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Title: Plasma wakefields driven by an incoherent combination of laser pulses: A path towards high-average power laser-plasma accelerators

Abstract

The wakefield generated in a plasma by incoherently combining a large number of low energy laser pulses (i.e., without constraining the pulse phases) is studied analytically and by means of fully self-consistent particle-in-cell simulations. The structure of the wakefield has been characterized and its amplitude compared with the amplitude of the wake generated by a single (coherent) laser pulse. We show that, in spite of the incoherent nature of the wakefield within the volume occupied by the laser pulses, behind this region, the structure of the wakefield can be regular with an amplitude comparable or equal to that obtained from a single pulse with the same energy. Wake generation requires that the incoherent structures in the laser energy density produced by the combined pulses exist on a time scale short compared to the plasma period. Incoherent combination of multiple laser pulses may enable a technologically simpler path to high-repetition rate, high-average power laser-plasma accelerators, and associated applications.

Authors:
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22300289
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; AMPLITUDES; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; ENERGY DENSITY; LASERS; PLASMA GUNS; PLASMA SIMULATION; PULSES

Citation Formats

Benedetti, C., Schroeder, C. B., Esarey, E., and Leemans, W. P. Plasma wakefields driven by an incoherent combination of laser pulses: A path towards high-average power laser-plasma accelerators. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4878620.
Benedetti, C., Schroeder, C. B., Esarey, E., & Leemans, W. P. Plasma wakefields driven by an incoherent combination of laser pulses: A path towards high-average power laser-plasma accelerators. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4878620
Benedetti, C., Schroeder, C. B., Esarey, E., and Leemans, W. P. 2014. "Plasma wakefields driven by an incoherent combination of laser pulses: A path towards high-average power laser-plasma accelerators". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4878620.
@article{osti_22300289,
title = {Plasma wakefields driven by an incoherent combination of laser pulses: A path towards high-average power laser-plasma accelerators},
author = {Benedetti, C. and Schroeder, C. B. and Esarey, E. and Leemans, W. P.},
abstractNote = {The wakefield generated in a plasma by incoherently combining a large number of low energy laser pulses (i.e., without constraining the pulse phases) is studied analytically and by means of fully self-consistent particle-in-cell simulations. The structure of the wakefield has been characterized and its amplitude compared with the amplitude of the wake generated by a single (coherent) laser pulse. We show that, in spite of the incoherent nature of the wakefield within the volume occupied by the laser pulses, behind this region, the structure of the wakefield can be regular with an amplitude comparable or equal to that obtained from a single pulse with the same energy. Wake generation requires that the incoherent structures in the laser energy density produced by the combined pulses exist on a time scale short compared to the plasma period. Incoherent combination of multiple laser pulses may enable a technologically simpler path to high-repetition rate, high-average power laser-plasma accelerators, and associated applications.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4878620},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22300289}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 5,
volume = 21,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}