Two-color ionization injection using a plasma beatwave accelerator

DOE PAGES

Schroeder, C. B.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.; ...

2018-01-10

Two-color laser ionization injection is a method to generate ultra-low emittance (sub-100 nm transverse normalized emittance) beams in a laser-driven plasma accelerator. A plasma beatwave accelerator is proposed to drive the plasma wave for ionization injection, where the beating of the lasers effectively produces a train of long-wavelength pulses. The plasma beatwave accelerator excites a large amplitude plasma wave with low peak laser electric fields, leaving atomically-bound electrons with low ionization potential. A short-wavelength, low-amplitude ionization injection laser pulse (with a small ponderomotive force and large peak electric field) is used to ionize the remaining bound electrons at a wakemore » phase suitable for trapping, generating an ultra-low emittance electron beam that is accelerated in the plasma wave. Using a plasma beatwave accelerator for wakefield excitation, compared to short-pulse wakefield excitation, allows for a lower amplitude injection laser pulse and, hence, a lower emittance beam may be generated.« less

Laser-driven electron beam acceleration and future application to compact light sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafz, N.; Jeong, T. M.; Lee, S. K.; Pae, K. H.; Sung, J. H.; Choi, I. W.; Yu, T. J.; Jeong, Y. U.; Lee, J.

2009-07-01

Laser-driven plasma accelerators are gaining much attention by the advanced accelerator community due to the potential these accelerators hold in miniaturizing future high-energy and medium-energy machines. In the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA), the ponderomotive force of an ultrashort high intensity laser pulse excites a longitudinal plasma wave or bubble. Due to huge charge separation, electric fields created in the plasma bubble can be several orders of magnitude higher than those available in conventional microwave and RF-based accelerator facilities which are limited (up to ˜100 MV/m) by material breakdown. Therefore, if an electron bunch is injected into the bubble in phase with its field, it will gain relativistic energies within an extremely short distance. Here, in the LWFA we show the generation of high-quality and high-energy electron beams up to the GeV-class within a few millimeters of gas-jet plasmas irradiated by tens of terawatt ultrashort laser pulses. Thus we realize approximately four orders of magnitude acceleration gradients higher than available by conventional technology. As a practical application of the stable high-energy electron beam generation, we are planning on injecting the electron beams into a few-meters long conventional undulator in order to realize compact X-ray synchrotron (immediate) and FEL (future) light sources. Stable laser-driven electron beam and radiation devices will surely open a new era in science, medicine and technology and will benefit a larger number of users in those fields.

Weibel instability mediated collisionless shocks using intense laser-driven plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palaniyappan, Sasi; Huang, Chengkun; Gautier, Donald; Fernandez, Juan; Ma, Wenjun; Schreiber, Jorg; LANL Collaboration; LMU Team

2016-10-01

The origin of cosmic rays remains a long-standing challenge in astrophysics and continues to fascinate physicists. It is believed that ``collisionless shocks'' - where the particle Coulomb mean free path is much larger that the shock transition - are a dominant source of energetic cosmic rays. These shocks are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments such as gamma-ray bursts, supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebula and coronal mass ejections from the sun. Several spacecraft observations have revealed acceleration of charged particles, mostly electrons, to very high energies with in the shock front. There is now also clear observational evidence that supernova remnant shocks accelerate both protons and electrons. The understanding of the microphysics behind collisionless shocks and their particle acceleration is tightly related with nonlinear basic plasma processes and remains a grand challenge. In this poster, we will present results from recent experiments at the LANL Trident laser facility studying collisionless shocks using intense ps laser (80J, 650 fs - peak intensity of 1020 W/cm2) driven near-critical plasmas using carbon nanotube foam targets. A second short pulse laser driven protons from few microns thick aluminum foil is used to image the laser-driven plasma.

Demonstration of passive plasma lensing of a laser wakefield accelerated electron bunch

DOE PAGES

Kuschel, S.; Hollatz, D.; Heinemann, T.; ...

2016-07-20

We report on the first demonstration of passive all-optical plasma lensing using a two-stage setup. An intense femtosecond laser accelerates electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) to 100 MeV over millimeter length scales. By adding a second gas target behind the initial LWFA stage we introduce a robust and independently tunable plasma lens. We observe a density dependent reduction of the LWFA electron beam divergence from an initial value of 2.3 mrad, down to 1.4 mrad (rms), when the plasma lens is in operation. Such a plasma lens provides a simple and compact approach for divergence reduction well matchedmore » to the mm-scale length of the LWFA accelerator. The focusing forces are provided solely by the plasma and driven by the bunch itself only, making this a highly useful and conceptually new approach to electron beam focusing. Possible applications of this lens are not limited to laser plasma accelerators. Since no active driver is needed the passive plasma lens is also suited for high repetition rate focusing of electron bunches. As a result, its understanding is also required for modeling the evolution of the driving particle bunch in particle driven wake field acceleration.« less

Generation of quasi-monoenergetic heavy ion beams via staged shock wave acceleration driven by intense laser pulses in near-critical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W. L.; Qiao, B.; Shen, X. F.; You, W. Y.; Huang, T. W.; Yan, X. Q.; Wu, S. Z.; Zhou, C. T.; He, X. T.

2016-09-01

Laser-driven ion acceleration potentially offers a compact, cost-effective alternative to conventional accelerators for scientific, technological, and health-care applications. A novel scheme for heavy ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas via staged shock waves driven by intense laser pulses is proposed, where, in front of the heavy ion target, a light ion layer is used for launching a high-speed electrostatic shock wave. This shock is enhanced at the interface before it is transmitted into the heavy ion plasmas. Monoenergetic heavy ion beam with much higher energy can be generated by the transmitted shock, comparing to the shock wave acceleration in pure heavy ion target. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that quasi-monoenergetic {{{C}}}6+ ion beams with peak energy 168 MeV and considerable particle number 2.1 × {10}11 are obtained by laser pulses at intensity of 1.66 × {10}20 {{W}} {{cm}}-2 in such staged shock wave acceleration scheme. Similarly a high-quality {{Al}}10+ ion beam with a well-defined peak with energy 250 MeV and spread δ E/{E}0=30 % can also be obtained in this scheme.

Dense blocks of energetic ions driven by multi-petawatt lasers

PubMed Central

Weng, S. M.; Liu, M.; Sheng, Z. M.; Murakami, M.; Chen, M.; Yu, L. L.; Zhang, J.

2016-01-01

Laser-driven ion accelerators have the advantages of compact size, high density, and short bunch duration over conventional accelerators. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to simultaneously enhance the yield and quality of laser-driven ion beams for practical applications. Here we propose a scheme to address this challenge via the use of emerging multi-petawatt lasers and a density-modulated target. The density-modulated target permits its ions to be uniformly accelerated as a dense block by laser radiation pressure. In addition, the beam quality of the accelerated ions is remarkably improved by embedding the target in a thick enough substrate, which suppresses hot electron refluxing and thus alleviates plasma heating. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that almost all ions in a solid-density plasma of a few microns can be uniformly accelerated to about 25% of the speed of light by a laser pulse at an intensity around 1022 W/cm2. The resulting dense block of energetic ions may drive fusion ignition and more generally create matter with unprecedented high energy density. PMID:26924793

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Bellaveglia, M.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Di Pirro, G.; Ferrario, M.; Mostacci, A.; Palumbo, L.; Pompili, R.; Shpakov, V.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.; Zigler, A.

