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Title: Capturing relativistic wakefield structures in plasmas using ultrashort high-energy electrons as a probe

Abstract

A new method capable of capturing coherent electric field structures propagating at nearly the speed of light in plasma with a time resolution as small as a few femtoseconds is proposed. This method uses a few femtoseconds long relativistic electron bunch to probe the wake produced in a plasma by an intense laser pulse or an ultra-short relativistic charged particle beam. As the probe bunch traverses the wake, its momentum is modulated by the electric field of the wake, leading to a density variation of the probe after free-space propagation. This variation of probe density produces a snapshot of the wake that can directly give many useful information of the wake structure and its evolution. Furthermore, this snapshot allows detailed mapping of the longitudinal and transverse components of the wakefield. We develop a theoretical model for field reconstruction and verify it using 3-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. This model can accurately reconstruct the wakefield structure in the linear regime, and it can also qualitatively map the major features of nonlinear wakes. As a result, the capturing of the injection in a nonlinear wake is demonstrated through 3D PIC simulations as an example of the application of this new method.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [3];  [3];  [5]
  1. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); China Academy of Engineering Physics, Sichuan (China); Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ., Shanghai (China)
  2. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China)
  3. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
  4. China Academy of Engineering Physics, Sichuan (China)
  5. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ., Shanghai (China)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1312955
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-92ER40727; SC0008491; SC0008316
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Zhang, C. J., Hua, J. F., Xu, X. L., Li, F., Pai, C. -H., Wan, Y., Wu, Y. P., Gu, Y. Q., Mori, W. B., Joshi, C., and Lu, W. Capturing relativistic wakefield structures in plasmas using ultrashort high-energy electrons as a probe. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1038/srep29485.
Zhang, C. J., Hua, J. F., Xu, X. L., Li, F., Pai, C. -H., Wan, Y., Wu, Y. P., Gu, Y. Q., Mori, W. B., Joshi, C., & Lu, W. Capturing relativistic wakefield structures in plasmas using ultrashort high-energy electrons as a probe. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29485
Zhang, C. J., Hua, J. F., Xu, X. L., Li, F., Pai, C. -H., Wan, Y., Wu, Y. P., Gu, Y. Q., Mori, W. B., Joshi, C., and Lu, W. Mon . "Capturing relativistic wakefield structures in plasmas using ultrashort high-energy electrons as a probe". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29485. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1312955.
@article{osti_1312955,
title = {Capturing relativistic wakefield structures in plasmas using ultrashort high-energy electrons as a probe},
author = {Zhang, C. J. and Hua, J. F. and Xu, X. L. and Li, F. and Pai, C. -H. and Wan, Y. and Wu, Y. P. and Gu, Y. Q. and Mori, W. B. and Joshi, C. and Lu, W.},
abstractNote = {A new method capable of capturing coherent electric field structures propagating at nearly the speed of light in plasma with a time resolution as small as a few femtoseconds is proposed. This method uses a few femtoseconds long relativistic electron bunch to probe the wake produced in a plasma by an intense laser pulse or an ultra-short relativistic charged particle beam. As the probe bunch traverses the wake, its momentum is modulated by the electric field of the wake, leading to a density variation of the probe after free-space propagation. This variation of probe density produces a snapshot of the wake that can directly give many useful information of the wake structure and its evolution. Furthermore, this snapshot allows detailed mapping of the longitudinal and transverse components of the wakefield. We develop a theoretical model for field reconstruction and verify it using 3-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. This model can accurately reconstruct the wakefield structure in the linear regime, and it can also qualitatively map the major features of nonlinear wakes. As a result, the capturing of the injection in a nonlinear wake is demonstrated through 3D PIC simulations as an example of the application of this new method.},
doi = {10.1038/srep29485},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = ,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jul 11 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Mon Jul 11 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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