sample irradiation elements, is called ELIMED (ELI MEDical and multidisciplinary applications) [2] portion. At ELIMED, controlled proton and light ion (included carbon) beams up to 300 MeV and 70 AMeV, respectively, can be transported down to the in-air section where absolute dosimetry can be carried out with dose-rate independent devices. A transmission, dual-gap air ionisation chamber provides an on-line measurement of the ion beam dose at the irradiation point, simultaneously allowing for corrections related to ion recombination effects. The maximum expected uncertainty in the final dose released into the user sample is less then 5%. The ELIMED pilot experiment on sample irradiation with laser-accelerated protons is scheduled in 2021. A radiobiological campaign for in-vitro irradiation is planned. In this presentation the status of the ELIMED-ELIMAIA beamline will be reported along with a complete description of its dosimetry systems and their preliminary calibration. The expected final beam characteristics, in terms of dose per pulse, dose-rate and beam spot size (numerically calculated by Monte Carlo simulations) will also be reported. Moreover, an innovative detector based on Silicon Carbide technology capable to reconstruct proton range, energy spectrum, and online released dose will be also discussed. [1] D. Margarone, G.A.P.Cirrone et al., “ELIMAIA: A Laser-Driven Ion Accelerator for Multidisciplinary Applications”, Quantum Beam. Sci., 2, 8 (2018) [2] G.A.P Cirrone, M. Carpinelli et al., “ELIMED, future hadrontherapy applications of laser-accelerated beams”, Nucl. Inst. Meth. 730:174–177 (2013)

Sub-micron defects represent a well-known fundamental problem in manufacturing since they significantly affect performance and lifetime of virtually any high-value component. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is arguably the only established method able to detect defects down to the sub-nanometer scale but, to date, it only works for surface studies, and with limited resolution. Here, we show that laser-driven positrons [1], once aptly collimated and energy-selected, can overcome these well-known limitations, by providing ps-scale beams with a kinetic energy tuneable from 500 keV up to 2 MeV and a number of positrons per shot in a 50 keV bandwidth of the order of 103. Numerical simulations of the expected performance of a typical mJ-scale kHz laser demonstrate the possibility of generating narrow-band and ultra-short positron beams with a flux exceeding 105 positrons/s, of interest for fast volumetric scanning of materials at high resolution [2]. The implications of these novel positron sources in industry and for the next generation of high-quality plasma-based accelerators (such as EuPRAXIA [3]) will be discussed. [1] A. Alejo, et al., Laser-Wakefield Electron Beams as Drivers of High-Quality Positron Beams and Inverse-Compton-Scattered Photon Beams, Front. Phys., 7 (2019), 49. [2] T. Audet et al., Ultra-short, MeV-scale laser-plasma positron source for positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, arXiv:2009.05521 (2020). [3] R. W. Assman et al., EuPRAXIA Conceptual Design Report, Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 229 (2020), 3675.

Spacecraft are subject to harsh environments and their radiation resistance is one of the most important issues [1]. Therefore, radiation response of any components for use in space should be evaluated before their launch to predict their reliability and lifetime in space. For solar cells, electron and proton irradiation experiments are usually carried out to clarify their radiation degradation [2]. Although electrons/protons have energy spectra in space, electron/proton irradiation with mono-energy is used for ground testing due to the limitation of the capability of currently existing standard particle accelerators. Then relative damage coefficients (RDCs), which is a kind of conversion factors to understand degradation values to the standard electron/proton energy (1 MeV for electrons and 10 MeV for electrons), are estimated. Recently, multi-junction solar cells consisting of multilayer of sub-cells, such as InGaP/GaAs/Ge solar cells, are installed onto spacecraft. RDCs for multi-junction solar cells is not monotonic behaviors since their degradation strongly depends on the penetration depth of electrons/protons. Thus, they show large RDCs values when the penetration depth is close to pn junction for each sub cell. This indicates that it is necessary to make irradiation testing with many energies to clarify their degradation in space. If we can use electron/proton beams with energy spectra similar to space environment, the time and cost for the ground testing can reduce as well as radiation degradation of multi-junction solar cells can be predicted with high accuracy. We are expecting laser-driven particle acceleration technology to realized particle beams with energy spectra similar to space environments. Particle irradiation is a popular methodology for the functionalization of materials. For example, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is known as a spin defect which can be applied to the quantum technology, e.g. quantum bit (qubit) and quantum sensor. To create NV centers, we need to introduce vacancies and/or N atoms. Particle irradiation (N ion implantation) is a key technology [3]. For quantum sensing, the sensitivity improves with increasing amounts of NV centers. Thus, for realizing quantum sensing with high sensitivity, it is necessary to create the certain thickness of a NV center layer. Since particle (N ion) beams with energy spectra can introduce damage (N atoms) in diamond by one experiment, laser-driven particle beam acceleration technology is also useful from the point of view of material functionalization. [1] C. Morioka, et al., First flight demonstration of film-laminated InGaP/GaAs and CIGS thin-film solar cells by JAXA’s small satellite in LEO, Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl., 19 (2011) 825. [2] M. Imaizumi, et al., Radiation degradation characteristics of component subcells in inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cells irradiated with electrons and protons, Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl., 25 (2017) 161. [3] Y. Yamazaki, et al., Chapter 4 “Color Centers in Wide-Gap Semiconductors for Quantum Technology” of Defect in Functional Materials, Edited by F. C-C Ling et al., World Scientific Publishing Co.Pte. Ltd (2020) 93.