2016-09-01

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.

Optical probing of high intensity laser interaction with micron-sized cryogenic hydrogen jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziegler, Tim; Rehwald, Martin; Obst, Lieselotte; Bernert, Constantin; Brack, Florian-Emanuel; Curry, Chandra B.; Gauthier, Maxence; Glenzer, Siegfried H.; Göde, Sebastian; Kazak, Lev; Kraft, Stephan D.; Kuntzsch, Michael; Loeser, Markus; Metzkes-Ng, Josefine; Rödel, Christian; Schlenvoigt, Hans-Peter; Schramm, Ulrich; Siebold, Mathias; Tiggesbäumker, Josef; Wolter, Steffen; Zeil, Karl

2018-07-01

Probing the rapid dynamics of plasma evolution in laser-driven plasma interactions provides deeper understanding of experiments in the context of laser-driven ion acceleration and facilitates the interplay with complementing numerical investigations. Besides the microscopic scales involved, strong plasma (self-)emission, predominantly around the harmonics of the driver laser, often complicates the data analysis. We present the concept and the implementation of a stand-alone probe laser system that is temporally synchronized to the driver laser, providing probing wavelengths beyond the harmonics of the driver laser. The capability of this system is shown during a full-scale laser proton acceleration experiment using renewable cryogenic hydrogen jet targets. For further improvements, we studied the influence of probe color, observation angle of the probe and temporal contrast of the driver laser on the probe image quality.

A New Type of Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Driven By Magnetowaves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Pisin; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Taiwan, Natl. Taiwan U.; Chang, Feng-Yin

2011-09-12

We present a new concept for a plasma wakefield accelerator driven by magnetowaves (MPWA). This concept was originally proposed as a viable mechanism for the 'cosmic accelerator' that would accelerate cosmic particles to ultra-high energies in the astrophysical setting. Unlike the more familiar plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) and the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) where the drivers, the charged-particle beam and the laser, are independently existing entities, MPWA invokes the high-frequency and high-speed whistler mode as the driver, which is a medium wave that cannot exist outside of the plasma. Aside from the difference in drivers, the underlying mechanism that excitesmore » the plasma wakefield via the ponderomotive potential is common. Our computer simulations show that under appropriate conditions, the plasma wakefield maintains very high coherence and can sustain high-gradient acceleration over many plasma wavelengths. We suggest that in addition to its celestial application, the MPWA concept can also be of terrestrial utility. A proof-of-principle experiment on MPWA would benefit both terrestrial and celestial accelerator concepts.« less

Modeling laser-driven electron acceleration using WARP with Fourier decomposition

DOE PAGES

Lee, P.; Audet, T. L.; Lehe, R.; ...

2015-12-31

WARP is used with the recent implementation of the Fourier decomposition algorithm to model laser-driven electron acceleration in plasmas. Simulations were carried out to analyze the experimental results obtained on ionization-induced injection in a gas cell. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, confirming the ability of the code to take into account the physics of electron injection and reduce calculation time. We present a detailed analysis of the laser propagation, the plasma wave generation and the electron beam dynamics.

Modeling laser-driven electron acceleration using WARP with Fourier decomposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, P.; Audet, T. L.; Lehe, R.

WARP is used with the recent implementation of the Fourier decomposition algorithm to model laser-driven electron acceleration in plasmas. Simulations were carried out to analyze the experimental results obtained on ionization-induced injection in a gas cell. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, confirming the ability of the code to take into account the physics of electron injection and reduce calculation time. We present a detailed analysis of the laser propagation, the plasma wave generation and the electron beam dynamics.

Application of Plasma Waveguides to High Energy Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milchberg, Howard M

2013-03-30

The eventual success of laser-plasma based acceleration schemes for high-energy particle physics will require the focusing and stable guiding of short intense laser pulses in reproducible plasma channels. For this goal to be realized, many scientific issues need to be addressed. These issues include an understanding of the basic physics of, and an exploration of various schemes for, plasma channel formation. In addition, the coupling of intense laser pulses to these channels and the stable propagation of pulses in the channels require study. Finally, new theoretical and computational tools need to be developed to aid in the design and analysismore » of experiments and future accelerators. Here we propose a 3-year renewal of our combined theoretical and experimental program on the applications of plasma waveguides to high-energy accelerators. During the past grant period we have made a number of significant advances in the science of laser-plasma based acceleration. We pioneered the development of clustered gases as a new highly efficient medium for plasma channel formation. Our contributions here include theoretical and experimental studies of the physics of cluster ionization, heating, explosion, and channel formation. We have demonstrated for the first time the generation of and guiding in a corrugated plasma waveguide. The fine structure demonstrated in these guides is only possible with cluster jet heating by lasers. The corrugated guide is a slow wave structure operable at arbitrarily high laser intensities, allowing direct laser acceleration, a process we have explored in detail with simulations. The development of these guides opens the possibility of direct laser acceleration, a true miniature analogue of the SLAC RF-based accelerator. Our theoretical studies during this period have also contributed to the further development of the simulation codes, Wake and QuickPIC, which can be used for both laser driven and beam driven plasma based acceleration schemes. We will continue our development of advanced simulation tools by modifying the QuickPIC algorithm to allow for the simulation of plasma particle pick-up by the wake fields. We have also performed extensive simulations of plasma slow wave structures for efficient THz generation by guided laser beams or accelerated electron beams. We will pursue experimental studies of direct laser acceleration, and THz generation by two methods, ponderomotive-induced THz polarization, and THz radiation by laser accelerated electron beams. We also plan to study both conventional and corrugated plasma channels using our new 30 TW in our new lab facilities. We will investigate production of very long hydrogen plasma waveguides (5 cm). We will study guiding at increasing power levels through the onset of laser-induced cavitation (bubble regime) to assess the role played by the preformed channel. Experiments in direct acceleration will be performed, using laser plasma wakefields as the electron injector. Finally, we will use 2-colour ionization of gases as a high frequency THz source (<60 THz) in order for femtosecond measurements of low plasma densities in waveguides and beams.« less

Controllable robust laser driven ion acceleration from near-critical density relativistic self-transparent plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bin; Meyer-Ter-Vehn, Juergen; Ruhl, Hartmut

2017-10-01

We introduce an alternative approach for laser driven self-injected high quality ion acceleration. We call it ion wave breaking acceleration. It operates in relativistic self-transparent plasma for ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulses. Laser propagating in a transparent plasma excites an electron wave as well as an ion wave. When the ion wave breaks, a fraction of ions is self-injected into the positive part of the laser driven wake. This leads to a superior ion pulse with peaked energy spectra; in particular in realistic three-dimensional geometry, the injection occurs localized close to the laser axis producing highly directed bunches. A theory is developed to investigate the ion wave breaking dynamics. Three dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations with pure-gaussian laser pulses and pre-expanded near-critical density plasma targets have been done to verify the theoretical results. It is shown that hundreds of MeV, easily controllable and manipulable, micron-scale size, highly collimated and quasi-mono-energetic ion beams can be produced by using ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulses with total laser energies less than 10 Joules. Such ion beams may find important applications in tumour therapy. B. Liu acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. B. Liu and H. Ruhl acknowledge supports from the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS), and the Cluster-of-Excellence Munich Centre for Advanced Photonics (MAP).

