High-Gradient Plasma-Wakefield Acceleration with Two Subpicosecond Electron Bunches

Journal Article · Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.100.074802· OSTI ID:21024792

Kallos, Efthymios; Katsouleas, Tom; Muggli, Patric ^[1]; Kimura, Wayne D ^[2]; Kusche, Karl; Pavlishin, Igor; Pogorelsky, Igor; Stolyarov, Daniil; Yakimenko, Vitaly ^[3]

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1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089 (United States)
2. STI Optronics, Bellevue, Washington 98004 (United States)
3. Brookhaven National Lab, Upton, New York 11973 (United States)

A plasma-wakefield experiment is presented where two 60 MeV subpicosecond electron bunches are sent into a plasma produced by a capillary discharge. Both bunches are shorter than the plasma wavelength, and the phase of the second bunch relative to the plasma wave is adjusted by tuning the plasma density. It is shown that the second bunch experiences a 150 MeV/m loaded accelerating gradient in the wakefield driven by the first bunch. This is the first experiment to directly demonstrate high-gradient, controlled acceleration of a short-pulse trailing electron bunch in a high-density plasma.

• OSTI ID: 21024792
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.074802; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
CAPILLARIES
ELECTRONS
MEV RANGE 10-100
MEV RANGE 100-1000
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA WAVES
PULSES
WAVELENGTHS