1
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Li J, Xue H, Wang Z, Wang X, Li J, Li Y, Zhao G, Wei Z. Self-compression of laser pulses induced by asymmetric self-phase modulation aided by backward Raman scattering in periodic density-modulated plasma. Phys Rev E 2024; 109:065208. [PMID: 39021005 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.109.065208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Here a mechanism for self-compression of laser pulses is presented, based on period density-modulated plasma. In this setup, two pump beams intersect at a small angle within the plasma. This interaction is facilitated by the ponderomotive ion mechanism, which causes a modulation in the density of plasma with long wavelengths and low amplitude. This modulation enhances the backward Raman scattering of the probe pulse. The trailing edge of the probe experiences greater energy loss, resulting in a steeper intensity gradient. This, in turn, induces an asymmetric self-phase modulation, which elevates the instantaneous frequency. It is notable that the laser in plasma exhibits opposite group velocity dispersion compared to traditional solid-state media. This unique property allows laser pulses to undergo dispersion compensation while broadening the spectrum, ultimately leading to self-compression. The 2D-PIC simulations demonstrate these phenomena, highlighting how period density-modulated plasma contributes to an asymmetric spectral distribution. The intricate interplay among self-phase modulation, group velocity, and backward Raman scattering results in the self-compressing of the laser pulse. Specifically, the pulses are compressed from their Fourier transform limit duration of 50 fs to a significantly reduced duration of 8 fs at plasma densities below 1/4 critical density, without the transverse self-focusing effects.
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2
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Sedaghat M, Amouye Foumani A, Niknam AR. Controlling the characteristics of injected and accelerated electron bunch in corrugated plasma channel by temporally asymmetric laser pulses. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8115. [PMID: 35581299 PMCID: PMC9114400 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11955-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerators, the accelerating electric field is orders of magnitude stronger than in conventional radio-frequency particle accelerators, but the dephasing between the ultrarelativistic electron bunch and the wakefield traveling at the group velocity of the laser pulse puts a limit on the energy gain. Quasi-phase-matching, enabled by corrugated plasma channels, is a technique for overcoming the dephasing limitation. The attainable energy and the final properties of accelerated electron beams are of utmost importance in laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). In this work, using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, the effect of the driving pulse duration on the performance of quasi-phase-matched laser wakefield acceleration (QPM-LWFA) is investigated. It is observed that for a pulse duration around half the plasma period, the maximum energy gain of the beam electrons finds its peak value. However, the results show that for a pulse of that duration the collimation of the bunch is much worse, compared to the case where the pulse duration is twice as long. Furthermore, the dynamics of the laser pulse and the evolution of the quality of the externally-injected electron bunch are studied for a symmetric pulse with sine-squared temporal profile, a positive skew pulse (i.e., one with sharp rise and slow fall), and a negative skew pulse (i.e., one with a slow rise and sharp fall). The results indicate that for a laser pulse with an appropriate pulse length compared with the plasma wavelength, the wakefield amplitude can be greatly enhanced by using a positive skew pulse, which leads to higher energy gain. Initially, this results from the stronger ponderomotive force associated with a fast rise time. Later, due to the distinct evolution of the three pulses with different initial profiles, the wakefield excited by the positive skew pulse becomes even stronger. In our simulations, the maximum energy gain for the asymmetric laser pulse with a fast rise time is almost two times larger than for the temporally symmetric laser pulse. Nevertheless, stronger focusing and defocusing fields are generated as well if a positive skew pulse is applied, which degrade the collimation of the bunch. These results should be taken into account in the design of miniature particle accelerators based on QPM-LWFA.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sedaghat
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran
| | - A Amouye Foumani
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran
| | - A R Niknam
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran.
