Electron Injection into Plasma Wake Fields by Colliding Laser Pulses

Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.79.2682· OSTI ID:634949

Esarey, E; Hubbard, R F; Ting, A; Sprangle, P ^[1]; Leemans, W P ^[2]

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1. Beam Physics Branch, Plasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375-5346 (United States)
2. Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

An injector and accelerator is analyzed that uses three collinear laser pulses in a plasma: an intense pump pulse, which generates a large wake field ({ge}20 GV/m), and two counterpropagating injection pulses. When the injection pulses collide, a slow phase velocity beat wave is generated that injects electrons into the fast wake field for acceleration. Particle tracking simulations in 1D with injection pulse intensities near 10{sup 17} W/cm{sup 2} indicate the production of relativistic electrons with bunch durations as short as 3 fs, energy spreads as small as 0.3{percent}, and densities as high as 10{sup 18} cm{sup {minus}3} . {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

• OSTI ID: 634949
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 14 Vol. 79; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRON BEAM INJECTION
ELECTRONS
LASERS
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PHASE VELOCITY
PLASMA
PULSES
SIMULATION
TRAPPING
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS