Coherent control of plasma dynamics by feedback-optimized wavefront manipulation
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099 (United States)
- Polytech Paris-Sud - Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay (France)
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1120 (United States)
Plasmas generated by an intense laser pulse can support coherent structures such as large amplitude wakefield that can affect the outcome of an experiment. We investigate the coherent control of plasma dynamics by feedback-optimized wavefront manipulation using a deformable mirror. The experimental outcome is directly used as feedback in an evolutionary algorithm for optimization of the phase front of the driving laser pulse. In this paper, we applied this method to two different experiments: (i) acceleration of electrons in laser driven plasma waves and (ii) self-compression of optical pulses induced by ionization nonlinearity. The manipulation of the laser wavefront leads to orders of magnitude improvement to electron beam properties such as the peak charge, beam divergence, and transverse emittance. The demonstration of coherent control for plasmas opens new possibilities for future laser-based accelerators and their applications.
- OSTI ID:
- 22410419
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 22; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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