Dielectric Laser Accelerators Driven by Ultrashort, Ultraintense Long-Wave Infrared Lasers

Abstract

Particle acceleration driven by intense lasers has long been a frontier of research in the field of laser engineering physics due to its extremely high acceleration gradient. Recently, dielectric laser accelerators (DLAs) have become a new research hotspot due to their ability to achieve gigavolt-per-meter acceleration gradients on compact chip-level all-optical structures. In comparison to the currently widely used solid-state laser with a 1-μm wavelength, long-wave infrared (LWIR) lasers with a length of about 10 μm offer several unique advantages, including the ability to obtain a large electric charge of particle beams and lower energy divergence. These advantages have been validated in plasma-based laser accelerators as well as DLAs. Although the system is still in its early stages of development, the use of LWIR lasers for driving DLAs has special significance, including but not limited to easier processing of optical chips and larger acceleration channels. This review will provide a detailed introduction to this field from 2 aspects: DLAs and ultrashort and ultraintense LWIR lasers based on CO 2 laser amplifiers.