Stable laser–plasma accelerators at low densities
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)
We report stable laser wakefield acceleration using 17–50 TW laser pulses interacting with 4 mm-long helium gas jet. The initial laser spot size was relatively large (28 μm) and the plasma densities were 0.48–2.0 × 10{sup 19 }cm{sup −3}. High-quality 100–MeV electron beams were generated at the plasma density of 7.5 × 10{sup 18 }cm{sup −3}, at which the beam parameters (pointing angle, energy spectrum, charge, and divergence angle) were measured and stabilized. At higher densities, filamentation instability of the laser-plasma interaction was observed and it has led to multiple wakefield accelerated electron beams. The experimental results are supported by 2D particle-in-cell simulations. The achievement presented here is an important step toward the use of laser-driven accelerators in real applications.
- OSTI ID:
- 22308920
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Quasimonoenergetic collimated electron beams from a laser wakefield acceleration in low density pure nitrogen
Simultaneous generation of quasi-monoenergetic electron and betatron X-rays from nitrogen gas via ionization injection