Stable quasi-monoenergetic ion acceleration from the laser-driven shocks in a collisional plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhadoria, Shikha; Kumar, Naveen; Keitel, Christoph H.

2017-10-01

Effect of collisions on the shock formation and subsequent ion acceleration from the laser-plasma interaction is explored by the means of particle-in-cell simulations. In this setup, the incident laser pushes the laser-plasma interface inside the plasma target through the hole-boring effect and generates hot electrons. The propagation of these hot electrons inside the target excites a return plasma current, leading to filamentary structures caused by the Weibel/filamentation instability. Weakening of the space-charge effects due to collisions results in the shock formation with a higher density jump than in a collisionless plasma. This results in the formation of a stronger shock leading to a stable quasi-monoenergetic acceleration of ions.

Staging and laser acceleration of ions in underdense plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ting, Antonio; Hafizi, Bahman; Helle, Michael; Chen, Yu-Hsin; Gordon, Daniel; Kaganovich, Dmitri; Polyanskiy, Mikhail; Pogorelsky, Igor; Babzien, Markus; Miao, Chenlong; Dover, Nicholas; Najmudin, Zulfikar; Ettlinger, Oliver

2017-03-01

Accelerating ions from rest in a plasma requires extra considerations because of their heavy mass. Low phase velocity fields or quasi-electrostatic fields are often necessary, either by operating above or near the critical density or by applying other slow wave generating mechanisms. Solid targets have been a favorite and have generated many good results. High density gas targets have also been reported to produce energetic ions. It is interesting to consider acceleration of ions in laser-driven plasma configurations that will potentially allow continuous acceleration in multiple consecutive stages. The plasma will be derived from gaseous targets, producing plasma densities slightly below the critical plasma density (underdense) for the driving laser. Such a plasma is experimentally robust, being repeatable and relatively transparent to externally injected ions from a previous stage. When optimized, multiple stages of this underdense laser plasma acceleration mechanism can progressively accelerate the ions to a high final energy. For a light mass ion such as the proton, relativistic velocities could be reached, making it suitable for further acceleration by high phase velocity plasma accelerators to energies appropriate for High Energy Physics applications. Negatively charged ions such as antiprotons could be similarly accelerated in this multi-staged ion acceleration scheme.

Dynamics of electron injection and acceleration driven by laser wakefield in tailored density profiles

DOE PAGES

Lee, Patrick; Maynard, G.; Audet, T. L.; ...

2016-11-16

The dynamics of electron acceleration driven by laser wakefield is studied in detail using the particle-in-cell code WARP with the objective to generate high-quality electron bunches with narrow energy spread and small emittance, relevant for the electron injector of a multistage accelerator. Simulation results, using experimentally achievable parameters, show that electron bunches with an energy spread of ~11% can be obtained by using an ionization-induced injection mechanism in a mm-scale length plasma. By controlling the focusing of a moderate laser power and tailoring the longitudinal plasma density profile, the electron injection beginning and end positions can be adjusted, while themore » electron energy can be finely tuned in the last acceleration section.« less

Editorial: Focus on Laser- and Beam-Driven Plasma Accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Chan; Malka, Victor

