Abstract
Short-lived, $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{ps}$, deep plasma channels, with their lengths of $\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mm}$ and diameters of $\ensuremath{\sim}20\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, are observed and characterized in Ar gas jets irradiated by moderate intensity, $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{15--16}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, laser pulses with a duration from subpicosecond to several picoseconds. The channels, upon 2D particle-in-cell simulations including ionization, fit well in the guiding of high intensity femtosecond laser pulses and, therefore, in laser wakefield acceleration with a controllable electron self-injection.
Highlights
Recent notable progress in the elaboration of laserdriven electron acceleration [1,2,3] with internal particle injections in the acceleration phase of the laser pulse wake has brought up the problem of developing full-optical accelerators with controllable characteristics of accelerated particles
Short-lived, $10 ps, deep plasma channels, with their lengths of $1 mm and diameters of $20 m, are observed and characterized in Ar gas jets irradiated by moderate intensity, $1015–16 W=cm2, laser pulses with a duration from subpicosecond to several picoseconds
Laser pulses with an initial diameter $30 mm were focused with f=5:9 offaxis parabolic mirror to the position of $200 m behind the front edge of the slit gas jet and height of $1:5 mm form the nozzle exit
Summary
Recent notable progress in the elaboration of laserdriven electron acceleration [1,2,3] with internal particle injections (the self-injection) in the acceleration phase of the laser pulse wake has brought up the problem of developing full-optical accelerators with controllable characteristics of accelerated particles. The mechanism of channel formation was similar and took time the order of a nanosecond In this case, after irradiation by a femtosecond laser pulse, energetic electrons are rapidly evacuated by the strong ponderomotive force charging the plasma because plasma ions are still immovable. We experimentally investigate the formation of the splash channels exploiting well-defined picosecond laser pulses in argon gas occurring even without external magnetic fields and quantitatively characterize the channels using the picosecond time-resolved interferometer. Such channels, we anticipate, can tolerate the laser prepulses without significant change in the initial plasma parameters and drastically reduce the fluctuations in parameters of accelerated electrons. The intensity of ASE prepulses was almost constant for every duration of main pulses and was estimated to be I $ 2 Â 1011 W=cm
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