Lund Laser Centre Research Articles

Plasma density profile reconstruction of a gas cell for Ionization Induced Laser Wakefield Acceleration

Laser-driven plasma wakefields can provide hundreds of MeV electron beam in mm-range distances potentially shrinking the dimension of the actual particle accelerators. The plasma density plays a fundamental role in the control and stability of the acceleration process, which is a key development for the future electron injector proposed by EuPRAXIA.A gas cell was designed by LPGP and LIDYL teams, with variable length and backing pressure, to confine the gas and tailor the gas density profile before the arrival of the laser. This cell was used during an experimental campaign with the multi TW-class laser at the Lund Laser Centre. Ionization assisted injection in a tailored density profile is used to tune the electron beam properties. During the experiment, we filled the gas cell with hydrogen mixed with different concentration of nitrogen. We also varied the backing pressure of the gas and the geometrical length of the gas cell. We used a transverse probe to acquire shadowgraphic images of the plasma and to measure the plasma electron density.Methods and results of the analysis with comparisons between shadowgraphic and interferometric images will be discussed.

Characterizing ultrashort laser pulses with second harmonic dispersion scans

The dispersion scan (d-scan) technique has emerged as a simple-to-implement characterization method for ultrashort laser pulses. D-scan traces are intuitive to interpret and retrieval algorithms that are both fast and robust have been developed to obtain the spectral phase and the temporal pulse profile. Here, we shortly review the second harmonic generation d-scan technique, focusing predominantly on results obtained at the Lund Laser Centre. We describe and compare recent implementations for the characterization of few- and multi-cycle pulses as well as two different approaches for recording d-scan traces in a single shot, thus showing the versatility of the technique.

Laser wakefield accelerated electron beams and betatron radiation from multijet gas targets

Laser Plasma Wakefield Accelerated (LWFA) electron beams and efficiency of betatron X-ray sources is studied using laser micromachined supersonic gas jet nozzle arrays. Separate sections of the target are used for the injection, acceleration and enhancement of electron oscillation. In this report, we present the results of LWFA and X-ray generation using dynamic gas density grid built by shock-waves of colliding jets. The experiment was done with the 40 TW, 35 fs laser at the Lund Laser Centre. Electron energies of 30–150 MeV and 1.0 × 108–5.5 × 108 photons per shot of betatron radiation have been measured. The implementation of the betatron source with separate regions of LWFA and plasma density grid raised the efficiency of X-ray generation and increased the number of photons per shot by a factor of 2–3 relative to a single-jet gas target source.

Single-shot extreme-ultraviolet wavefront measurements of high-order harmonics

We perform wavefront measurements of high-order harmonics using an extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) Hartmann sensor and study how their spatial properties vary with different generation parameters, such as pressure in the nonlinear medium, fundamental pulse energy and duration as well as beam size. In some conditions, excellent wavefront quality (up to λ/11) was obtained. The high throughput of the intense XUV beamline at the Lund Laser Centre allows us to perform single-shot measurements of both the full harmonic beam generated in argon and individual harmonics selected by multilayer mirrors. We theoretically analyze the relationship between the spatial properties of the fundamental and those of the generated high-order harmonics, thus gaining insight into the fundamental mechanisms involved in high-order harmonic generation (HHG).

Nano and micro structured targets to modulate the spatial profile of laser driven proton beams

Nano and micro structured thin (μ m-scale) foils were designed, fabricated and irradiated with the high intensity laser system operating at LLC (Lund Laser Centre, Sweden) in order to systematically study and improve the main proton beam parameters. Nano-spheres deposited on the front (laser irradiated) surface of a flat Mylar foil enabled a small enhancement of the maximum energy and number of the accelerated protons. Nano-spheres on the rear side allowed to modify the proton beam spatial profile. In particular, with nanospheres deposited on the rear of the target, the proton beam spatial homogeneity was clearly enhanced. Silicon nitride thin foils having micro grating structures (with different step dimensions) on the rear surface were also used as targets to influence the divergence of the proton beam and drastically change its shape through a sort of stretching effect. The target fabrication process used for the different target types is described, and representative experimental results are shown and discussed along with supporting 3D particle-in-cell simulations.

Towards XUV-pump XUV-probe experiments with attosecond pulses at the Lund Laser Centre

SynopsisThe relaxation dynamics of an ionized/excited molecular system leads to different fundamental processes occurring at sub-femtosecond timescales. Time-resolved XUV-pump XUV-probe experiments should allow deeper insight to the key roles of these processes. Such studies should be feasible soon thanks to experimental schemes similar to those at the high-intensity high-order harmonic generation beamline at the Lund Laser Centre.