2010-04-01

The ability of short but intense laser pulses to generate high-energy electrons and ions from gaseous and solid targets has been well known since the early days of the laser fusion program. However, during the past decade there has been an explosion of experimental and theoretical activity in this area of laser-matter interaction, driven by the prospect of realizing table-top plasma accelerators for research, medical and industrial uses, and also relatively small and inexpensive plasma accelerators for high-energy physics at the frontier of particle physics. In this focus issue on laser- and beam-driven plasma accelerators, the latest advances in this field are described. Focus on Laser- and Beam-Driven Plasma Accelerators Contents Slow wave plasma structures for direct electron acceleration B D Layer, J P Palastro, A G York, T M Antonsen and H M Milchberg Cold injection for electron wakefield acceleration X Davoine, A Beck, A Lifschitz, V Malka and E Lefebvre Enhanced proton flux in the MeV range by defocused laser irradiation J S Green, D C Carroll, C Brenner, B Dromey, P S Foster, S Kar, Y T Li, K Markey, P McKenna, D Neely, A P L Robinson, M J V Streeter, M Tolley, C-G Wahlström, M H Xu and M Zepf Dose-dependent biological damage of tumour cells by laser-accelerated proton beams S D Kraft, C Richter, K Zeil, M Baumann, E Beyreuther, S Bock, M Bussmann, T E Cowan, Y Dammene, W Enghardt, U Helbig, L Karsch, T Kluge, L Laschinsky, E Lessmann, J Metzkes, D Naumburger, R Sauerbrey, M. Scḧrer, M Sobiella, J Woithe, U Schramm and J Pawelke The optimum plasma density for plasma wakefield excitation in the blowout regime W Lu, W An, M Zhou, C Joshi, C Huang and W B Mori Plasma wakefield acceleration experiments at FACET M J Hogan, T O Raubenheimer, A Seryi, P Muggli, T Katsouleas, C Huang, W Lu, W An, K A Marsh, W B Mori, C E Clayton and C Joshi Electron trapping and acceleration on a downward density ramp: a two-stage approach R M G M Trines, R Bingham, Z Najmudin, S Mangles, L O Silva, R Fonseca and P A Norreys Electro-optic shocks from blowout laser wakefields D F Gordon, A Ting, M H Helle, D Kaganovich and B Hafizi Onset of self-steepening of intense laser pulses in plasmas J Vieira, F Fiúza, L O Silva, M Tzoufras and W B Mori Analysis of laser wakefield dynamics in capillary tubes N E Andreev, K Cassou, F Wojda, G Genoud, M Burza, O Lundh, A Persson, B Cros, V E Fortov and C-G Wahlstrom Characterization of the beam loading effects in a laser plasma accelerator C Rechatin, J Faure, X Davoine, O Lundh, J Lim, A Ben-Ismaïl, F Burgy, A Tafzi, A Lifschitz, E Lefebvre and V Malka Energy gain scaling with plasma length and density in the plasma wakefield accelerator P Muggli, I Blumenfeld, C E Clayton, F J Decker, M J Hogan, C Huang, R Ischebeck, R H Iverson, C Joshi, T Katsouleas, N Kirby, W Lu, K A Marsh, W B Mori, E Oz, R H Siemann, D R Walz and M Zhou Generation of tens of GeV quasi-monoenergetic proton beams from a moving double layer formed by ultraintense lasers at intensity 1021-1023Wcm-2 Lu-Le Yu, Han Xu, Wei-Min Wang, Zheng-Ming Sheng, Bai-Fei Shen, Wei Yu and Jie Zhang Carbon ion acceleration from thin foil targets irradiated by ultrahigh-contrast, ultraintense laser pulses D C Carroll, O Tresca, R Prasad, L Romagnani, P S Foster, P Gallegos, S Ter-Avetisyan, J S Green, M J V Streeter, N Dover, C A J Palmer, C M Brenner, F H Cameron, K E Quinn, J Schreiber, A P L Robinson, T Baeva, M N Quinn, X H Yuan, Z Najmudin, M Zepf, D Neely, M Borghesi and P McKenna Numerical modelling of a 10-cm-long multi-GeV laser wakefield accelerator driven by a self-guided petawatt pulse S Y Kalmykov, S A Yi, A Beck, A F Lifschitz, X Davoine, E Lefebvre, A Pukhov, V Khudik, G Shvets, S A Reed, P Dong, X Wang, D Du, S Bedacht, R Zgadzaj, W Henderson, A Bernstein, G Dyer, M Martinez, E Gaul, T Ditmire and M C Downer Effects of laser prepulses on laser-induced proton generation D Batani, R Jafer, M Veltcheva, R Dezulian, O Lundh, F Lindau, A Persson, K Osvay, C-G Wahlström, D C Carroll, P McKenna, A Flacco and V Malka Proton acceleration by moderately relativistic laser pulses interacting with solid density targets Erik Lefebvre, Laurent Gremillet, Anna Lévy, Rachel Nuter, Patrizio Antici, Michaël Carrié, Tiberio Ceccotti, Mathieu Drouin, Julien Fuchs, Victor Malka and David Neely Holographic visualization of laser wakefields P Dong, S A Reed, S A Yi, S Kalmykov, Z Y Li, G Shvets, N H Matlis, C McGuffey, S S Bulanov, V Chvykov, G Kalintchenko, K Krushelnick, A Maksimchuk, T Matsuoka, A G R Thomas, V Yanovsky and M C Downer The scaling of proton energies in ultrashort pulse laser plasma acceleration K Zeil, S D Kraft, S Bock, M Bussmann, T E Cowan, T Kluge, J Metzkes, T Richter, R Sauerbrey and U Schramm Plasma cavitation in ultraintense laser interactions with underdense helium plasmas P M Nilson, S P D Mangles, L Willingale, M C Kaluza, A G R Thomas, M Tatarakis, R J Clarke, K L Lancaster, S Karsch, J Schreiber, Z Najmudin, A E Dangor and K Krushelnick Radiation pressure acceleration of ultrathin foils Andrea Macchi, Silvia Veghini, Tatyana V Liseykina and Francesco Pegoraro Target normal sheath acceleration: theory, comparison with experiments and future perspectives Matteo Passoni, Luca Bertagna and Alessandro Zani Generation of a highly collimated, mono-energetic electron beam from laser-driven plasma-based acceleration Sanyasi Rao Bobbili, Anand Moorti, Prasad Anant Naik and Parshotam Dass Gupta Controlled electron acceleration in the bubble regime by optimizing plasma density Meng Wen, Baifei Shen, Xiaomei Zhang, Fengchao Wang, Zhangying Jin, Liangliang Ji, Wenpeng Wang, Jiancai Xu and Kazuhisa Nakajima A multidimensional theory for electron trapping by a plasma wake generated in the bubble regime I Kostyukov, E Nerush, A Pukhov and V Seredov Investigation of the role of plasma channels as waveguides for laser-wakefield accelerators T P A Ibbotson, N Bourgeois, T P Rowlands-Rees, L S Caballero, S I Bajlekov, P A Walker, S Kneip, S P D Mangles, S R Nagel, C A J Palmer, N Delerue, G Doucas, D Urner, O Chekhlov, R J Clarke, E Divall, K Ertel, P Foster, S J Hawkes, C J Hooker, B Parry, P P Rajeev, M J V Streeter and S M Hooker Divergence of fast ions generated by interaction of intense ultra-high contrast laser pulses with thin foils A Andreev, T Ceccotti, A Levy, K Platonov and Ph Martin The application of laser-driven proton beams to the radiography of intense laser-hohlraum interactions G Sarri, C A Cecchetti, L Romagnani, C M Brown, D J Hoarty, S James, J Morton, M E Dieckmann, R Jung, O Willi, S V Bulanov, F Pegoraro and M Borghesi Laser-driven particle and photon beams and some applications K W D Ledingham and W Galster Target shape effects on monoenergetic GeV proton acceleration Min Chen, Tong-Pu Yu, Alexander Pukhov and Zheng-Ming Sheng

Acceleration of on-axis and ring-shaped electron beams in wakefields driven by Laguerre-Gaussian pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Guo-Bo; Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas; Chen, Min, E-mail: minchen@sjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: yanyunma@126.com

2016-03-14

The acceleration of electron beams with multiple transverse structures in wakefields driven by Laguerre-Gaussian pulses has been studied through three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell simulations. Under different laser-plasma conditions, the wakefield shows different transverse structures. In general cases, the wakefield shows a donut-like structure and it accelerates the ring-shaped hollow electron beam. When a lower plasma density or a smaller laser spot size is used, besides the donut-like wakefield, a central bell-like wakefield can also be excited. The wake sets in the center of the donut-like wake. In this case, both a central on-axis electron beam and a ring-shaped electron beam aremore » simultaneously accelerated. Further, reducing the plasma density or laser spot size leads to an on-axis electron beam acceleration only. The research is beneficial for some potential applications requiring special pulse beam structures, such as positron acceleration and collimation.« less

Studying astrophysical particle acceleration with laser-driven plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiuza, Frederico

2016-10-01

The acceleration of non-thermal particles in plasmas is critical for our understanding of explosive astrophysical phenomena, from solar flares to gamma ray bursts. Particle acceleration is thought to be mediated by collisionless shocks and magnetic reconnection. The microphysics underlying these processes and their ability to efficiently convert flow and magnetic energy into non-thermal particles, however, is not yet fully understood. By performing for the first time ab initio 3D particle-in-cell simulations of the interaction of both magnetized and unmagnetized laser-driven plasmas, it is now possible to identify the optimal parameters for the study of particle acceleration in the laboratory relevant to astrophysical scenarios. It is predicted for the Omega and NIF laser conditions that significant non-thermal acceleration can occur during magnetic reconnection of laser-driven magnetized plasmas. Electrons are accelerated by the electric field near the X-points and trapped in contracting magnetic islands. This leads to a power-law tail extending to nearly a hundred times the thermal energy of the plasma and that contains a large fraction of the magnetic energy. The study of unmagnetized interpenetrating plasmas also reveals the possibility of forming collisionless shocks mediated by the Weibel instability on NIF. Under such conditions, both electrons and ions can be energized by scattering out of the Weibel-mediated turbulence. This also leads to power-law spectra that can be detected experimentally. The resulting experimental requirements to probe the microphysics of plasma particle acceleration will be discussed, paving the way for the first experiments of these important processes in the laboratory. As a result of these simulations and theoretical analysis, there are new experiments being planned on the Omega, NIF, and LCLS laser facilities to test these theoretical predictions. This work was supported by the SLAC LDRD program and DOE Office of Science, Fusion Energy Science (FWP 100182).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sokollik, T.; Leemans, W. P.; University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

We present experimental results on a tape-drive based plasma mirror which could be used for a compact coupling of a laser beam into a staged laser driven electron accelerator. This novel kind of plasma mirror is suitable for high repetition rates and for high number of laser shots.

