Relativistic Electron Bunches Research Articles

Plasma electron acceleration driven by a long-wave-infrared laser

Laser-driven plasma accelerators provide tabletop sources of relativistic electron bunches and femtosecond x-ray pulses, but usually require petawatt-class solid-state-laser pulses of wavelength λL ~ 1 μm. Longer-λL lasers can potentially accelerate higher-quality bunches, since they require less power to drive larger wakes in less dense plasma. Here, we report on a self-injecting plasma accelerator driven by a long-wave-infrared laser: a chirped-pulse-amplified CO2 laser (λL ≈ 10 μm). Through optical scattering experiments, we observed wakes that 4-ps CO2 pulses with < 1/2 terawatt (TW) peak power drove in hydrogen plasma of electron density down to 4 × 1017 cm−3 (1/100 atmospheric density) via a self-modulation (SM) instability. Shorter, more powerful CO2 pulses drove wakes in plasma down to 3 × 1016 cm−3 that captured and accelerated plasma electrons to relativistic energy. Collimated quasi-monoenergetic features in the electron output marked the onset of a transition from SM to bubble-regime acceleration, portending future higher-quality accelerators driven by yet shorter, more powerful pulses.

Tunable Energy Spectrum Betatron X-ray Sources in Plasma Wakefield

Abstract The X-ray source with tunable energy spectrum has a wide range of application requirements in different scenarios because of its different penetration. However, existing X-ray sources face difficulties in energy regulation. In this paper, we prsent a scheme for tuning the energy spectrum of Betatron X-ray generated from a relativistic electron bunch oscillating in plasma wakefield. The center energy of the X-ray source can be tuned from several keV to several hundred keV by changing the plasma density, extending the control range by an order of magnitude. At different central energies, the brightness of Betatron radiation is in the range of 3.7 × 1022 to 5.5 × 1022 photons/(0.1%BW·s·mm2·mrad2), and the photon divergence angle is about 2 mrad. This high-brightness, energy-controlled betatron source could open a way to a wide range of applications requiring photons of specific energy, such as phase-contrast imaging in medicine, non-destructive testing and material analysis in industry, and imaging in nuclear physics.

Mechanism studies for relativistic attosecond electron bunches from laser-illuminated nanotargets.

To find a way to control the electron-bunching process and the bunch-emitting directions when an ultraintense, linearly polarized laser pulse interacts with a nanoscale target, we explored the mechanisms for the periodical generation of relativistic attosecond electron bunches. By comparing the simulation results of three different target geometries, the results show that for nanofoil target, limiting the transverse target size to a small value and increasing the longitudinal size to a certain extent is an effective way to improve the total electron quantity in a single bunch. Then the subfemtosecond electronic dynamics when an ultrashort ultraintense laser grazing propagates along a nanofoil target was analyzed through particle-in-cell simulations and semiclassical analyses, which shows the detailed dynamics of the electron acceleration, radiation, and bunching process in the laser field. The analyses also show that the charge separation field produced by the ions plays a key role in the generation of electron bunches, which can be used to control the quantity of the corresponding attosecond radiation bunches by adjusting the length of the nanofoil target.

Dephasingless plasma wakefield photon acceleration.

Sandberg and Thomas [Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 085001 (2023)0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.130.085001] proposed a scheme to generate ultrashort, high-energy pulses of XUV photons though dephasingless photon acceleration in a beam-driven plasma wakefield. An ultrashort laser pulse is placed in the plasma wake behind a relativistic electron bunch such that it experiences a comoving negative density gradient and therefore shifts up in frequency. Using a tapered density profile provides phase-matching between driver and witness pulses. In this paper, we give the details of the wakefield solutions and phase-matching conditions used to generate the phase-matching density profile. The short, high-density, and weak driver limits are considered. We show, explicitly, the numerical algorithm used to calculate the density profiles.

Characterization of relativistic electron bunch duration and traveling wave structure phase velocity based on momentum spectra measurements

Characterization of relativistic electron bunch duration and traveling wave structure phase velocity based on momentum spectra measurements

Real-time visualization of the laser-plasma wakefield dynamics.

