Radiation from laser-microplasma-waveguide interactions in the ultra-intense regime
- Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225 (Germany)
- State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 800-211, Shanghai 201800 (China)
When a high-contrast ultra-relativistic (>10{sup 20} W/cm{sup 2}) laser beam enters a micro-sized plasma waveguide, the pulse energy is coupled into waveguide modes, which significantly modifies the interaction between the electrons and electromagnetic wave. Electrons pulled out from the walls of the waveguide form a dense helical bunch inside the channel and are efficiently accelerated by the transverse magnetic modes to hundreds of MeV. The asymmetry in the transverse electric and magnetic fields drives strong oscillations, which lead to the emission of bright, well-collimated, hard X-rays. In this paper, we present our study on the underlying physics in the aforementioned process using 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The mechanism of electron acceleration and the dependence of radiation properties on different laser plasma parameters are addressed. An analytic model and basic scalings for X-ray emission are also presented by considering the lowest optical modes in the waveguide, which is adequate to describe the basic phenomenon. In addition, the effects of high-order modes as well as laser polarization are also qualitatively discussed. The considered X-ray source has promising features, potentially making it a competitive candidate for a future tabletop synchrotron source.
- OSTI ID:
- 22600054
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Induction of electron injection and betatron oscillation in a plasma-waveguide-based laser wakefield accelerator by modification of waveguide structure
Stimulated emission processes from free electrons
Related Subjects
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ASYMMETRY
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ELECTRONS
EMISSION
HARD X RADIATION
INTERACTIONS
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
LASERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEV RANGE 100-1000
OPTICAL MODES
POLARIZATION
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION SOURCES
SYNCHROTRONS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAVEGUIDES
X-RAY SOURCES