Stable generation of GeV-class electron beams from self-guided laser-plasma channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafz, Nasr A. M.; Jeong, Tae Moon; Choi, Il Woo; Lee, Seong Ku; Pae, Ki Hong; Kulagin, Victor V.; Sung, Jae Hee; Yu, Tae Jun; Hong, Kyung-Han; Hosokai, Tomonao; Cary, John R.; Ko, Do-Kyeong; Lee, Jongmin

2008-09-01

Table-top laser-driven plasma accelerators are gaining attention for their potential use in miniaturizing future high-energy accelerators. By irradiating gas jet targets with ultrashort intense laser pulses, the generation of quasimonoenergetic electron beams was recently observed. Currently, the stability of beam generation and the ability to scale to higher electron beam energies are critical issues for practical laser acceleration. Here, we demonstrate the first generation of stable GeV-class electron beams from stable few-millimetre-long plasma channels in a self-guided wakefield acceleration process. As primary evidence of the laser wakefield acceleration in a bubble regime, we observed a boost of both the electron beam energy and quality by reducing the plasma density and increasing the plasma length in a 1-cm-long gas jet. Subsequent three-dimensional simulations show the possibility of achieving even higher electron beam energies by minimizing plasma bubble elongation, and we anticipate dramatic increases in beam energy and quality in the near future. This will pave the way towards ultracompact, all-optical electron beam accelerators and their applications in science, technology and medicine.

Generation of ultra-high-pressure shocks by collision of a fast plasma projectile driven in the laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration scheme with a solid target

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Badziak, J.; Rosiński, M.; Krousky, E.

2015-03-15

A novel, efficient method of generating ultra-high-pressure shocks is proposed and investigated. In this method, the shock is generated by collision of a fast plasma projectile (a macro-particle) driven by laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration (LICPA) with a solid target placed at the LICPA accelerator channel exit. Using the measurements performed at the kilojoule PALS laser facility and two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, it is shown that the shock pressure ∼ Gbar can be produced with this method at the laser driver energy of only a few hundred joules, by an order of magnitude lower than the energy needed for production of suchmore » pressure with other laser-based methods known so far.« less

Review of laser-driven ion sources and their applications.

PubMed

Daido, Hiroyuki; Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Pirozhkov, Alexander S

2012-05-01

For many years, laser-driven ion acceleration, mainly proton acceleration, has been proposed and a number of proof-of-principle experiments have been carried out with lasers whose pulse duration was in the nanosecond range. In the 1990s, ion acceleration in a relativistic plasma was demonstrated with ultra-short pulse lasers based on the chirped pulse amplification technique which can provide not only picosecond or femtosecond laser pulse duration, but simultaneously ultra-high peak power of terawatt to petawatt levels. Starting from the year 2000, several groups demonstrated low transverse emittance, tens of MeV proton beams with a conversion efficiency of up to several percent. The laser-accelerated particle beams have a duration of the order of a few picoseconds at the source, an ultra-high peak current and a broad energy spectrum, which make them suitable for many, including several unique, applications. This paper reviews, firstly, the historical background including the early laser-matter interaction studies on energetic ion acceleration relevant to inertial confinement fusion. Secondly, we describe several implemented and proposed mechanisms of proton and/or ion acceleration driven by ultra-short high-intensity lasers. We pay special attention to relatively simple models of several acceleration regimes. The models connect the laser, plasma and proton/ion beam parameters, predicting important features, such as energy spectral shape, optimum conditions and scalings under these conditions for maximum ion energy, conversion efficiency, etc. The models also suggest possible ways to manipulate the proton/ion beams by tailoring the target and irradiation conditions. Thirdly, we review experimental results on proton/ion acceleration, starting with the description of driving lasers. We list experimental results and show general trends of parameter dependences and compare them with the theoretical predictions and simulations. The fourth topic includes a review of scientific, industrial and medical applications of laser-driven proton or ion sources, some of which have already been established, while the others are yet to be demonstrated. In most applications, the laser-driven ion sources are complementary to the conventional accelerators, exhibiting significantly different properties. Finally, we summarize the paper.

Bacterial cells enhance laser driven ion acceleration

PubMed Central

Dalui, Malay; Kundu, M.; Trivikram, T. Madhu; Rajeev, R.; Ray, Krishanu; Krishnamurthy, M.

2014-01-01

Intense laser produced plasmas generate hot electrons which in turn leads to ion acceleration. Ability to generate faster ions or hotter electrons using the same laser parameters is one of the main outstanding paradigms in the intense laser-plasma physics. Here, we present a simple, albeit, unconventional target that succeeds in generating 700 keV carbon ions where conventional targets for the same laser parameters generate at most 40 keV. A few layers of micron sized bacteria coating on a polished surface increases the laser energy coupling and generates a hotter plasma which is more effective for the ion acceleration compared to the conventional polished targets. Particle-in-cell simulations show that micro-particle coated target are much more effective in ion acceleration as seen in the experiment. We envisage that the accelerated, high-energy carbon ions can be used as a source for multiple applications. PMID:25102948

EDITORIAL: Laser and Plasma Accelerators Workshop, Kardamyli, Greece, 2009 Laser and Plasma Accelerators Workshop, Kardamyli, Greece, 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, Bob; Muggli, Patric

