Observations of low-aberration plasma lens focusing of relativistic electron beams at the underdense threshold

Journal Article · Thu Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3457924· OSTI ID:21389134

Thompson, M C ^[1]; Badakov, H; Rosenzweig, J B; Travish, G ^[1]; Barov, N ^[2]; Piot, P ^[3]; Fliller, R; Kazakevich, G M; Santucci, J ^[3]; Li, J; Tikhoplav, R ^[4]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)
2. Far-Tech, Inc., San Diego, California 92121 (United States)
3. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)
4. University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 (United States)

Focusing of a 15 MeV electron bunch by a plasma lens operated at the threshold of the underdense regime has been demonstrated. The strong, 1.7 cm focal length, plasma lens focused both transverse directions simultaneously and reduced the minimum area of the beam spot by a factor of 23. It is shown through analytic analysis and simulation that the observed spherical aberration of this underdense lens, when expressed as the fractional departure of the focusing strength from its linear expectation, is DELTAK/K=0.08+-0.04. This is significantly lower than the minimum theoretical value for the spherical aberration of an overdense plasma lens. Parameter scans showing the dependence of focusing performance on beam charge, as well as time resolved measurements of the focused electron bunch, are reported.

• OSTI ID: 21389134
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3457924; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ELECTROMAGNETIC LENSES
ELECTRON BEAMS
FOCUSING
GEOMETRICAL ABERRATIONS
PLASMA SIMULATION
BEAMS
LENSES
LEPTON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
SIMULATION