Self-injection threshold in self-guided laser wakefield accelerators
Författare
Summary, in English
A laser pulse traveling through a plasma can excite large amplitude plasma waves that can be used to accelerate relativistic electron beams in a very short distance-a technique called laser wakefield acceleration. Many wakefield acceleration experiments rely on the process of wave breaking, or self-injection, to inject electrons into the wave, while other injection techniques rely on operation without self-injection. We present an experimental study into the parameters, including the pulse energy, focal spot quality, and pulse power, that determine whether or not a wakefield accelerator will self-inject. By taking into account the processes of self-focusing and pulse compression we are able to extend a previously described theoretical model, where the minimum bubble size k(p)r(b) required for trapping is not constant but varies slowly with density and find excellent agreement with this model.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2012
Språk
Engelska
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Physical Review Special Topics. Accelerators and Beams
Volym
15
Issue
1
Fulltext
- Available as PDF - 973 kB
- Download statistics
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
American Physical Society
Ämne
- Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1098-4402