2011-01-01

The Laser and Plasma Accelerators Workshop 2009 was part of a very successful series of international workshops which were conceived at the 1985 Laser Acceleration of Particles Workshop in Malibu, California. Since its inception, the workshop has been held in Asia and in Europe (Kardamyli, Kyoto, Presqu'ile de Giens, Portovenere, Taipei and the Azores). The purpose of the workshops is to bring together the most recent results in laser wakefield acceleration, plasma wakefield acceleration, laser-driven ion acceleration, and radiation generation produced by plasma-based accelerator beams. The 2009 workshop was held on 22-26 June in Kardamyli, Greece, and brought together over 80 participants. (http://cfp.ist.utl.pt/lpaw09/). The workshop involved five main themes: • Laser plasma electron acceleration (experiment/theory/simulation) • Computational methods • Plasma wakefield acceleration (experiment/theory/simulation) • Laser-driven ion acceleration • Radiation generation and application. All of these themes are covered in this special issue of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. The topic and application of plasma accelerators is one of the success stories in plasma physics, with laser wakefield acceleration of mono-energetic electrons to GeV energies, of ions to hundreds of MeV, and electron-beam-driven wakefield acceleration to 85 GeV. The accelerating electric field in the wake is of the order 1 GeV cm-1, or an accelerating gradient 1000 times greater than in conventional accelerators, possibly leading to an accelerator 1000 times smaller (and much more affordable) for the same energy. At the same time, the electron beams generated by laser wakefield accelerators have very good emittance with a correspondingly good energy spread of about a few percent. They also have the unique feature in being ultra-short in the femtosecond scale. This makes them attractive for a variety of applications, ranging from material science to ultra-fast time-resolved radiobiology or chemistry. Such laser-generated beams will form the basis of the fifth generation light sources and will be compact versions of the much more expensive fourth generation XFEL, such as LCLS light sources. Laser-driven ion acceleration is also making rapid headway; one of the goals in these experiments is to produce protons and carbon ions of hundreds of MeV for oncology. These experiments are carried out using solid-target-laser interactions. There is still a number of issues to be resolved in these experiments including the origin of light ions. The paper by Willingale et al addresses this issue and demonstrates that deuteron ions originating from the front surface can gain comparable energies as those from the rear surface. Furthermore, from two-dimensional simulations they show that a proton-rich contamination layer over the surface is detrimental to deuteron ion acceleration from the rear surface but not detrimental to the front surface acceleration mechanism. Studies of different laser polarizations on ion acceleration at the rear surface were reported by Antici et al. It was shown that no real enhancement using a particular polarization was found. At higher radiation intensities, especially with the multi-petawatt lasers being planned, radiation reaction becomes important. This was reported by Chen et al who found that radiation reaction effects on ion acceleration in laser-foil interactions impeded the backward moving electrons, which enhanced the ion acceleration. An interesting new development is the use of ultra-relativistic proton beams to drive plasma wakefields. This is similar to the SLAC electron-beam-driven wakefields. However, unlike the SLAC electron beam, which is of the order of 30 fs long and matches the period of the plasma wave necessary to create the blowout or bubble regime, the ion beam is very much longer. To create shorter ion beams a magnetic compression scheme is investigated in the paper by Caldwell et al, and results for proton beam self-modulation are presented, showing encouraging results for a first experiment using a compressed 24 GeV CERN PS beam. One of the main challenges with laser wakefields is the control of electron injection. In some experiments involving the bubble regime self-injection occurs naturally. Kneip et al show that the stability of the electron beam with energies close to 1 GeV is correlated with the pointing stability of the laser focal spot and depends on the target alignment. Theory and simulations of self-injection reported by Yi et al demonstrate that there is a minimal expansion rate for efficient self-injection. In contrast to solid target ion acceleration, the electron profile in the bubble regime was shown to be manipulated by rotating the laser polarization. Simulations of self-injection into an expanding bubble are reported by Kalmykov et al with the expanding bubble effectively trapping quiescent electrons. To increase the energy of electrons in the laser wakefield scheme, guiding and injection into plasma channels is important. Andreev et al have studied supershort electron bunches in channels with the view of understanding bunch injection. Modelling of electron acceleration in centimetre long capillary tubes is also necessary for future accelerators and is the main part of the paper by Ferrari et al. One of the applications of short-pulse electron beams is in radiation generation as reported by Karagodsky et al. This is an analogue of a technique pioneered in microwave physics where inverse Compton scattering from an optical Bragg structure generates x-rays with high efficiency. The next workshop will be held on 20-24 June 2011 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province of China and the scientific programme will be follow the same model as in 2009.

Mid-infrared lasers for energy frontier plasma accelerators

DOE PAGES

Pogorelsky, I. V.; Polyanskiy, M. N.; Kimura, W. D.

2016-09-12

Plasma wake field accelerators driven with solid-state near-IR lasers have been considered as an alternative to conventional rf accelerators for next-generation TeV-class lepton colliders. Here, we extend this study to the mid-IR spectral domain covered by CO 2 lasers. We conclude that the increase in the laser driver wavelength favors the regime of laser wake field acceleration with a low plasma density and high electric charge. This regime is the most beneficial for gamma colliders to be converted from lepton colliders via inverse Compton scattering. Selecting a laser wavelength to drive a Compton gamma source is essential for the designmore » of such a machine. In conclusion, the revealed benefits from spectral diversification of laser drivers for future colliders and off-spring applications validate ongoing efforts in advancing the ultrafast CO 2 laser technology.« less

Efficient quasi-monoenergetic ion beams from laser-driven relativistic plasmas

PubMed Central

Palaniyappan, Sasi; Huang, Chengkun; Gautier, Donald C.; Hamilton, Christopher E.; Santiago, Miguel A.; Kreuzer, Christian; Sefkow, Adam B.; Shah, Rahul C.; Fernández, Juan C.

2015-01-01

Table-top laser–plasma ion accelerators have many exciting applications, many of which require ion beams with simultaneous narrow energy spread and high conversion efficiency. However, achieving these requirements has been elusive. Here we report the experimental demonstration of laser-driven ion beams with narrow energy spread and energies up to 18 MeV per nucleon and ∼5% conversion efficiency (that is 4 J out of 80-J laser). Using computer simulations we identify a self-organizing scheme that reduces the ion energy spread after the laser exits the plasma through persisting self-generated plasma electric (∼1012 V m−1) and magnetic (∼104 T) fields. These results contribute to the development of next generation compact accelerators suitable for many applications such as isochoric heating for ion-fast ignition and producing warm dense matter for basic science. PMID:26657147

Efficient quasi-monoenergetic ion beams from laser-driven relativistic plasmas

DOE PAGES

Palaniyappan, Sasi; Huang, Chengkun; Gautier, Donald C.; ...

2015-12-11

Here, table-top laser–plasma ion accelerators have many exciting applications, many of which require ion beams with simultaneous narrow energy spread and high conversion efficiency. However, achieving these requirements has been elusive. Here we report the experimental demonstration of laser-driven ion beams with narrow energy spread and energies up to 18 MeV per nucleon and ~5% conversion efficiency (that is 4 J out of 80-J laser). Using computer simulations we identify a self-organizing scheme that reduces the ion energy spread after the laser exits the plasma through persisting self-generated plasma electric (~10 12 V m –1) and magnetic (~10 4 T)more » fields. These results contribute to the development of next generation compact accelerators suitable for many applications such as isochoric heating for ion-fast ignition and producing warm dense matter for basic science.« less

Acceleration and evolution of a hollow electron beam in wakefields driven by a Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Guo-Bo; College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073; Chen, Min, E-mail: minchen@sjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: yanyunma@126.com

2016-03-15

We show that a ring-shaped hollow electron beam can be injected and accelerated by using a Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse and ionization-induced injection in a laser wakefield accelerator. The acceleration and evolution of such a hollow, relativistic electron beam are investigated through three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We find that both the ring size and the beam thickness oscillate during the acceleration. The beam azimuthal shape is angularly dependent and evolves during the acceleration. The beam ellipticity changes resulting from the electron angular momenta obtained from the drive laser pulse and the focusing forces from the wakefield. The dependence of beam ring radiusmore » on the laser-plasma parameters (e.g., laser intensity, focal size, and plasma density) is studied. Such a hollow electron beam may have potential applications for accelerating and collimating positively charged particles.« less

High energy protons generation by two sequential laser pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Xiaofeng; Shen, Baifei, E-mail: bfshen@mail.shcnc.ac.cn, E-mail: zhxm@siom.ac.cn; Zhang, Xiaomei, E-mail: bfshen@mail.shcnc.ac.cn, E-mail: zhxm@siom.ac.cn

2015-04-15

The sequential proton acceleration by two laser pulses of relativistic intensity is proposed to produce high energy protons. In the scheme, a relativistic super-Gaussian (SG) laser pulse followed by a Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) pulse irradiates dense plasma attached by underdense plasma. A proton beam is produced from the target and accelerated in the radiation pressure regime by the short SG pulse and then trapped and re-accelerated in a special bubble driven by the LG pulse in the underdense plasma. The advantages of radiation pressure acceleration and LG transverse structure are combined to achieve the effective trapping and acceleration of protons. Inmore » a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation, protons of 6.7 GeV are obtained from a 2 × 10{sup 22 }W/cm{sup 2} SG laser pulse and a LG pulse at a lower peak intensity.« less

Ion acceleration by laser hole-boring into plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pogorelsky, I. V.; Dover, N. P.; Babzien, M.