The exploration of new acceleration mechanisms for compactly delivering high-energy particle beams has gained great attention in recent years. One alternative that has attracted particular interest is the plasma-based wakefield accelerator, which is capable of sustaining accelerating fields that are more than three orders of magnitude larger than those of conventional radio-frequency accelerators. In this device, acceleration is generated by plasma waves that propagate at nearly light speed, driven by intense lasers or charged particle beams. Here, we report on the direct visualization of the entire plasma wake dynamics by probing it with a femtosecond relativistic electron bunch. This includes the excitation of the laser wakefield, the increase of its amplitude, the electron injection, and the transition to the beam-driven plasma wakefield. These experimental observations provide first-hand valuable insights into the complex physics of laser beam-plasma interaction and demonstrate a powerful tool that can largely advance the development of plasma accelerators for real-time operation.

EXCITATION OF WAKE SURFACE PLASMON-PHONON OSCILLATIONS BY A RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON BUNCH IN A POLAR SEMICONDUCTOR WAVEGUIDE

The process of surface wakefields excitation by the relativistic electron bunch in a polar semiconductor waveguide with a vacuum channel for electron bunch propagation is studied. The spectra and spatio-temporal structure of the excited surface wakefield in such system are investigated. It is shown that the excited full surface wakefield in the terahertz and infrared frequency ranges consists of the fields of LF and HF hybrid plasmon-phonon oscillations. The amplitudes of them are determined.

Electron-beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration of photons

The paper [R .T. Sandberg and A. G. R. Thomas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 085001 (2023)] proposed a scheme to generate ultrashort, high energy pulses of XUV photons through dephasingless photon acceleration in a beam-driven plasma wakefield. An ultrashort laser pulse is placed in the plasma wake behind a relativistic electron bunch so that it experiences a density gradient and therefore shifts up in frequency. Using a tapered density profile provides phase-matching between the driver and witness pulses. In this paper, we study via particle-in-cell simulation the limits, practical realization, and 3D considerations for beam-driven photon acceleration using the tapered plasma density profile. We study increased efficiency by the use of a chirped drive pulse, establishing the necessity of the density profile shape we derived as opposed to a simple linear ramp, but also demonstrating that a piecewise representation of the profile—as could be experimentally achieved by a series of gas cells—is adequate for achieving phase matching. Scalings to even higher frequency shifts are given.

WAKE EXCITATION OF PLASMA AND ELECTROMAGNETIC OSCILLATIONS BY A RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON BUNCH IN A PLASMA RESONATOR

The process of the excitation of plasma and electromagnetic oscillations by a relativistic electron bunch in a plasma resonator is considered. It is shown that the potential electric field of plasma oscillations contains the field of a bulk wake plasma wave and the fields of two surface plasma oscillations. Surface plasma oscillations are localized in the vicinity of the input and output ends of the plasma resonator. In a plasma resonator, as a result of the effect of transition radiation at the ends of the resonator, the electron bunch will also excite eigen electromagnetic oscillations of the resonator. The spatio-temporal structure of the electromagnetic field of these oscillations has been studied.

ELABORATION OF THE PLASMA-DIELECTRIC WAKEFIELD ACCELERATOR WITH A PROFILED SEQUENCE OF DRIVER ELECTRON BUNCHES

A theoretical and experimental study of wakefield excitation by a profiled sequence of relativistic electron bunches in the plasma-dielectric structure, the parameters of which provide the conditions for the excitation of a small decelerating field for all driver bunches with simultaneous growth with the number of bunches of the accelerating total wakefield was carried out. Theoretically, the transformation ratio was found for the parameters of the experiment as the ratio of the total wakefield of the sequence to the field that decelerates driver bunches. In the performed experiments, the total wakefield was measured by the microwave probe. The magnitude of the decelerating field is determined by the shift of the maximum of the spectrum measured by the magnetic analyzer before and after wakefield excitation in the structure. The obtained transformation ratio increases with the number of bunches in the sequence and significantly exceeds this one for a nonprofiled sequence.

