4 papers
| title: | Enhanced Acceleration of Injected Electrons in a Laser Beatwave Induced Plasma Channel |
| format: | preprint |
| year: | 2004 |
| 10 authors: | | | | | | | | | | |
| abstract: | Enhanced energy gain of externally injected electrons by a ~3-cm long, high-gradient relativistic plasma wave (RPW) is demonstrated. Using a CO2 laser-beatwave of duration longer than the ion motion time across the laser spot size, a laser self-guiding process is initiated in a plasma channel. Guiding compensates for ionization-induced defocusing (IID) creating a longer plasma, which extends the interaction length between electrons and the RPW. In contrast to a maximum energy gain of 10 MeV when IID is dominant, the electrons gain up to 38 MeV energy in a laser beatwave induced plasma channel. PACS: 52.35Mw, 52.38Hb, 52.38Kd |
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| title: | Non-Resonant Beat-Wave Excitation of Constant Phase-Velocity, Relativistic Plasma Waves for Charged-Particle Acceleration |
| format: | journal article |
| year: | 2004 |
| 10 authors: | | | | | | | | | | |
| abstract: | The nonresonant beat-wave excitation of relativistic plasma waves is studied in two-dimensional simulations and experiments. It is shown through simulations that, as opposed to the resonant case, the accelerating electric fields associated with the nonresonant plasmons are always in phase with the beat-pattern of the laser pulse. The excitation of such nonresonant relativistic plasma waves is shown to be possible for plasma densities as high as 14 times the resonant density. The density fluctuations and the fields associated with these waves have significant magnitudes, facts confirmed experimentally using collinear Thomson scattering and electron injection, respectively. The applicability of these results towards eventual phase-locked acceleration of prebunched and externally injected electrons is discussed. |
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| title: | Experiments on laser driven beatwave acceleration in a ponderomotively formed plasma channel |
| format: | journal article |
| year: | 2004 |
| 10 authors: | | | | | | | | | | |
| abstract: | A 10 ps long beam of 12 MeV electrons is externally injected into a ~3-cm long plasma beatwave excited in a laser ionized hydrogen gas. The electrons have been accelerated to 50 MeV with a gradient of ~1.3 GeV/m. It is shown that when the effective plasma wave amplitude-length product is limited by ionization-induced defocusing (IID), acceleration of electrons is significantly enhanced by using a laser pulse with a duration longer than the time required for ions to move across the laser spot size. Both experiments and two-dimensional simulations reveal that, in this case, self-guiding of the laser pulse in a ponderomotively formed plasma channel occurs. This compensates for IID and drives the beatwave over the longer length compared to when such a channel is not present. |
| keywords: | pbpl   |
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| title: | Acceleration of Injected Electrons In A Laser Beatwave Experiment |
| format: | conference procceeding |
| conference: | 2003 Particle Accelerator Conference |
| year: | 2003 |
| 10 authors: | | | | | | | | | | |
| abstract: | Plasma-based accelerators of particles are of great interest because plasmas can sustain very strong electric fields. They are utilizing a relativistic plasma wave with a phase velocity close to the speed of light driven by a high-power laser beam. The Neptune Laboratory at UCLA is being used for plasma beatwave acceleration of injected electrons. Here, a two-wavelength laser pulse (frequencies w1,w2) resonantly drives a longitudinal electron plasma wave of frequency equal to w1-w2, providing a field strength of GeV/m and, therefore, accelerates an injected electron beam at this very high gradient. A 10 ps beam of 12 MeV electrons is loaded in a 3-cm long plasma beatwave accelerator driven by a TW CO2 laser pulse. At the resonance condition, the electrons have been accelerated to 50 MeV with a gradient of ~1.3 GeV/m. It is shown that for large volume diffraction limited plasmas, when efficiency of the plasma wave excitation is restricted by ionization-induced refraction, acceleration of electrons is enhanced significantly by using asymmetric (fast front and slow fall) long pulses. 2D PIC simulations revealed that guiding of the laser pulse in a ponderomotive, self-induced ion channel, formed ~200 ps after the field ionization, allows compensation for the ionization-induced defocusing and efficient driving of the beatwave over the entire length. |
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