Demonstration of a compact plasma accelerator powered by laser-accelerated electron beams

Thomas Kurz ,Johannes Götzfried ,U Schramm ,Ralph Aßmann ,Susanne Schöbel ,S Schindler ,A Köhler ,Klaus Steiniger ,Yen-Yu Chang ,Gaurav Raj ,A Döpp ,Thomas Heinemann ,Michael Bußmann ,Richard Pausch ,Omid Zarini ,A Debus ,Olena Kononenko ,Max Gilljohann ,B Hidding ,A Martínez De La Ossa ,Jurjen Couperus Cabadağ ,Stefan Karsch ,Hao Ding ,S Corde ,Arie Irman

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23000-7

Abstract

Plasma wakefield accelerators are capable of sustaining gigavolt-per-centimeter accelerating fields, surpassing the electric breakdown threshold in state-of-the-art accelerator modules by 3-4 orders of magnitude. Beam-driven wakefields offer particularly attractive conditions for the generation and acceleration of high-quality beams. However, this scheme relies on kilometer-scale accelerators. Here, we report on the demonstration of a millimeter-scale plasma accelerator powered by laser-accelerated electron beams. We showcase the acceleration of electron beams to 128 MeV, consistent with simulations exhibiting accelerating gradients exceeding 100 GV m−1. This miniaturized accelerator is further explored by employing a controlled pair of drive and witness electron bunches, where a fraction of the driver energy is transferred to the accelerated witness through the plasma. Such a hybrid approach allows fundamental studies of beam-driven plasma accelerator concepts at widely accessible high-power laser facilities. It is anticipated to provide compact sources of energetic high-brightness electron beams for quality-demanding applications such as free-electron lasers.

Highlights

Plasma wakefield accelerators are capable of sustaining gigavolt-per-centimeter accelerating fields, surpassing the electric breakdown threshold in state-of-the-art accelerator modules by 3-4 orders of magnitude
A 12.5 μm-thick steel foil is positioned at the entrance of the plasma wakefield accelerators (PWFAs) section to reflect the spent laser pulse, whereas the electron beam passes through the foil and drives a purely beam-driven wakefield
The acceleration of witness electron beams is demonstrated in two independent PWFAs driven by intense laser-accelerated electron beams

Summary

Introduction

Plasma wakefield accelerators are capable of sustaining gigavolt-per-centimeter accelerating fields, surpassing the electric breakdown threshold in state-of-the-art accelerator modules by 3-4 orders of magnitude. This miniaturized accelerator is further explored by employing a controlled pair of drive and witness electron bunches, where a fraction of the driver energy is transferred to the accelerated witness through the plasma Such a hybrid approach allows fundamental studies of beam-driven plasma accelerator concepts at widely accessible high-power laser facilities. Extensive studies to improve the driver-to-witness energy transfer efficiency, charge capture efficiency, system stability, emittance and energy spread preservation[24] can be conducted in widely accessible, high-power laser laboratories These studies will benefit from the readily available and powerful optical tools[25] that have already provided the first direct observation of beam-driven plasma wakefields and a first insight into the induced ion motion[26]

Methods

Results

Conclusion