Magnetic lens-based proton radiography is a unique and powerful diagnostics technique capable of resolving ultra-fast processes on the ns-scale in dense matter with unprecedented micrometer spatial resolution. Recently, the PRIOR-II proton radiography facility has been designed, constructed and commissioned at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, pushing the technical boundaries of charged particle radiography with normal conducting magnets to the limits [1]. It is specifically designed for imaging ultra-fast processes in dense matter with up to 4.5 GeV protons from the SIS-18 synchrotron, its primary use case is the diagnostics of ultra-fast shock-wave experiments for HED fundamental physics applications or materials science.
 
In late 2023, the feasibility of imaging using heavier ions (up to 975MeV/u 12C6+ and up to 1.5GeV/u 14N7+) was investigated resulting in the world’s first FLASH heavy-ion radiographies. Despite an expected decrease in spatial resolution performance due to increased energy loss straggling for heavier projectiles, those first results showed an increased areal density contrast compared to proton imaging. The collected data indicates that for certain future experiments, the quality of the physics output can be increased by the choice of the ion species used for imaging.
The PRIOR-II facility currently undergoes a transition to enable HE driven HED physics and material science experiments on shock compressed matter at extreme densities above 100 GPa and to serve as a new user facility to the broad HED community. First experiments to be conducted in the upcoming run cycle will include the characterization of new functional materials suitable for use as first contact barriers in magnetic confinement fusion reactors, EOS measurements of inhomogeneous and porous matter under extreme conditions as well as the study of shock compaction as a new approach to larger-scale high-pressure material synthesis.