Inverse free electron lasers and laser wakefield acceleration driven by CO2 lasers.

Journal article

The staged electron laser acceleration (STELLA) experiment demonstrated staging between two laser-driven devices, high trapping efficiency of microbunches within the accelerating field and narrow energy spread during laser acceleration. These are important for practical laser-driven accelerators. STELLA used inverse free electron lasers, which were chosen primarily for convenience. Nevertheless, the STELLA approach can be applied to other laser acceleration methods, in particular, laser-driven plasma accelerators. STELLA is now conducting experiments on laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). Two novel LWFA approaches are being investigated. In the first one, called pseudo-resonant LWFA, a laser pulse enters a low-density plasma where nonlinear laser/plasma interactions cause the laser pulse shape to steepen, thereby creating strong wakefields. A witness e-beam pulse probes the wakefields. The second one, called seeded self-modulated LWFA, involves sending a seed e-beam pulse into the plasma to initiate wakefield formation. These wakefields are amplified by a laser pulse following shortly after the seed pulse. A second e-beam pulse (witness) follows the seed pulse to probe the wakefields. These LWFA experiments will also be the first ones driven by a CO(2) laser beam.

Authors: Kimura, W; Andreev, N; Babzien, M; Ben-Zvi, I; Cline, D

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
• Volume: 364
• Issue: 1840
• Pages: 611-622
• Publication date: 2006-03-01
• DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2005.1726
• EISSN: 1471-2962
• ISSN: 1364-503X
• Language: English
• Keywords: laser acceleration; microbunch; inverse free electron laser; CO2 laser; laser wakefield acceleration