Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment Research Articles

A high power, high density helicon discharge for the plasma wakefield accelerator experiment AWAKE

A plasma cell prototype for the plasma wakefield accelerator experiment AWAKE based on a helicon discharge is presented. In the 1 m long prototype module a multiple antenna helicon discharge with an rf power density of 100 MW m−3 is established. Based on the helicon dispersion relation, a linear scaling of plasma density with magnetic field is observed for rf frequencies above the lower hybrid frequency, ωLH ≤ 0.8ωrf. Density profiles are highest on the device axis and show shallow radial gradients, thus providing a relatively constant plasma density in the center over a radial range of Δr ≈ 10 mm with less than 10% variation. Peak plasma densities up to 7 × 1020 m−3 are transiently achieved with a reproducibility that is sufficient for AWAKE. The results are in good agreement with power balance calculations.

Physics at the SPS.

The CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) has delivered a variety of beams to a vigorous fixed target physics program since 1978. In this paper, we restrict ourselves to the description of a few illustrative examples in the ongoing physics program at the SPS. We will outline the physics aims of the COmmon Muon Proton Apparatus for Structure and Spectroscopy (COMPASS), north area 64 (NA64), north area 62 (NA62), north area 61 (NA61), and advanced proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment (AWAKE). COMPASS studies the structure of the proton and more specifically of its spin. NA64 searches for the dark photon A', which is the messenger for interactions between normal and dark matter. The NA62 experiment aims at a 10% precision measurement of the very rare decay K+ → π+νν. As this decay mode can be calculated very precisely in the Standard Model, it offers a very good opportunity to look for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The NA61/SHINE experiment studies the phase transition to Quark Gluon Plasma, a state in which the quarks and gluons that form the proton and the neutron are de-confined. Finally, AWAKE investigates proton-driven wake field acceleration: a promising technique to accelerate electrons with very high accelerating gradients. The Physics Beyond Colliders study at CERN is paving the way for a significant and diversified continuation of this already rich and compelling physics program that is complementary to the one at the big colliders like the Large Hadron Collider.

Simulation design for forthcoming high quality plasma wakefield acceleration experiment in linear regime at SPARC_LAB

In the context of plasma wakefield acceleration beam driven, we exploit a high density charge trailing bunch whose self-fields act by mitigating the energy spread increase via beam loading compensation, together with bunch self-contain operated by the self-consistent transverse field. The work, that will be experimentally tested in the SPARC_LAB test facility, consists of a parametric scan that allows to find optimized parameters in order to preserve the high quality of the trailing bunch over the entire centimeters acceleration length, with a final energy spread increase of 0.1% and an emittance increase of 5nm. The stability of trailing bunch parameters after acceleration is tested employing a systematic scan of the parameters of the bunches at the injection. The results show that the energy spread increase keeps lower than 1% and the emittance increase is lower than 0.02 mm mrad in all the simulations performed. The energy jitter is of the order of 5%.

Design of high brightness Plasma Wakefield Acceleration experiment at SPARC_LAB test facility with particle-in-cell simulations

The present numerical investigation of a Plasma Wakefield Acceleration scenario in the weakly non linear regime with external injection is motivated by the upcoming campaigns at the SPARC_LAB test facility where the final goal is to demonstrate modest gradient acceleration ( ∼1 GV/m) with no quality loss. The accelerated bunch can be envisioned to seed a free electron laser. The numerical study has been conducted with the particle-in-cell code ALaDyn, an exhaustive description of the plasma-acceleration version is provided. The configuration consider a two bunches setup with parameters in the facility range, the bunches are generated and pre-accelerated up to 100 MeV by a high brightness photo-injector prior plasma injection. To verify the working point robustness we have considered case scenario where the driver bunch reaches the plasma or with a larger dimension or with large emittance. We also present an analytical approach based on the envelope equation that allows to reduce the matching condition in the presence of a ramp. Here, we limit our interest to a simplified theoretical case with a linear plasma ramp. As a final aspect we propose to combine classical integrated bunch diagnostics with the test by Shapiro–Wilk, a mathematical test to diagnose bunch deviation from a Gaussian distribution.