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3
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Sedaghat M, Barzegar S, Niknam AR. Quasi-phase-matched laser wakefield acceleration of electrons in an axially density-modulated plasma channel. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15207. [PMID: 34312453 PMCID: PMC8313720 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94751-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Quasi-phase matching in corrugated plasma channels has been proposed as a way to overcome the dephasing limitation in laser wakefield accelerators. In this study, the phase-lock dynamics of a relatively long electron bunch injected in an axially-modulated plasma waveguide is investigated by performing particle simulations. The main objective here is to obtain a better understanding of how the transverse and longitudinal components of the wakefield as well as the initial properties of the beam affect its evolution and qualities. The results indicate that the modulation of the electron beam generates trains of electron microbunches. It is shown that increasing the initial energy of the electron beam leads to a reduction in its final energy spread and produces a more collimated electron bunch. For larger bunch diameters, the final emittance of the electron beam increases due to the stronger experienced transverse forces and the larger diameter itself. Increasing the laser power improves the maximum energy gain of the electron beam. However, the stronger generated focusing and defocusing fields degrade the collimation of the bunch.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sedaghat
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran
| | - S Barzegar
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran
| | - A R Niknam
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran.
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4
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Goyon C, Edwards MR, Chapman T, Divol L, Lemos N, Williams GJ, Mariscal DA, Turnbull D, Hansen AM, Michel P. Slow and Fast Light in Plasma Using Optical Wave Mixing. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:205001. [PMID: 34110194 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.205001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Slow and fast light, or large changes in the group velocity of light, have been observed in a range of optical media, but the fine optical control necessary to induce an observable effect has not been achieved in a plasma. Here, we describe how the ion-acoustic response in a fully ionized plasma can produce large and measurable changes in the group velocity of light. We show the first experimental demonstration of slow and fast light in a plasma, measuring group velocities between 0.12c and -0.34c.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Goyon
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - M R Edwards
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - T Chapman
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - L Divol
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - N Lemos
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - G J Williams
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - D A Mariscal
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - D Turnbull
- University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester, New York 14623-1299, USA
| | - A M Hansen
- University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester, New York 14623-1299, USA
| | - P Michel
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
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5
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Nie Z, Pai CH, Zhang J, Ning X, Hua J, He Y, Wu Y, Su Q, Liu S, Ma Y, Cheng Z, Lu W, Chu HH, Wang J, Zhang C, Mori WB, Joshi C. Photon deceleration in plasma wakes generates single-cycle relativistic tunable infrared pulses. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2787. [PMID: 32493931 PMCID: PMC7271200 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16541-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Availability of relativistically intense, single-cycle, tunable infrared sources will open up new areas of relativistic nonlinear optics of plasmas, impulse IR spectroscopy and pump-probe experiments in the molecular fingerprint region. However, generation of such pulses is still a challenge by current methods. Recently, it has been proposed that time dependent refractive index associated with laser-produced nonlinear wakes in a suitably designed plasma density structure rapidly frequency down-converts photons. The longest wavelength photons slip backwards relative to the evolving laser pulse to form a single-cycle pulse within the nearly evacuated wake cavity. This process is called photon deceleration. Here, we demonstrate this scheme for generating high-power (~100 GW), near single-cycle, wavelength tunable (3–20 µm), infrared pulses using an 810 nm drive laser by tuning the density profile of the plasma. We also demonstrate that these pulses can be used to in-situ probe the transient and nonlinear wakes themselves. Plasma can act as strong nonlinear refractive index medium that can be exploited to downshift the frequency of a laser pulse. Here, the authors show the generation of single-cycle tunable infrared pulses using strong density gradients associated with laser-produced wakes in plasmas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zan Nie
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Chih-Hao Pai
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xiaonan Ning
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Jianfei Hua
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Yunxiao He
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yipeng Wu
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Qianqian Su
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yue Ma
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhi Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Hsu-Hsin Chu
- Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli, 32001, Taiwan.,Center for High Energy and High Field Physics, National Central University, Jhongli, 32001, Taiwan
| | - Jyhpyng Wang
- Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli, 32001, Taiwan. .,Center for High Energy and High Field Physics, National Central University, Jhongli, 32001, Taiwan. .,Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan. .,Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
| | - Chaojie Zhang
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Warren B Mori
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Chan Joshi