A setup for studies of laser-driven proton acceleration at the Lund Laser Centre

AbstractWe report on a setup for the investigation of proton acceleration in the regime of target normal sheath acceleration. The main interest here is to focus on stable laser beam parameters as well as a reliable target setup and diagnostics in order to do extensive and systematic studies on the acceleration mechanism. A motorized target alignment system in combination with large target mounts allows for up to 340 shots with high repetition rate without breaking the vacuum. This performance is used to conduct experiments with a split mirror setup exploring the effect of spatial and temporal separation between the pulses on the acceleration mechanism and on the resulting proton beam.

Digital in‐line holography on amplitude and phase objects prepared with electron beam lithography

We report on the fabrication and characterization of amplitude and phase samples consisting of well defined Au or Al features formed on ultrathin silicon nitride membranes. The samples were manufactured using electron beam lithography, metallization and a lift-off technique, which allow precise lateral control and thickness of the metal features. The fabricated specimens were evaluated by conventional microscopy, atomic force microscopy and with the digital in-line holography set-up at the Lund Laser Centre. The latter uses high-order harmonic generation as a light source, and is capable of recovering both the shape and phase shifting properties of the samples. We report on the details of the sample production and on the imaging tests with the holography set-up.

Characterization of Quasi-Monoenergetic Electron Beams at the Lund Laser Centre

Experiments performed with the high-contrast 0.7-J 35-fs Ti:sapphire laser at the Lund Laser Centre focused into a helium gas jet have produced quasi-monoenergetic electron beams with energies up to 150 MeV. The beam is produced as a result of controlled wavebreaking of a wakefleld generated by the relativistically channeled laser beam. Under the best conditions of laser energy and plasma density, a beam with narrow-energy-spread component was produced on every shot with an energy stability of ~10% and a pointing stability of ~6 mrad. Furthermore, it can be deduced that the electron beam originates from a source with both transverse and longitudinal extents < 10 mum, implying a pulselength of < 25 fs. These measurements mark an important improvement in the characterization, as well as repeatability, of laser-plasma-generated electron beams with a single driver laser beam.

Enhanced proton beams from ultrathin targets driven by high contrast laser pulses

The generation of proton beams from ultrathin targets, down to 20nm in thickness, driven with ultrahigh contrast laser pulses is explored. The conversion efficiency from laser energy into protons increases as the foil thickness is decreased, with good beam quality and high efficiencies of 1% being achieved, for protons with kinetic energy exceeding 0.9MeV, for 100nm thick aluminum foils at intensities of 1019W∕cm2 with 33fs, 0.3J pulses. To minimize amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) induced effects disrupting the acceleration mechanism, exceptional laser to ASE intensity contrasts of up to 1010 are achieved by introducing a plasma mirror to the high contrast 10Hz multiterawatt laser at the Lund Laser Centre. It is shown that for a given laser energy on target, regimes of higher laser-to-proton energy conversion efficiency can be accessed with increasing contrast. The increasing efficiency as the target thickness decreases is closely correlated to an increasing proton temperature.

High-intensity laser-driven proton acceleration: influence of pulse contrast

Proton acceleration from the interaction of ultra-short laser pulses with thin foil targets at intensities greater than 10(18) W cm(-2) is discussed. An overview of the physical processes giving rise to the generation of protons with multi-MeV energies, in well defined beams with excellent spatial quality, is presented. Specifically, the discussion centres on the influence of laser pulse contrast on the spatial and energy distributions of accelerated proton beams. Results from an ongoing experimental investigation of proton acceleration using the 10 Hz multi-terawatt Ti:sapphire laser (35f s, 35 TW) at the Lund Laser Centre are discussed. It is demonstrated that a window of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) conditions exist, for which the direction of proton emission is sensitive to the ASE-pedestal preceding the peak of the laser pulse, and that by significantly improving the temporal contrast, using plasma mirrors, efficient proton acceleration is observed from target foils with thickness less than 50 nm.

Radiative lifetime measurements and transition probability calculations in lanthanide ions

We have undertaken a systematic investigation of spectroscopic properties of lanthanide ions ( Z=57–71). Using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence following one- or two-photon excitations, a large number of radiative lifetimes have been measured at the Lund Laser Centre for singly, doubly and trebly ionized atoms. These new measurements have been used for testing theoretical calculations performed within the framework of a relativistic Hartree–Fock approach taking core-polarization effects into account. Using the experimental lifetimes (when available) and the theoretical branching fractions, a large number of transition probabilities, most of them of astrophysical interest, have been deduced and are stored in a new database (DREAM). Up to now, the results obtained concern the following ions: La 2+, Ce +, Ce 3+, Pr 2+, Ho 2+, Er 2+, Tm +, Tm 2+, Yb +, Yb 2+, Yb 3+, Lu + and Lu 2+.