Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration

Journal Article · Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4903851· OSTI ID:22407936

Teychenné, D. ^[1]; Mo, M. Z.; Ali, A.; Fourmaux, S.; Lassonde, P.; Kieffer, J. C. ^[2]; Rozmus, W. ^[3]

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1. CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon Cedex (France)
2. INRS-EMT, Université du Québec, 1650 Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2 (Canada)
3. Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1 (Canada)

We show through experiments that a transition from laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) regime to a plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) regime can drive electrons up to energies close to the GeV level. Initially, the acceleration mechanism is dominated by the bubble created by the laser in the nonlinear regime of LWFA, leading to an injection of a large number of electrons. After propagation beyond the depletion length, leading to a depletion of the laser pulse, whose transverse ponderomotive force is not able to sustain the bubble anymore, the high energy dense bunch of electrons propagating inside bubble will drive its own wakefield by a PWFA regime. This wakefield will be able to trap and accelerate a population of electrons up to the GeV level during this second stage. Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support this analysis and confirm the scenario.

• OSTI ID: 22407936
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 12; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ELECTRONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GEV RANGE
LASERS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA
PONDEROMOTIVE FORCE
PULSES
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS