Laser-Wakefield Acceleration of Monoenergetic Electron Beams in the First Plasma-Wave Period

Journal Article · Fri Jun 02 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.215001· OSTI ID:20775261

Mangles, S P.D.; Thomas, A G.R.; Kaluza, M C; Najmudin, Z; Krushelnick, K ^[1]; Lundh, O; Lindau, F; Persson, A; Wahlstroem, C -G ^[2]; Tsung, F S; Mori, W B ^[3]

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1. Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom)
2. Department of Physics, Lund Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 118, S-22100 Lund (Sweden)
3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)

Beam profile measurements of laser-wakefield accelerated electron bunches reveal that in the monoenergetic regime the electrons are injected and accelerated at the back of the first period of the plasma wave. With pulse durations c{tau}{>=}{lambda}{sub p}, we observe an elliptical beam profile with the axis of the ellipse parallel to the axis of the laser polarization. This increase in divergence in the laser polarization direction indicates that the electrons are accelerated within the laser pulse. Reducing the plasma density (decreasing c{tau}/{lambda}{sub p}) leads to a beam profile with less ellipticity, implying that the self-injection occurs at the rear of the first period of the plasma wave. This also demonstrates that the electron bunches are less than a plasma wavelength long, i.e., have a duration <25 fs. This interpretation is supported by 3D particle-in-cell simulations.

• OSTI ID: 20775261
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 96; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
BEAM BUNCHING
BEAM PROFILES
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
LASERS
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA GUNS
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMA WAVES
POLARIZATION
PULSES
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS
WAVELENGTHS