By experiment and simulations, we study the interaction of an intense CO{sub 2} laser pulse with slightly overcritical plasmas of fully ionized helium gas. Transverse optical probing is used to show a recession of the front plasma surface with an initial velocity >10{sup 6} m/s driven by hole-boring by the laser pulse and the resulting radiation pressure driven electrostatic shocks. The collisionless shock propagates through the plasma, dissipates into an ion-acoustic solitary wave, and eventually becomes collisional as it slows further. These observations are supported by PIC simulations which prove the conclusion that monoenergetic protons observed in our earlier reportedmore » experiment with a hydrogen jet result from ion trapping and reflection from a shock wave driven through the plasma.« less

Optical control of hard X-ray polarization by electron injection in a laser wakefield accelerator

PubMed Central

Schnell, Michael; Sävert, Alexander; Uschmann, Ingo; Reuter, Maria; Nicolai, Maria; Kämpfer, Tino; Landgraf, Björn; Jäckel, Oliver; Jansen, Oliver; Pukhov, Alexander; Kaluza, Malte Christoph; Spielmann, Christian

2013-01-01

Laser-plasma particle accelerators could provide more compact sources of high-energy radiation than conventional accelerators. Moreover, because they deliver radiation in femtosecond pulses, they could improve the time resolution of X-ray absorption techniques. Here we show that we can measure and control the polarization of ultra-short, broad-band keV photon pulses emitted from a laser-plasma-based betatron source. The electron trajectories and hence the polarization of the emitted X-rays are experimentally controlled by the pulse-front tilt of the driving laser pulses. Particle-in-cell simulations show that an asymmetric plasma wave can be driven by a tilted pulse front and a non-symmetric intensity distribution of the focal spot. Both lead to a notable off-axis electron injection followed by collective electron–betatron oscillations. We expect that our method for an all-optical steering is not only useful for plasma-based X-ray sources but also has significance for future laser-based particle accelerators. PMID:24026068

Katherine E. Weimer Award: X-ray light sources from laser-plasma and laser-electron interaction: development and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Felicie

2017-10-01

Bright sources of x-rays, such as synchrotrons and x-ray free electron lasers (XFEL) are transformational tools for many fields of science. They are used for biology, material science, medicine, or industry. Such sources rely on conventional particle accelerators, where electrons are accelerated to gigaelectronvolts (GeV) energies. The accelerated particles are wiggled in magnetic structures to emit x-ray radiation that is commonly used for molecular crystallography, fluorescence studies, chemical analysis, medical imaging, and many other applications. One of the drawbacks of these machines is their size and cost, because electric field gradients are limited to about 100 V/M in conventional accelerators. Particle acceleration in laser-driven plasmas is an alternative to generate x-rays via betatron emission, Compton scattering, or bremsstrahlung. A plasma can sustain electrical fields many orders of magnitude higher than that in conventional radiofrequency accelerator structures. When short, intense laser pulses are focused into a gas, it produces electron plasma waves in which electrons can be trapped and accelerated to GeV energies. X-ray sources, driven by electrons from laser-wakefield acceleration, have unique properties that are analogous to synchrotron radiation, with a 1000-fold shorter pulse. An important use of x-rays from laser plasma accelerators is in High Energy Density (HED) science, which requires laser and XFEL facilities to create in the laboratory extreme conditions of temperatures and pressures that are usually found in the interiors of stars and planets. To diagnose such extreme states of matter, the development of efficient, versatile and fast (sub-picosecond scale) x-ray probes has become essential. In these experiments, x-ray photons can pass through dense material, and absorption of the x-rays can be directly measured, via spectroscopy or imaging, to inform scientists about the temperature and density of the targets being studied. Performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, supported by the LLNL LDRD program (16ERD024), and by the DOE Office Science Early Career Research Program (SCW1575).

All optical electron injector using an intense ultrashort pulse laser and a solid wire target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palchan, T.; Eisenmann, S.; Zigler, A.; Kaganovich, D.; Hubbard, R. F.; Fraenkel, M.; Fisher, D.; Henis, Z.

2006-05-01

Energetic electron bunches were generated by irradiating a solid tungsten wire 13 μm wide with 50 femtosecond pulses at an intensity of ˜3×1018 W/cm2. The electron yield, energy spectrum and angular distribution were measured. These energetic electron bunches are suitable for injection into a laser driven plasma accelerator. An all-optical electron injector based on this approach could simplify timing and alignment in future laser-plasma accelerator experiments.

Astrophysical particle acceleration mechanisms in colliding magnetized laser-produced plasmas

DOE PAGES

Fox, W.; Park, J.; Deng, W.; ...

2017-08-11

Significant particle energization is observed to occur in numerous astrophysical environments, and in the standard models, this acceleration occurs alongside energy conversion processes including collisionless shocks or magnetic reconnection. Recent platforms for laboratory experiments using magnetized laser-produced plasmas have opened opportunities to study these particle acceleration processes in the laboratory. Through fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate acceleration mechanisms in experiments with colliding magnetized laser-produced plasmas, with geometry and parameters matched to recent high-Mach number reconnection experiments with externally controlled magnetic fields. 2-D simulations demonstrate significant particle acceleration with three phases of energization: first, a “direct” Fermi acceleration driven bymore » approaching magnetized plumes; second, x-line acceleration during magnetic reconnection of anti-parallel fields; and finally, an additional Fermi energization of particles trapped in contracting and relaxing magnetic islands produced by reconnection. Furthermore, the relative effectiveness of these mechanisms depends on plasma and magnetic field parameters of the experiments.« less

Enhanced electron yield from laser-driven wakefield acceleration in high-Z gas jets.

PubMed

Mirzaie, Mohammad; Hafz, Nasr A M; Li, Song; Liu, Feng; He, Fei; Cheng, Ya; Zhang, Jie

2015-10-01

An investigation of the electron beam yield (charge) form helium, nitrogen, and neon gas jet plasmas in a typical laser-plasma wakefield acceleration experiment is carried out. The charge measurement is made by imaging the electron beam intensity profile on a fluorescent screen into a charge coupled device which was cross-calibrated with an integrated current transformer. The dependence of electron beam charge on the laser and plasma conditions for the aforementioned gases are studied. We found that laser-driven wakefield acceleration in low Z-gas jet targets usually generates high-quality and well-collimated electron beams with modest yields at the level of 10-100 pC. On the other hand, filamentary electron beams which are observed from high-Z gases at higher densities reached much higher yields. Evidences for cluster formation were clearly observed in the nitrogen gas jet target, where we received the highest electron beam charge of ∼1.7 nC. Those intense electron beams will be beneficial for the applications on the generation of bright X-rays, gamma rays radiations, and energetic positrons via the bremsstrahlung or inverse-scattering processes.

