Production of a monoenergetic electron bunch in a self-injected laser-wakefield accelerator
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China)
- Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 621, Taiwan (China)
Production of a monoenergetic electron bunch in a self-injected laser-wakefield accelerator is investigated with a tomographic method which resolves the electron injection and acceleration processes. It is found that all the electrons in the monoenergetic electron bunch are injected at the same location in the plasma column and then accelerated with an acceleration gradient exceeding 2 GeV/cm. The injection position shifts with the position of pump-pulse focus, and no significant deceleration is observed for the monoenergetic electron bunch after it reaches the maximum energy. The results are consistent with the model of transverse wave breaking and beam loading for the injection of monoenergetic electrons. The tomographic method adds a crucial dimension to the whole array of existing diagnostics for laser beams, plasma waves, and electron beams. With this method the details of the underlying physical processes in laser-plasma interactions can be resolved and compared directly to particle-in-cell simulations.
- OSTI ID:
- 21072407
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics, Vol. 75, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.75.036402; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1063-651X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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