Relativistic electron bunches accelerated by radially polarized TW lasers from near-critical-density plasmas

By three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation, we study electron acceleration by tightly focusing a few-cycle radially polarized laser onto near-critical-density plasmas. Laser ponderomotive force first pushes electrons into the target, forming a compressed electron layer and leaving behind a charge-separation field. Together with the strong longitudinal electric field of this radially polarized light, the charge-separation field accelerates the electrons backward and injects them into laser fields. The reflected light continuously accelerates these injected electrons by its longitudinal field. Simulations show that a tight quasi-monoenergetic electron bunch at 15 MeV is generated within a few micrometers.

Direct visualization of relativistic Coulomb field in the near and far field ranges

Coherent emission coming from relativistic charged bunches is of great interest in a wide range of user-oriented applications and high-resolution diagnostics. The complete characterization of such emission is therefore important in view of a complete understanding of its potential. Here we present a complete temporally-resolved characterization of the radiation emitted by ultra-short relativistic electron bunches using a temporal diagnostic based on electro-optical sampling with a few tens fs of temporal resolution. We have characterized, for the first time to our knowledge, the evolution of the radiation (in THz range) both in amplitude and direction of propagation by varying the detection (i.e. the observer) position from the near to the far field (FF) range. Results show that in the near-field regime the emitted radiation propagates collinearly with the electron beam; while, approaching the FF regime, the radiation behaves as the classical Cherenkov radiation.

Femtosecond electron microscopy of relativistic electron bunches

The development of plasma-based accelerators has enabled the generation of very high brightness electron bunches of femtosecond duration, micrometer size and ultralow emittance, crucial for emerging applications including ultrafast detection in material science, laboratory-scale free-electron lasers and compact colliders for high-energy physics. The precise characterization of the initial bunch parameters is critical to the ability to manipulate the beam properties for downstream applications. Proper diagnostic of such ultra-short and high charge density laser-plasma accelerated bunches, however, remains very challenging. Here we address this challenge with a novel technique we name as femtosecond ultrarelativistic electron microscopy, which utilizes an electron bunch from another laser-plasma accelerator as a probe. In contrast to conventional microscopy of using very low-energy electrons, the femtosecond duration and high electron energy of such a probe beam enable it to capture the ultra-intense space-charge fields of the investigated bunch and to reconstruct the charge distribution with very high spatiotemporal resolution, all in a single shot. In the experiment presented here we have used this technique to study the shape of a laser-plasma accelerated electron beam, its asymmetry due to the drive laser polarization, and its beam evolution as it exits the plasma. We anticipate that this method will significantly advance the understanding of complex beam-plasma dynamics and will also provide a powerful new tool for real-time optimization of plasma accelerators.

Time domain double slit interference of electron produced by XUV synchrotron radiation

We present a new realization of the time-domain double-slit experiment with photoelectrons, demonstrating that spontaneous radiation from a bunch of relativistic electrons can be used to control the quantum interference of single-particles. The double-slit arrangement is realized by a pair of light wave packets with attosecond-controlled spacing, which is naturally included in the spontaneous radiation from two undulators in series. Photoelectrons emitted from helium atoms are observed in the energy-domain under the condition of detecting them one by one, and the stochastic buildup of the quantum interference pattern on a detector plane is recorded.

Measurement of femtosecond dynamics of ultrafast electron beams through terahertz compression and time-stamping

Visualizing ultrafast dynamics at the atomic scale requires time-resolved characterization with femtosecond temporal resolution. For fully relativistic electron bunch probes, existing techniques for single-shot ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) are limited by the achievable electron probe bunch length, charge, and timing jitter. We present the first experimental demonstration of dual-fed THz-driven compression and time-stamping that enables electron probes with improved temporal resolution. This technique utilizes two counter-propagating quasi-single-cycle THz pulses generated from two OH-1 organic crystals coupled into an optimized THz compressor structure. We demonstrate electron bunch compression and time-of-arrival jitter suppression by a factor of 3 paving the way toward unique opportunities for UED time-resolved measurements.

