Quasimonoenergetic electron acceleration in the self-modulated laser wakefield regime

Journal Article · Wed Apr 15 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3109666· OSTI ID:21277021

Hidding, B; Pretzler, G ^[1]; Geissler, M ^[2]; Amthor, K -U ^[3]; Schwoerer, H ^[4]; Karsch, S; Veisz, L ^[5]; Schmid, K ^[5]; Sauerbrey, R ^[6]

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1. Institut fuer Laser-und Plasmaphysik, Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf (Germany)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)
3. Institut fuer Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena, 07743 Jena (Germany)
4. Laser Research Institute, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch 7600 (South Africa)
5. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching (Germany)
6. Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden (Germany)

Details on the generation of (multiple) quasimonoenergetic electron bunches in the self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration (SMLWFA) regime are presented. This type of laser-plasma interaction can result in pronounced longitudinal laser pulse fragmentation, dependent on plasma density and laser intensity. It is shown by experiments and particle-in-cell simulations that these laser pulse fragments can be powerful enough to trigger nonlinear plasma wave breaking, injection, and acceleration of electrons to quasimonoenergetic energies. With high plasma densities, self-modulation is promoted, and the advantages of SMLWFA such as especially high accelerating fields and short electron bunches (<5 fs) can be harvested. In addition, more than one quasimonoenergetic electron bunch can be created, with a temporal spacing between each bunch of only few tens of femtoseconds, again governed by plasma density.

• OSTI ID: 21277021
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 16; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
BEAM BUNCHING
ELECTRONS
LASER RADIATION
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA GUNS
PLASMA SIMULATION
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS