Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies
Relativistic transparency enables volumetric laser interaction with overdense plasmas and direct laser acceleration of electrons to relativistic velocities. The dense electron current generates a magnetic filament with field strength of the order of the laser amplitude (>10 ^5 T). The magnetic fi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
|
| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac22e7 |
| _version_ | 1797750043506114560 |
|---|---|
| author | H G Rinderknecht T Wang A Laso Garcia G Bruhaug M S Wei H J Quevedo T Ditmire J Williams A Haid D Doria K M Spohr T Toncian A Arefiev |
| author_facet | H G Rinderknecht T Wang A Laso Garcia G Bruhaug M S Wei H J Quevedo T Ditmire J Williams A Haid D Doria K M Spohr T Toncian A Arefiev |
| author_sort | H G Rinderknecht |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Relativistic transparency enables volumetric laser interaction with overdense plasmas and direct laser acceleration of electrons to relativistic velocities. The dense electron current generates a magnetic filament with field strength of the order of the laser amplitude (>10 ^5 T). The magnetic filament traps the electrons radially, enabling efficient acceleration and conversion of laser energy into MeV photons by electron oscillations in the filament. The use of microstructured targets stabilizes the hosing instabilities associated with relativistically transparent interactions, resulting in robust and repeatable production of this phenomenon. Analytical scaling laws are derived to describe the radiated photon spectrum and energy from the magnetic filament phenomenon in terms of the laser intensity, focal radius, pulse duration, and the plasma density. These scaling laws are compared to 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, demonstrating agreement over two regimes of focal radius. Preliminary experiments to study this phenomenon at moderate intensity ( a _0 ∼ 30) were performed on the Texas Petawatt Laser. Experimental signatures of the magnetic filament phenomenon are observed in the electron and photon spectra recorded in a subset of these experiments that is consistent with the experimental design, analytical scaling and 3D PIC simulations. Implications for future experimental campaigns are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:27:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12e77da58b694815853c3e665c1da9f9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:27:08Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-12e77da58b694815853c3e665c1da9f92023-08-08T15:38:52ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302021-01-0123909500910.1088/1367-2630/ac22e7Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studiesH G Rinderknecht0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4969-5571T Wang1A Laso Garcia2G Bruhaug3M S Wei4H J Quevedo5T Ditmire6J Williams7A Haid8D Doria9K M Spohr10T Toncian11A Arefiev12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0597-0976University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics , Rochester, NY 14623, United States of AmericaUniversity of California , San Diego, CA, United States of AmericaHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , GermanyUniversity of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics , Rochester, NY 14623, United States of AmericaUniversity of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics , Rochester, NY 14623, United States of AmericaUniversity of Texas , Austin, TX, United States of AmericaUniversity of Texas , Austin, TX, United States of AmericaGeneral Atomics , San Diego, CA, United States of AmericaGeneral Atomics , San Diego, CA, United States of AmericaELI-NP & IFIN-HH , Bucharest-Magurele, RomaniaELI-NP & IFIN-HH , Bucharest-Magurele, RomaniaHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf , GermanyUniversity of California , San Diego, CA, United States of AmericaRelativistic transparency enables volumetric laser interaction with overdense plasmas and direct laser acceleration of electrons to relativistic velocities. The dense electron current generates a magnetic filament with field strength of the order of the laser amplitude (>10 ^5 T). The magnetic filament traps the electrons radially, enabling efficient acceleration and conversion of laser energy into MeV photons by electron oscillations in the filament. The use of microstructured targets stabilizes the hosing instabilities associated with relativistically transparent interactions, resulting in robust and repeatable production of this phenomenon. Analytical scaling laws are derived to describe the radiated photon spectrum and energy from the magnetic filament phenomenon in terms of the laser intensity, focal radius, pulse duration, and the plasma density. These scaling laws are compared to 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, demonstrating agreement over two regimes of focal radius. Preliminary experiments to study this phenomenon at moderate intensity ( a _0 ∼ 30) were performed on the Texas Petawatt Laser. Experimental signatures of the magnetic filament phenomenon are observed in the electron and photon spectra recorded in a subset of these experiments that is consistent with the experimental design, analytical scaling and 3D PIC simulations. Implications for future experimental campaigns are discussed.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac22e7relativistic transparencylaser-plasma interactionsstrong-field physics |
| spellingShingle | H G Rinderknecht T Wang A Laso Garcia G Bruhaug M S Wei H J Quevedo T Ditmire J Williams A Haid D Doria K M Spohr T Toncian A Arefiev Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies New Journal of Physics relativistic transparency laser-plasma interactions strong-field physics |
| title | Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies |
| title_full | Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies |
| title_fullStr | Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies |
| title_short | Relativistically transparent magnetic filaments: scaling laws, initial results and prospects for strong-field QED studies |
| title_sort | relativistically transparent magnetic filaments scaling laws initial results and prospects for strong field qed studies |
| topic | relativistic transparency laser-plasma interactions strong-field physics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac22e7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hgrinderknecht relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT twang relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT alasogarcia relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT gbruhaug relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT mswei relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT hjquevedo relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT tditmire relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT jwilliams relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT ahaid relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT ddoria relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT kmspohr relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT ttoncian relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies AT aarefiev relativisticallytransparentmagneticfilamentsscalinglawsinitialresultsandprospectsforstrongfieldqedstudies |