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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6
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Streeter MJV, Kneip S, Bloom MS, Bendoyro RA, Chekhlov O, Dangor AE, Döpp A, Hooker CJ, Holloway J, Jiang J, Lopes NC, Nakamura H, Norreys PA, Palmer CAJ, Rajeev PP, Schreiber J, Symes DR, Wing M, Mangles SPD, Najmudin Z. Observation of Laser Power Amplification in a Self-Injecting Laser Wakefield Accelerator. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 120:254801. [PMID: 29979081 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.254801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We report on the depletion and power amplification of the driving laser pulse in a strongly driven laser wakefield accelerator. Simultaneous measurement of the transmitted pulse energy and temporal shape indicate an increase in peak power from 187±11 TW to a maximum of 318±12 TW after 13 mm of propagation in a plasma density of 0.9×10^{18} cm^{-3}. The power amplification is correlated with the injection and acceleration of electrons in the nonlinear wakefield. This process is modeled by including a localized redshift and subsequent group delay dispersion at the laser pulse front.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J V Streeter
- The Cockcroft Institute, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury WA4 4AD, United Kingdom
- Physics Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - S Kneip
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - M S Bloom
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - R A Bendoyro
- GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
| | - O Chekhlov
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - A E Dangor
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - A Döpp
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - C J Hooker
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - J Holloway
- High Energy Physics Group, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - J Jiang
- GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
| | - N C Lopes
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
| | - H Nakamura
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - P A Norreys
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - C A J Palmer
- The Cockcroft Institute, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury WA4 4AD, United Kingdom
- Physics Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - P P Rajeev
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - J Schreiber
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - D R Symes
- Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - M Wing
- High Energy Physics Group, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - S P D Mangles
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Z Najmudin
- John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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7
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Kim HT, Pathak VB, Hong Pae K, Lifschitz A, Sylla F, Shin JH, Hojbota C, Lee SK, Sung JH, Lee HW, Guillaume E, Thaury C, Nakajima K, Vieira J, Silva LO, Malka V, Nam CH. Stable multi-GeV electron accelerator driven by waveform-controlled PW laser pulses. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10203. [PMID: 28860579 PMCID: PMC5579019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09267-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The achievable energy and the stability of accelerated electron beams have been the most critical issues in laser wakefield acceleration. As laser propagation, plasma wave formation and electron acceleration are highly nonlinear processes, the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is extremely sensitive to initial experimental conditions. We propose a simple and elegant waveform control method for the LWFA process to enhance the performance of a laser electron accelerator by applying a fully optical and programmable technique to control the chirp of PW laser pulses. We found sensitive dependence of energy and stability of electron beams on the spectral phase of laser pulses and obtained stable 2-GeV electron beams from a 1-cm gas cell of helium. The waveform control technique for LWFA would prompt practical applications of centimeter-scale GeV-electron accelerators to a compact radiation sources in the x-ray and γ-ray regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyung Taek Kim
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea.,Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - V B Pathak
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Ki Hong Pae
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea.,Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - A Lifschitz
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (LOA), ENSTA ParisTech, CNRS UMR7639, École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Saclay, 828 Boulevard des Maréchaux, 91762, Palaiseau, France
| | - F Sylla
- SourceLAB SAS, 86 rue de Paris, 91400, Orsay, France
| | - Jung Hun Shin
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - C Hojbota
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea.,Departement of Physics and Photon Science, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Seong Ku Lee
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea.,Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Jae Hee Sung
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea.,Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Hwang Woon Lee
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - E Guillaume
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (LOA), ENSTA ParisTech, CNRS UMR7639, École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Saclay, 828 Boulevard des Maréchaux, 91762, Palaiseau, France
| | - C Thaury
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (LOA), ENSTA ParisTech, CNRS UMR7639, École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Saclay, 828 Boulevard des Maréchaux, 91762, Palaiseau, France
| | - Kazuhisa Nakajima
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - J Vieira
- GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - L O Silva
- GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - V Malka
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (LOA), ENSTA ParisTech, CNRS UMR7639, École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Saclay, 828 Boulevard des Maréchaux, 91762, Palaiseau, France. .,Weizmann Institue for Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
| | - Chang Hee Nam
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju, 61005, Korea. .,Departement of Physics and Photon Science, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea.