The electron accelerators for the AWAKE experiment at CERN—Baseline and Future Developments

The AWAKE collaboration prepares a proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment using the SPS beam at CERN. A long proton bunch extracted from the SPS interacts with a high power laser and a 10 m long rubidium vapor plasma cell to create strong wakefields allowing sustained electron acceleration. The electron beam to probe these wakefields is created by an electron accelerator consisting of an rf-gun and a booster structure. This electron source should provide beams with intensities between 0.1 and 1 nC, bunch lengths between 0.3 and 3 ps and an emittance of the order of 2 mm mrad. The booster structure should accelerate the electrons to 16 MeV. The electron line includes a series of diagnostics (pepper-pot, BPMs, spectrometer, Faraday cup and screens) and an optical transfer line merges the electron beam with the proton beam on the same axis. The installation of the electron line started in early 2017 and the commissioning will take place at the end of 2017. The first phase of operation is called RUN1. After the long shutdown of LHC a second phase for AWAKE is planned starting 2021 called RUN2. In this phase the aim is to demonstrate the acceleration of high quality electron beams therefore a bunch length of the order of 100 fs rms is required corresponding to a fraction of the plasma wavelength. The AWAKE collaboration is studying the design of such an injector either based on classical rf-gun injectors or on laser wake-field acceleration. The focus for the RF accelerator is on a hybrid design using an S-band rf-gun and x-band bunching and acceleration cavities. The layout of the current and the future electron accelerator and transfer line, including the diagnostics will be presented.

Measurement of transformer ratio from ramped beams in the blowout regime

We present the plans for a UCLA-Argonne collaborative plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) experiment aimed at demonstrating the dependence of transformer ratio – the relation between maximum acceleration observed in a plasma wake to the maximum deceleration of the driving beam – on beam shape. Utilizing the unique capabilities of the emittance exchange (EEX) beamline, we may obtain transformer ratios in excess of six in a 120 MeV/m PWFA. These experiments are a crucial step in enabling applications ranging from compact X-ray free electron laser (FEL) light sources to TeV-class linear colliders for high energy physics.

Wake fields effects in dielectric capillary

Plasma wake-field acceleration experiments are performed at the SPARC_LAB test facility by using a gas-filled capillary plasma source composed of a dielectric capillary. The electron can reach GeV energy in a few centimeters, with an accelerating gradient orders of magnitude larger than provided by conventional techniques. In this acceleration scheme, wake fields produced by passing electron beams through dielectric structures can determine a strong beam instability that represents an important hurdle towards the capability to focus high-current electron beams in the transverse plane. For these reasons, the estimation of the transverse wake-field amplitudes assumes a fundamental role in the implementation of the plasma wake-field acceleration. In this work, it presented a study to investigate which parameters affect the wake-field formation inside a cylindrical dielectric structure, both the capillary dimensions and the beam parameters, and it is introduced a quantitative evaluation of the longitudinal and transverse electric fields.

Plasma wakefield acceleration experiments at FACET II

During the past two decades of research, the ultra-relativistic beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) concept has achieved many significant milestones. These include the demonstration of ultra-high gradient acceleration of electrons over meter-scale plasma accelerator structures, efficient acceleration of a narrow energy spread electron bunch at high-gradients, positron acceleration using wakes in uniform plasmas and in hollow plasma channels, and demonstrating that highly nonlinear wakes in the ‘blow-out regime’ have the electric field structure necessary for preserving the emittance of the accelerating bunch. A new 10 GeV electron beam facility, Facilities for Accelerator Science and Experimental Test (FACET) II, is currently under construction at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for the next generation of PWFA research and development. The FACET II beams will enable the simultaneous demonstration of substantial energy gain of a small emittance electron bunch while demonstrating an efficient transfer of energy from the drive to the trailing bunch. In this paper we first describe the capabilities of the FACET II facility. We then describe a series of PWFA experiments supported by numerical and particle-in-cell simulations designed to demonstrate plasma wake generation where the drive beam is nearly depleted of its energy, high efficiency acceleration of the trailing bunch while doubling its energy and ultimately, quantifying the emittance growth in a single stage of a PWFA that has optimally designed matching sections. We then briefly discuss other FACET II plasma-based experiments including in situ positron generation and acceleration, and several schemes that are promising for generating sub-micron emittance bunches that will ultimately be needed for both an early application of a PWFA and for a plasma-based future linear collider.

A rubidium vapor source for a plasma source for AWAKE

We present the scheme for a rubidium vapor source that is used as a plasma source in the AWAKE plasma wakefield acceleration experiment. The plasma wakefield acceleration process requires a number of stringent parameters for the plasma: electron density adjustable in the (1–10) × 10 14 cm−3 range, 0.25% relative density uniformity, sharp (<10 cm) density ramps at each end, density gradient adjustable from −3 to over 10 m, and %-level density step near the beginning the plasma column. We show with analytical and direct simulation Monte Carlo results that the rubidium density in the proposed source should meet these requirements. Laser ionization then transfers the above neutral vapor parameters to the plasma.

AWAKE readiness for the study of the seeded self-modulation of a 400 GeV proton bunch

AWAKE is a proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment. We show that the experimental setup briefly described here is ready for systematic study of the seeded self-modulation of the 400 GeV proton bunch in the 10 m long rubidium plasma with density adjustable from 1 to cm−3. We show that the short laser pulse used for ionization of the rubidium vapor propagates all the way along the column, suggesting full ionization of the vapor. We show that ionization occurs along the proton bunch, at the laser time and that the plasma that follows affects the proton bunch.

Plasma density characterization at SPARC_LAB through Stark broadening of Hydrogen spectral lines

Plasma-based acceleration techniques are of great interest for future, compact accelerators due to their high accelerating gradient. Both particle-driven and laser-driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration experiments are foreseen at the SPARC_LAB Test Facility (INFN National Laboratories of Frascati, Italy), with the aim to accelerate high-brightness electron beams. In order to optimize the efficiency of the acceleration in the plasma and preserve the quality of the accelerated beam, the knowledge of the plasma electron density is mandatory. The Stark broadening of the Hydrogen spectral lines is one of the candidates used to characterize plasma density. The implementation of this diagnostic for plasma-based experiments at SPARC_LAB is presented.

Electromagnetic self-consistent field initialization and fluid advance techniques for hybrid-kinetic PWFA code Architect

The realization of Plasma Wakefield Acceleration experiments with high quality of the accelerated bunches requires an increasing number of numerical simulations to perform first-order assessments for the experimental design and online-analysis of the experimental results. Particle in Cell codes are the state-of-the-art tools to study the beam-plasma interaction mechanism, but due to their requirements in terms of number of cores and computational time makes them unsuitable for quick parametric scans. Considerable interest has been shown thus in methods which reduce the computational time needed for the simulation of plasma acceleration. Such methods include the use of hybrid kinetic-fluid models, which treat the relativistic bunches as in a PIC code and the background plasma electrons as a fluid. A technique to properly initialize the bunch electromagnetic fields in the time explicit hybrid kinetic-fluid code Architect is presented, as well the implementation of the Flux Corrected Transport scheme for the fluid equations integrated in the code.

AWAKE, The Advanced Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment at CERN

The Advanced Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment (AWAKE) aims at studying plasma wakefield generation and electron acceleration driven by proton bunches. It is a proof-of-principle R&D experiment at CERN and the world׳s first proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment. The AWAKE experiment will be installed in the former CNGS facility and uses the 400GeV/c proton beam bunches from the SPS. The first experiments will focus on the self-modulation instability of the long (rms ~12cm) proton bunch in the plasma. These experiments are planned for the end of 2016. Later, in 2017/2018, low energy (~15MeV) electrons will be externally injected into the sample wakefields and be accelerated beyond 1GeV. The main goals of the experiment will be summarized. A summary of the AWAKE design and construction status will be presented.

The electron accelerator for the AWAKE experiment at CERN

The AWAKE collaboration prepares a proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment using the SPS beam at CERN. A long proton bunch extracted from the SPS interacts with a high power laser and a 10m long rubidium vapour plasma cell to create strong wakefields allowing sustained electron acceleration. The electron bunch to probe these wakefields is supplied by a 20MeV electron accelerator. The electron accelerator consists of an RF-gun and a short booster structure. This electron source should provide beams with intensities between 0.1 and 1nC, bunch lengths between 0.3 and 3ps and an emittance of the order of 2mm mrad. The wide range of parameters should cope with the uncertainties and future prospects of the planned experiments. The layout of the electron accelerator, its instrumentation and beam dynamics simulations are presented.

An accurate Rb density measurement method for a plasma wakefield accelerator experiment using a novel Rb reservoir

A method to accurately measure the density of Rb vapor is described. We plan on using this method for the Advanced Wakefield (AWAKE) (Assmann et al., 2014 [1]) project at CERN , which will be the world׳s first proton driven plasma wakefield experiment. The method is similar to the hook (Marlow, 1967 [2]) method and has been described in great detail in the work by Hill et al. (1986) [3]. In this method a cosine fit is applied to the interferogram to obtain a relative accuracy on the order of 1% for the vapor density–length product. A single-mode, fiber-based, Mach–Zenhder interferometer will be built and used near the ends of the 10 meter-long AWAKE plasma source to be able to make accurate relative density measurement between these two locations. This can then be used to infer the vapor density gradient along the AWAKE plasma source and also change it to the value desired for the plasma wakefield experiment. Here we describe the plan in detail and show preliminary results obtained using a prototype 8cm long novel Rb vapor cell.

