Multi-electron beam generation using co-propagating, parallel laser beams
- Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL), Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
High intensity short pulse laser plasma interaction experiments were performed to investigate laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) in the 'bubble' regime. Using a specially designed phase plate, two high intensity laser focal spots were generated adjacent to each other with a transverse spacing of 70 μm and were focused onto a low density plasma target. We found that this configuration generated two simultaneous relativistic electron beams from LWFA (with low divergence) and that these beams often interact strongly with each other for longer propagation distances in the plasma thus reducing beam quality. In addition, it was observed that the existence of an adjacent laser driven wakefield significantly reduced the self-trapping threshold for injection of electrons. Numerical modeling of these interactions demonstrated similar phenomena and also showed that electron beam properties can be affected through precise control of the phase and polarization of the incident laser beam.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0002372
- OSTI ID:
- 1500051
- Journal Information:
- New Journal of Physics, Vol. 20, Issue 9; ISSN 1367-2630
- Publisher:
- IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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