Quick and versatile multi-element analysis using laser-driven secondary sources, SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics 2021

In this talk the potential of laser-driven radiation sources for the analysis of materials is discussed. Non-destructive analytical techniques based on charged particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (EDX, PIXE), neutrons (NAA) and photons (PAA) are well recognized as major tools of materials science. Despite their exceptional capabilities, the further developments of these materials characterization techniques have been prevented for several decades by the limits of the adopted particle sources. Because of their potential compactness and versatility, laser-driven radiation sources may offer a major breakthrough with respect to conventional accelerators. A unique feature is represented by the possibility of generating different radiation sources with minor variations in the setup. As a consequence, laser-driven particles could play a pivotal role in materials science applications [1], as shown by results on the possibility to exploit laser-driven ion sources for these purposes [2]. Here we present a complete experimental and theoretical investigation aimed at performing a combined laser-driven Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and quantitative laser-driven Particle Induced X-ray Emission analysis [3]. We also show the results of theoretical investigations focused on other applications like the Neutron Activation Analysis and the Photon Activation Analysis techniques. The experiments have been carried out at the Centro de Láseres Pulsados (CLPU) in Salamanca with the 200 TW VEGA-2 laser. We consider a case study of particular interest, i.e. the analysis of a non-homogeneous sample, constituted by a micrometric surface layer and a thick substrate. We perform sample irradiation either with both electrons and protons (fig. 1A) or only with protons (fig. 1B). We show that the X-ray production is dominated by the electrons in the first configuration and it can be exploited to easily identify the elements, leading to the demonstration of a laser-driven EDX characterization. Then, we exploit the second configuration to estimate the layer thickness via laser-driven PIXE quantitative analysis. We also show the results from a theoretical investigation aimed at assessing the applicability of laser-driven sources to PAA and NAA studies. By coupling analytical modelling, Particle-In-Cell and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the use of advanced double-layer targets and suitable converters can allow to exploit the laser-driven protons and electrons for the generation of neutrons and photons required by such applications. These results provide new perspectives toward the development of versatile particle acceleration systems for multiple materials science studies.  [1] M. Passoni, et al., Advanced laser-driven ion sources and their applications in materials and nuclear science, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion, 14022, (2019), 62 [2] M. Barberio, et al., Laser-Accelerated Proton Beams as Diagnostics for Cultural Heritage, Sci. Rep., 40415, (2017), 7; M. Passoni, et al., Superintense laser-driven ion beam analysis, Sci. Rep., 9.1, (2019), 1 [3] F. Mirani, et al., Integrated quantitative PIXE analysis and EDX spectroscopy using a laser-driven particle source. Sci. Adv. 7, eabc8660 (2021). Co-Authors list: F. Mirani1, A. Maffini1, F. Casamichiela1, A. Pazzaglia1, A. Formenti1, D. Dellasega1, V. Russo1, D. Vavassori1, D. Bortot1, M. Huault2,3, G. Zeraouli2,3, V. Ospina2,3,4, S. Malko2,3, J. I. Apiñaniz2, J. A. Pérez-Hernández2, D. De Luis2, G. Gatti2, L. Volpe2,4, A. Pola1 and D. Calzolari1 1Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 34/3, I-20133 Milan, Italy. 2Centro de Láseres Pulsados, Edicio M5. Parque Científico, Salamanca, Spain. 3Universidad de Salamanca, Patio de Escuelas 1, 37008 Salamanca, Spain 4Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, CEA-DAM/DIF, CELIA, UMR 5107, Talence, France