Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators
A novel mechanism for injection, emittance selection, and postacceleration for laser wakefield electron acceleration is identified and described. It is shown that a laser prepulse can create an ionized plasma filament through multiphoton ionization and this heats the electrons and ions, driving an e...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2020
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| _version_ | 1797102042372636672 |
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| author | Scott, RHH Thornton, C Bourgeois, N Cowley, J Rittershofer, W Kleinwächter, T Osterhoff, J Symes, DR Hooker, C Hooker, SM |
| author_facet | Scott, RHH Thornton, C Bourgeois, N Cowley, J Rittershofer, W Kleinwächter, T Osterhoff, J Symes, DR Hooker, C Hooker, SM |
| author_sort | Scott, RHH |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | A novel mechanism for injection, emittance selection, and postacceleration for laser wakefield electron acceleration is identified and described. It is shown that a laser prepulse can create an ionized plasma filament through multiphoton ionization and this heats the electrons and ions, driving an ellipsoidal blast-wave aligned with the laser-axis. The subsequent high-intensity laser-pulse generates a plasma wakefield which, on entering the leading edge of the blast-wave structure, encounters a sharp reduction in electron density, causing density down-ramp electron injection. The injected electrons are accelerated to ∼2 MeV within the blast-wave. After the main laser-pulse has propagated past the blast-wave, it drives a secondary wakefield within the homogenous background plasma. On exiting the blast-wave structure, the preaccelerated electrons encounter these secondary wakefields, are retrapped, and accelerated to higher energies. Due to the longitudinal extent of the blast-wave, only those electrons with small transverse velocity are retrapped, leading to the potential for the generation of electron bunches with reduced transverse size and emittance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:00:23Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:ebfb2dad-dc3c-4032-a232-3500662968f3 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:00:23Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:ebfb2dad-dc3c-4032-a232-3500662968f32022-03-27T11:14:04ZElectron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma acceleratorsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ebfb2dad-dc3c-4032-a232-3500662968f3EnglishSymplectic ElementsAmerican Physical Society2020Scott, RHHThornton, CBourgeois, NCowley, JRittershofer, WKleinwächter, TOsterhoff, JSymes, DRHooker, CHooker, SMA novel mechanism for injection, emittance selection, and postacceleration for laser wakefield electron acceleration is identified and described. It is shown that a laser prepulse can create an ionized plasma filament through multiphoton ionization and this heats the electrons and ions, driving an ellipsoidal blast-wave aligned with the laser-axis. The subsequent high-intensity laser-pulse generates a plasma wakefield which, on entering the leading edge of the blast-wave structure, encounters a sharp reduction in electron density, causing density down-ramp electron injection. The injected electrons are accelerated to ∼2 MeV within the blast-wave. After the main laser-pulse has propagated past the blast-wave, it drives a secondary wakefield within the homogenous background plasma. On exiting the blast-wave structure, the preaccelerated electrons encounter these secondary wakefields, are retrapped, and accelerated to higher energies. Due to the longitudinal extent of the blast-wave, only those electrons with small transverse velocity are retrapped, leading to the potential for the generation of electron bunches with reduced transverse size and emittance. |
| spellingShingle | Scott, RHH Thornton, C Bourgeois, N Cowley, J Rittershofer, W Kleinwächter, T Osterhoff, J Symes, DR Hooker, C Hooker, SM Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators |
| title | Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators |
| title_full | Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators |
| title_fullStr | Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators |
| title_short | Electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse-shaped gas targets for laser-plasma accelerators |
| title_sort | electron trapping and reinjection in prepulse shaped gas targets for laser plasma accelerators |
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