Design, manufacturing, evaluation, and performance of a 3D-printed, custom-made nozzle for laser wakefield acceleration experiments.

Abstract

Laser WakeField Acceleration (LWFA) is extensively used as a high-energy electron source, with electrons achieving energies up to the GeV level. The produced electron beam characteristics depend strongly on the gas density profile. When the gaseous target is a gas jet, the gas density profile is affected by parameters, such as the nozzle geometry, the gas used, and the backing pressure applied to the gas valve. An electron source based on the LWFA mechanism has recently been developed at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Lasers. To improve controllability over the electron source, we developed a set of 3D-printed nozzles suitable for creating different gas density profiles according to the experimental necessities. Here, we present a study of the design, manufacturing, evaluation, and performance of a 3D-printed nozzle intended for LWFA experiments.