Усиление коротковолновых субаттоимпульсов в лазере нa свободных электронах при помощи электронов, ускоренных в лазерной плазме

The amplification in a free-electron laser undulator of a short-wavelength subattosecond pulse formed in a laser plasma upon its interaction with a relativistic electron bunch produced by a petawatt laser is considered. The aim of this work is to find the parameters of the system at which it is possible to amplify ultrashort pulses with a duration of up to hundreds of zeptoseconds.

Field enhanced compact S-band gun employing a pin cathode

S-band RF-guns are highly developed for production of low emittance relativistic electron bunches, but need powerful klystrons for driving. Here, we present the design and first experimental tests of a compact S-band gun, which can accelerate electrons up to 180 keV powered by only 10 kW from a compact rack-mountable solid-state amplifier. A pin-cathode is used to enhance the RF electric field on the cathode up to 100 MV/m as in large-scale S-band guns. An electron bunch is generated through photoemission from a flat copper surface on the pin ex-cited by a UV laser pulse followed by a focussing solenoid producing a low emittance bunch with 0.1 mm mrad transverse emittance for up to 100 fC bunch charge. We are currently in the conditioning phase of the gun and first experiments show good agreement with simulations. The compact gun will serve three purposes: (i) it can be used directly for ultrafast electron diffraction; (ii) as an injector into a THz booster producing 0.3 MeV to 2 MeV electron bunches for ultrafast electron diffraction; (iii) The system in (ii) serves as an injector into a THz linear accelerator producing a 20 MeV beam for the AXSIS X-ray source project.

ELI Gammatron Beamline: A Dawn of Ultrafast Hard X-ray Science

The realization of compact X-ray sources is one of the most intriguing applications of laser-plasma based electron acceleration. These sources based on the oscillation of short micron-sized bunches of relativistic electrons provide femtosecond X-ray pulses that are collimated, bright, and partially coherent. The state-of-the-art laser plasma X-ray sources can provide photon flux of over 1011 photons/shot. The photon flux can further be enhanced with the availability of high repetition rate, high-power lasers, providing capacities complementary to the large scale facilities such as synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers. Even though the optimization of such sources has been underway for the last two decades, their applications in material and biological sciences are still emerging, which entail the necessity of a user-oriented X-ray beamlines. Based on this concept, a high-power-laser-based user-oriented X-ray source is being developed at ELI Beamlines. This article reports on the ELI Gammatron beamline and presents an overview of the research accessible with the ultrashort hard X-ray pulses at the ELI Gammatron beamline.

Reflective nonresonant amplification of powerful terahertz wave pulses by relativistic electron bunches

We describe the concept of an amplifier based on a principally nonlinear effect of reflection of an electron bunch from a short powerful wave pulse. This is an effective mechanism of energy extraction by the wave from particles which does not require providing of any type of the electron–wave resonance and ensures amplification of wave pulses with relatively high peak powers.

Luminous, relativistic, directional electron bunches from an intense laser driven grating plasma

Bright, energetic, and directional electron bunches are generated through efficient energy transfer of relativistic intense (~ 1019 W/cm2), 30 femtosecond, 800 nm high contrast laser pulses to grating targets (500 lines/mm and 1000 lines/mm), under surface plasmon resonance (SPR) conditions. Bi-directional relativistic electron bunches (at 40° and 150°) are observed exiting from the 500 lines/mm grating target at the SPR conditions. The surface plasmon excited grating target enhances the electron flux and temperature by factor of 6.0 and 3.6, respectively, compared to that of the plane substrate. Particle-in-Cell simulations indicate that fast electrons are emitted in different directions at different stages of the laser interaction, which are related to the resultant surface magnetic field evolution. This study suggests that the SPR mechanism can be used to generate multiple, bright, ultrafast relativistic electron bunches for a variety of applications.