Experimental laser wakefield acceleration scalings exceeding 100 TW

Journal Article · Fri Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4729659· OSTI ID:22072492

McGuffey, C; Matsuoka, T; Schumaker, W; Dollar, F; Zulick, C; Chvykov, V; Kalintchenko, G; Yanovsky, V; Maksimchuk, A; Thomas, A G. R.; Krushelnick, K ^[1]; Kneip, S; Najmudin, Z ^[2]

---

1. Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)
2. Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom)

Understanding the scaling of laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is crucial to the design of potential future systems. A number of computational and theoretical studies have predicted scalings with laser power for various parameters, but experimental studies have typically been limited to small parameter ranges. Here, we detail extensive measurements of LWFA experiments conducted over a considerable range in power from 20 to 110 TW, which allows for a greater plasma density range and for a large number of data points. These measurements include scalings of the electron beam charge and maximum energy as functions of density as well as injection threshold density, beam charge, and total beam energy as functions of laser power. The observed scalings are consistent with theoretical understandings of operation in the bubble regime.

• OSTI ID: 22072492
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BUBBLES
DESIGN
ELECTRON BEAMS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
LASERS
PLASMA ACCELERATION
PLASMA DENSITY
SCALING
TERAWATT POWER RANGE