Indirect self-modulation instability measurement concept for the AWAKE proton beam

AWAKE, the Advanced Proton-Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment, is a proof-of-principle R&D experiment at CERN using a 400GeV/c proton beam from the CERN SPS (longitudinal beam size σz=12cm) which will be sent into a 10m long plasma section with a nominal density of ≈7×1014atoms/cm3 (plasma wavelength λp=1.2mm). In this paper we show that by measuring the time integrated transverse profile of the proton bunch at two locations downstream of the AWAKE plasma, information about the occurrence of the self-modulation instability (SMI) can be inferred. In particular we show that measuring defocused protons with an angle of 1mrad corresponds to having electric fields in the order of GV/m and fully developed self-modulation of the proton bunch. Additionally, by measuring the defocused beam edge of the self-modulated bunch, information about the growth rate of the instability can be extracted. If hosing instability occurs, it could be detected by measuring a non-uniform defocused beam shape with changing radius. Using a 1mm thick Chromox scintillation screen for imaging of the self-modulated proton bunch, an edge resolution of 0.6mm and hence an SMI saturation point resolution of 1.2m can be achieved.

First results of the plasma wakefield acceleration experiment at PITZ

The self-modulation instability of long particle beams was proposed as a new mechanism to produce driver beams for proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA). The PWFA experiment at the Photo Injector Test facility at DESY, Zeuthen site (PITZ) was launched to experimentally demonstrate and study the self-modulation of long electron beams in plasma. Key aspects for the experiment are the very flexible photocathode laser system, a plasma cell and well-developed beam diagnostics. In this contribution we report about the plasma cell design, preparatory experiments and the results of the first PWFA experiment at PITZ.

The FLASHForward facility at DESY

The FLASHForward project at DESY is a pioneering plasma-wakefield acceleration experiment that aims to produce, in a few centimetres of ionised hydrogen, beams with energy of order GeV that are of quality sufficient to be used in a free-electron laser. The plasma is created by ionising a gas in a gas cell with a multi-TW laser system. The plasma wave will be driven by high-current-density electron beams from the FLASH linear accelerator. The laser system can also be used to provide optical diagnostics of the plasma and electron beams due to the <30fs synchronisation between the laser and the driving electron beam. The project will explore both external and internal witness-beam injection techniques. The operation parameters of the experiment are discussed, as well as the scientific programme.

Adaptive method for electron bunch profile prediction

We report on an experiment performed at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, in which a new adaptive control algorithm, one with known, bounded update rates, despite operating on analytically unknown cost functions, was utilized in order to provide quasi-real-time bunch property estimates of the electron beam. Multiple parameters, such as arbitrary rf phase settings and other time-varying accelerator properties, were simultaneously tuned in order to match a simulated bunch energy spectrum with a measured energy spectrum. The simple adaptive scheme was digitally implemented using matlab and the experimental physics and industrial control system. The main result is a nonintrusive, nondestructive, real-time diagnostic scheme for prediction of bunch profiles, as well as other beam parameters, the precise control of which are important for the plasma wakefield acceleration experiments being explored at FACET.

Quantitative single shot and spatially resolved plasma wakefield diagnostics

Diagnosing plasma conditions can give great advantages in optimizing plasma wakefield accelerator experiments. One possible method is that of photon acceleration. By propagating a laser probe pulse through a plasma wakefield and extracting the imposed frequency modulation, one can obtain an image of the density modulation of the wakefield. In order to diagnose the wakefield parameters at a chosen point in the plasma, the probe pulse crosses the plasma at oblique angles relative to the wakefield. In this paper, mathematical expressions relating the frequency modulation of the laser pulse and the wakefield density profile of the plasma for oblique crossing angles are derived. Multidimensional particle-in-cell simulation results presented in this paper confirm that the frequency modulation profiles and the density modulation profiles agree to within 10%. Limitations to the accuracy of the measurement are discussed in this paper. This technique opens new possibilities to quantitatively diagnose the plasma wakefield density at known positions within the plasma column.