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8
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Bin JH, Ma WJ, Wang HY, Streeter MJV, Kreuzer C, Kiefer D, Yeung M, Cousens S, Foster PS, Dromey B, Yan XQ, Ramis R, Meyer-ter-Vehn J, Zepf M, Schreiber J. Ion Acceleration Using Relativistic Pulse Shaping in Near-Critical-Density Plasmas. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2015; 115:064801. [PMID: 26296119 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.115.064801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Ultraintense laser pulses with a few-cycle rising edge are ideally suited to accelerating ions from ultrathin foils, and achieving such pulses in practice represents a formidable challenge. We show that such pulses can be obtained using sufficiently strong and well-controlled relativistic nonlinearities in spatially well-defined near-critical-density plasmas. The resulting ultraintense pulses with an extremely steep rising edge give rise to significantly enhanced carbon ion energies consistent with a transition to radiation pressure acceleration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Bin
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - W J Ma
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - H Y Wang
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - M J V Streeter
- The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - C Kreuzer
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - D Kiefer
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - M Yeung
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - S Cousens
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - P S Foster
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
- Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon 0X11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - B Dromey
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - X Q Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology and Key Lab of High Energy Density Physics Simulation, CAPT, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - R Ramis
- E.T.S.I Aeronáuticos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - J Meyer-ter-Vehn
- Max-Planck-Institute für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - M Zepf
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queens University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
- Helmholtz-Institut-Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - J Schreiber
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute für Quantenoptik, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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9
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He ZH, Hou B, Lebailly V, Nees JA, Krushelnick K, Thomas AGR. Coherent control of plasma dynamics. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7156. [PMID: 25975737 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Coherent control of a system involves steering an interaction to a final coherent state by controlling the phase of an applied field. Plasmas support coherent wave structures that can be generated by intense laser fields. Here, we demonstrate the coherent control of plasma dynamics in a laser wakefield electron acceleration experiment. A genetic algorithm is implemented using a deformable mirror with the electron beam signal as feedback, which allows a heuristic search for the optimal wavefront under laser-plasma conditions that is not known a priori. We are able to improve both the electron beam charge and angular distribution by an order of magnitude. These improvements do not simply correlate with having the 'best' focal spot, as the highest quality vacuum focal spot produces a greatly inferior electron beam, but instead correspond to the particular laser phase front that steers the plasma wave to a final state with optimal accelerating fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z-H He
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099, USA
| | - B Hou
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099, USA
| | - V Lebailly
- Polytech Paris-Sud-Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - J A Nees
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099, USA
| | - K Krushelnick
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099, USA
| | - A G R Thomas
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099, USA
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10
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He ZH, Nees JA, Hou B, Krushelnick K, Thomas AGR. Ionization-induced self-compression of tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 113:263904. [PMID: 25615338 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.263904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
As lasers become progressively higher in power, optical damage thresholds will become a limiting factor. Using the nonlinear optics of plasma may be a way to circumvent these limits. Here, we present a new self-compression mechanism for high-power, femtosecond laser pulses based on geometrical focusing and three dimensional spatiotemporal reshaping in an ionizing plasma. By propagating tightly focused, 10-mJ femtosecond laser pulses through a 100-μm gas jet, the interplay between ionization gradients, focusing, and diffraction of the light pulse leads to stable and uniform self-compression of the pulse, while maintaining a high-energy throughput and excellent refocusability. Self-compression down to 16 fs from an original 36-fs pulse is measured using second-harmonic-generation frequency-resolved optical gating. Using this mechanism, we are able to maintain a high transmission (>88%) such that the pulse peak power is doubled. Three-dimensional numerical simulations are performed to support our interpretation of the experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z-H He
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - J A Nees
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - B Hou
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - K Krushelnick
