GeV electron beams from cm-scale channel guided laser wakefieldaccelerator

Journal Article · Tue Feb 20 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2718524· OSTI ID:929327

Nakamura, K; Nagler, B; Toth, Cs; Geddes, C G.R.; Schroeder, C; Esarey, E; Leemans, W P; Gonsalves, A J; Hooker, S M

Laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFA) can produce electricfields of order 10-100 GV/m suitable for acceleration of electrons torelativistic energies. The wakefields are excited by a relativisticallyintense laser pulse propagating through a plasma and have a phasevelocity determined by the group velocity of the light pulse. Twoimportant effects that can limit the acceleration distanceand hence thenet energy gain obtained by an electron are diffraction of the drivelaser pulse and particle-wake dephasing. Diffraction of a focusedultra-short laser pulse can be overcome by using preformed plasmachannels. The dephasing limit can be increased by operating at a lowerplasma density, since this results in an increase in the laser groupvelocity. Here we present detailed results on the generation of GeV-classelectron beams using an intense femtosecond laser beamand a 3.3 cm longpreformed discharge-based plasma channel [W.P. Leemans et al., NaturePhysics 2, 696-699 (2006)]. The use of a discharge-based waveguidepermitted operation at an order ofmagnitude lower density and 15 timeslonger distance than in previous experiments that relied on laserpreformed plasma channels. Laser pulses with peak power ranging from10-50 TW were guided over more than 20 Rayleigh ranges and high-qualityelectron beams with energy up to 1 GeV were obtained by channelling a 40TW peak power laser pulse. The dependence of the electron beamcharacteristics on capillary properties, plasma density,and laserparameters are discussed.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director. Office of Science. High EnergyPhysics
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 929327
• Report Number(s): LBNL--63078; BnR: KA1501020
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Vol. 14; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATION
ACCELERATORS
CHANNELING
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
LASERS
NET ENERGY
PEAK LOAD
PHASE VELOCITY
PHYSICS
PLASMA DENSITY
VELOCITY
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS
WAVEGUIDES
laser wakefield accelerators plasmas laser