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Title: Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration

Abstract

We show through experiments that a transition from laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) regime to a plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) regime can drive electrons up to energies close to the GeV level. Initially, the acceleration mechanism is dominated by the bubble created by the laser in the nonlinear regime of LWFA, leading to an injection of a large number of electrons. After propagation beyond the depletion length, leading to a depletion of the laser pulse, whose transverse ponderomotive force is not able to sustain the bubble anymore, the high energy dense bunch of electrons propagating inside bubble will drive its own wakefield by a PWFA regime. This wakefield will be able to trap and accelerate a population of electrons up to the GeV level during this second stage. Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support this analysis and confirm the scenario.

Authors:
 [1]; ; ; ; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon Cedex (France)
  2. INRS-EMT, Université du Québec, 1650 Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2 (Canada)
  3. Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1 (Canada)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22407936
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 12; 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; ACCELERATION; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; ELECTRONS; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; GEV RANGE; LASERS; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; PLASMA; PONDEROMOTIVE FORCE; PULSES; THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS; WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS

Citation Formats

Masson-Laborde, P. E., E-mail: paul-edouard.masson-laborde@cea.fr, Teychenné, D., Mo, M. Z., Ali, A., Fedosejevs, R., E-mail: rfed@ece.ualberta.ca, Fourmaux, S., Lassonde, P., Kieffer, J. C., and Rozmus, W. Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4903851.
Masson-Laborde, P. E., E-mail: paul-edouard.masson-laborde@cea.fr, Teychenné, D., Mo, M. Z., Ali, A., Fedosejevs, R., E-mail: rfed@ece.ualberta.ca, Fourmaux, S., Lassonde, P., Kieffer, J. C., & Rozmus, W. Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4903851
Masson-Laborde, P. E., E-mail: paul-edouard.masson-laborde@cea.fr, Teychenné, D., Mo, M. Z., Ali, A., Fedosejevs, R., E-mail: rfed@ece.ualberta.ca, Fourmaux, S., Lassonde, P., Kieffer, J. C., and Rozmus, W. 2014. "Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4903851.
@article{osti_22407936,
title = {Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration},
author = {Masson-Laborde, P. E., E-mail: paul-edouard.masson-laborde@cea.fr and Teychenné, D. and Mo, M. Z. and Ali, A. and Fedosejevs, R., E-mail: rfed@ece.ualberta.ca and Fourmaux, S. and Lassonde, P. and Kieffer, J. C. and Rozmus, W.},
abstractNote = {We show through experiments that a transition from laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) regime to a plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) regime can drive electrons up to energies close to the GeV level. Initially, the acceleration mechanism is dominated by the bubble created by the laser in the nonlinear regime of LWFA, leading to an injection of a large number of electrons. After propagation beyond the depletion length, leading to a depletion of the laser pulse, whose transverse ponderomotive force is not able to sustain the bubble anymore, the high energy dense bunch of electrons propagating inside bubble will drive its own wakefield by a PWFA regime. This wakefield will be able to trap and accelerate a population of electrons up to the GeV level during this second stage. Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support this analysis and confirm the scenario.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4903851},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22407936}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 12,
volume = 21,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}