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - A G R Thomas
- Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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Tamburini M, Di Piazza A, Liseykina TV, Keitel CH. Plasma-based generation and control of a single few-cycle high-energy ultrahigh-intensity laser pulse. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 113:025005. [PMID: 25062199 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.025005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2012] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A laser-boosted relativistic solid-density paraboloidal foil is known to efficiently reflect and focus a counterpropagating laser pulse. Here we show that in the case of an ultrarelativistic counterpropagating pulse, a high-energy and ultrahigh-intensity reflected pulse can be more effectively generated by a relatively slow and heavy foil than by a fast and light one. This counterintuitive result is explained with the larger reflectivity of a heavy foil, which compensates for its lower relativistic Doppler factor. Moreover, since the counterpropagating pulse is ultrarelativistic, the foil is abruptly dispersed and only the first few cycles of the counterpropagating pulse are reflected. Our multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that even few-cycle counterpropagating laser pulses can be further shortened (both temporally and in the number of laser cycles) with pulse amplification. A single few-cycle, multipetawatt laser pulse with several joules of energy and with a peak intensity exceeding 10(23) W/cm(2) can be generated already employing next-generation high-power laser systems. In addition, the carrier-envelope phase of the generated few-cycle pulse can be tuned provided that the carrier-envelope phase of the initial counterpropagating pulse is controlled.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Tamburini
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Di Piazza
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - T V Liseykina
- Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock, D-18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - C H Keitel
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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12
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Li DZ, Yan WC, Chen LM, Huang K, Ma Y, Zhao JR, Zhang L, Hafz N, Wang WM, Ma JL, Li YT, Wei ZY, Gao J, Sheng ZM, Zhang J. Generation of quasi-monoenergetic electron beams with small normalized divergences angle from a 2 TW laser facility. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:12836-12844. [PMID: 24921480 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.012836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We report the generation of a 6 pC, 23 MeV electron bunch with the energy spread ± 3.5% by using 2 TW, 80 fs high contrast laser pulses interacting with helium gas targets. Within the optimized experimental condition, we obtained quasi-monoenergetic electron beam with an ultra-small normalized divergence angle of 92 mrad, which is at least 5 times smaller than the previous LPA-produced bunches. We suggest the significant decrease of the normalized divergence angles is due to smooth transfer from SM-LWFA to LWFA. Since the beam size in LPA is typically small, this observation may explore a simple way to generate ultralow normalized emittance electron bunches by using small-power but high-repetition-rate laser facilities.
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Yoon SJ, Palastro JP, Milchberg HM. Quasi-phase-matched laser wakefield acceleration. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 112:134803. [PMID: 24745430 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.112.134803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The energy gain in laser wakefield acceleration is ultimately limited by dephasing, occurring when accelerated electrons outrun the accelerating phase of the wakefield. We apply quasi-phase-matching, enabled by axially modulated plasma channels, to overcome this limitation. Theory and simulations are presented showing that weakly relativistic laser intensities can drive significant electron energy gains.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Yoon
- Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - J P Palastro
- Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - H M Milchberg
- Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
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Optical control of hard X-ray polarization by electron injection in a laser wakefield accelerator. Nat Commun 2013; 4:2421. [PMID: 24026068 PMCID: PMC3778521 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Laser-plasma particle accelerators could provide more compact sources of high-energy radiation than conventional accelerators. Moreover, because they deliver radiation in femtosecond pulses, they could improve the time resolution of X-ray absorption techniques. Here we show that we can measure and control the polarization of ultra-short, broad-band keV photon pulses emitted from a laser-plasma-based betatron source. The electron trajectories and hence the polarization of the emitted X-rays are experimentally controlled by the pulse-front tilt of the driving laser pulses. Particle-in-cell simulations show that an asymmetric plasma wave can be driven by a tilted pulse front and a non-symmetric intensity distribution of the focal spot. Both lead to a notable off-axis electron injection followed by collective electron–betatron oscillations. We expect that our method for an all-optical steering is not only useful for plasma-based X-ray sources but also has significance for future laser-based particle accelerators. Radiation sources driven by laser-plasma accelerators have the potential to produce shorter bursts of radiation at lower cost than those based on conventional accelerators. Schnell et al. demonstrate the ability to control the polarization of the bursts of hard X-rays produced by such a source.
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