  A novel detector based on a polycrystalline diamond sensor is here employed
in an advanced Time-Of-Flight scheme for the characterization of energetic ions
accelerated during laser-matter interactions. The optimization of the detector
and of the advanced TOF methodology allow to obtain signals characterized by
high signal-to-noise ratio and high dynamic range even in the most challenging
experimental environments, where the interaction of high-intensity laser pulses
with matter leads to effective ion acceleration, but also to the generation of
strong Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) with intensities up to the MV/m order.
These are known to be a serious threat for the fielded diagnostic systems. In
this paper we report on the measurement performed with the PW-class laser
system Vega 3 at CLPU (30 J energy, 10^21 W/cm2 intensity, 30 fs pulses)
irradiating solid targets, where both tens of MeV ions and intense EMP fields
were generated. The data were analyzed to retrieve a calibrated proton spectrum
and in particular we focus on the analysis of the most energetic portion (E >
5.8 MeV) of the spectrum showing a procedure to deal with the intrinsic lower
sensitivity of the detector in the mentioned spectral-range.
