Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers
Modern laser technology is now sufficiently advanced that collisions between high-intensity laser pulses and laser-wakefield-accelerated (LWFA) electron beams can reach the strong-field regime, so that it is possible to measure the transition between the classical and quantum regimes of light–matter...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2019-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab1baf |
| _version_ | 1797750154388832256 |
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| author | C D Baird C D Murphy T G Blackburn A Ilderton S P D Mangles M Marklund C P Ridgers |
| author_facet | C D Baird C D Murphy T G Blackburn A Ilderton S P D Mangles M Marklund C P Ridgers |
| author_sort | C D Baird |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Modern laser technology is now sufficiently advanced that collisions between high-intensity laser pulses and laser-wakefield-accelerated (LWFA) electron beams can reach the strong-field regime, so that it is possible to measure the transition between the classical and quantum regimes of light–matter interactions. However, the energy spectrum of LWFA electron beams can fluctuate significantly from shot to shot, making it difficult to clearly discern quantum effects in radiation reaction (RR), for example. Here we show how this can be accomplished in only a single laser shot. A millimetre-scale pre-collision drift allows the electron beam to expand to a size larger than the laser focal spot and develop a correlation between transverse position and angular divergence. In contrast to previous studies, this means that a measurement of the beam’s energy-divergence spectrum automatically distinguishes components of the beam that hit or miss the laser focal spot and therefore do and do not experience RR. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:28:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90c8ff4c3c6e4ed4809089c8e01dae97 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:28:36Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-90c8ff4c3c6e4ed4809089c8e01dae972023-08-08T15:35:59ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302019-01-0121505303010.1088/1367-2630/ab1bafRealising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasersC D Baird0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9973-7173C D Murphy1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3849-3229T G Blackburn2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3681-356XA Ilderton3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6520-7323S P D Mangles4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2443-4201M Marklund5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9051-6243C P Ridgers6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4078-0887York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York , Heslington, York YO10 5DQ, United KingdomYork Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York , Heslington, York YO10 5DQ, United KingdomDepartment of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology , SE-41296 Gothenburg, SwedenCentre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Plymouth , PL4 7AA, United KingdomBlackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2BZ, United KingdomDepartment of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology , SE-41296 Gothenburg, SwedenYork Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York , Heslington, York YO10 5DQ, United KingdomModern laser technology is now sufficiently advanced that collisions between high-intensity laser pulses and laser-wakefield-accelerated (LWFA) electron beams can reach the strong-field regime, so that it is possible to measure the transition between the classical and quantum regimes of light–matter interactions. However, the energy spectrum of LWFA electron beams can fluctuate significantly from shot to shot, making it difficult to clearly discern quantum effects in radiation reaction (RR), for example. Here we show how this can be accomplished in only a single laser shot. A millimetre-scale pre-collision drift allows the electron beam to expand to a size larger than the laser focal spot and develop a correlation between transverse position and angular divergence. In contrast to previous studies, this means that a measurement of the beam’s energy-divergence spectrum automatically distinguishes components of the beam that hit or miss the laser focal spot and therefore do and do not experience RR.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab1bafradiation reactionlaser-plasma interactionsinverse Compton scatteringQED plasma |
| spellingShingle | C D Baird C D Murphy T G Blackburn A Ilderton S P D Mangles M Marklund C P Ridgers Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers New Journal of Physics radiation reaction laser-plasma interactions inverse Compton scattering QED plasma |
| title | Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers |
| title_full | Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers |
| title_fullStr | Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers |
| title_short | Realising single-shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high-intensity lasers |
| title_sort | realising single shot measurements of quantum radiation reaction in high intensity lasers |
| topic | radiation reaction laser-plasma interactions inverse Compton scattering QED plasma |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab1baf |
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