EDITORIAL: Laser and plasma accelerators Laser and plasma accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, Robert

2009-02-01

This special issue on laser and plasma accelerators illustrates the rapid advancement and diverse applications of laser and plasma accelerators. Plasma is an attractive medium for particle acceleration because of the high electric field it can sustain, with studies of acceleration processes remaining one of the most important areas of research in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. The rapid advance in laser and accelerator technology has led to the development of terawatt and petawatt laser systems with ultra-high intensities and short sub-picosecond pulses, which are used to generate wakefields in plasma. Recent successes include the demonstration by several groups in 2004 of quasi-monoenergetic electron beams by wakefields in the bubble regime with the GeV energy barrier being reached in 2006, and the energy doubling of the SLAC high-energy electron beam from 42 to 85 GeV. The electron beams generated by the laser plasma driven wakefields have good spatial quality with energies ranging from MeV to GeV. A unique feature is that they are ultra-short bunches with simulations showing that they can be as short as a few femtoseconds with low-energy spread, making these beams ideal for a variety of applications ranging from novel high-brightness radiation sources for medicine, material science and ultrafast time-resolved radiobiology or chemistry. Laser driven ion acceleration experiments have also made significant advances over the last few years with applications in laser fusion, nuclear physics and medicine. Attention is focused on the possibility of producing quasi-mono-energetic ions with energies ranging from hundreds of MeV to GeV per nucleon. New acceleration mechanisms are being studied, including ion acceleration from ultra-thin foils and direct laser acceleration. The application of wakefields or beat waves in other areas of science such as astrophysics and particle physics is beginning to take off, such as the study of cosmic accelerators considered by Chen et al where the driver, instead of being a laser, is a whistler wave known as the magnetowave plasma accelerator. The application to electron--positron plasmas that are found around pulsars is studied in the paper by Shukla, and to muon acceleration by Peano et al. Electron wakefield experiments are now concentrating on control and optimisation of high-quality beams that can be used as drivers for novel radiation sources. Studies by Thomas et al show that filamentation has a deleterious effect on the production of high quality mono-energetic electron beams and is caused by non-optimal choice of focusing geometry and/or electron density. It is crucial to match the focusing with the right plasma parameters and new types of plasma channels are being developed, such as the magnetically controlled plasma waveguide reported by Froula et al. The magnetic field provides a pressure profile shaping the channel to match the guiding conditions of the incident laser, resulting in predicted electron energies of 3GeV. In the forced laser-wakefield experiment Fang et al show that pump depletion reduces or inhibits the acceleration of electrons. One of the earlier laser acceleration concepts known as the beat wave may be revived due to the work by Kalmykov et al who report on all-optical control of nonlinear focusing of laser beams, allowing for stable propagation over several Rayleigh lengths with pre-injected electrons accelerated beyond 100 MeV. With the increasing number of petawatt lasers, attention is being focused on different acceleration regimes such as stochastic acceleration by counterpropagating laser pulses, the relativistic mirror, or the snow-plough effect leading to single-step acceleration reported by Mendonca. During wakefield acceleration the leading edge of the pulse undergoes frequency downshifting and head erosion as the laser energy is transferred to the wake while the trailing edge of the laser pulse undergoes frequency up-shift. This is commonly known as photon deceleration and acceleration and is the result of a modulational instability. Simulations reported by Trines et al using a photon-in-cell code or wave kinetic code agree extremely well with experimental observation. Ion acceleration is actively studied; for example the papers by Robinson, Macchi, Marita and Tripathi all discuss different types of acceleration mechanisms from direct laser acceleration, Coulombic explosion and double layers. Ion acceleration is an exciting development that may have great promise in oncology. The surprising application is in muon acceleration, demonstrated by Peano et al who show that counterpropagating laser beams with variable frequencies drive a beat structure with variable phase velocity, leading to particle trapping and acceleration with possible application to a future muon collider and neutrino factory. Laser and plasma accelerators remain one of the exciting areas of plasma physics with applications in many areas of science ranging from laser fusion, novel high-brightness radiation sources, particle physics and medicine. The guest editor would like to thank all authors and referees for their invaluable contributions to this special issue.

Laser experiments to simulate coronal mass ejection driven magnetospheres and astrophysical plasma winds on compact magnetized stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, W.; Ditmire, T.; Zakharov, Yu. P.

2010-06-01

Laboratory experiments using a plasma wind generated by laser-target interaction are proposed to investigate the creation of a shock in front of the magnetosphere and the dynamo mechanism for creating plasma currents and voltages. Preliminary experiments are shown where measurements of the electron density gradients surrounding the obstacles are recorded to infer the plasma winds. The proposed experiments are relevant to understanding the electron acceleration mechanisms taking place in shock-driven magnetic dipole confined plasmas surrounding compact magnetized stars and planets. Exploratory experiments have been published [P. Brady, T. Ditmire, W. Horton, et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 043112 (2009)] with the one Joule Yoga laser and centimeter sized permanent magnets.

Laser acceleration of quasi-monoenergetic MeV ion beams.

PubMed

Hegelich, B M; Albright, B J; Cobble, J; Flippo, K; Letzring, S; Paffett, M; Ruhl, H; Schreiber, J; Schulze, R K; Fernández, J C

2006-01-26

Acceleration of particles by intense laser-plasma interactions represents a rapidly evolving field of interest, as highlighted by the recent demonstration of laser-driven relativistic beams of monoenergetic electrons. Ultrahigh-intensity lasers can produce accelerating fields of 10 TV m(-1) (1 TV = 10(12) V), surpassing those in conventional accelerators by six orders of magnitude. Laser-driven ions with energies of several MeV per nucleon have also been produced. Such ion beams exhibit unprecedented characteristics--short pulse lengths, high currents and low transverse emittance--but their exponential energy spectra have almost 100% energy spread. This large energy spread, which is a consequence of the experimental conditions used to date, remains the biggest impediment to the wider use of this technology. Here we report the production of quasi-monoenergetic laser-driven C5+ ions with a vastly reduced energy spread of 17%. The ions have a mean energy of 3 MeV per nucleon (full-width at half-maximum approximately 0.5 MeV per nucleon) and a longitudinal emittance of less than 2 x 10(-6) eV s for pulse durations shorter than 1 ps. Such laser-driven, high-current, quasi-monoenergetic ion sources may enable significant advances in the development of compact MeV ion accelerators, new diagnostics, medical physics, inertial confinement fusion and fast ignition.

Laser-driven proton and deuteron acceleration from a pure solid-density H2/D2 cryogenic jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jongjin; Gauthier, Maxence; Aurand, Bastian; Curry, Chandra; Goede, Sebastian; Goyon, Clement; Williams, Jackson; Kerr, Shaun; Ruby, John; Propp, Adrienne; Ramakrishna, Bhuvanesh; Pak, Art; Hazi, Andy; Glenzer, Siegfried; Roedel, Christian

2015-11-01

Laser-driven proton acceleration has become of tremendous interest for the fundamental science and the potential applications in tumor therapy and proton radiography. We have developed a cryogenic liquid hydrogen jet, which can deliver a self-replenishing target of pure solid-density hydrogen or deuterium. This allows for a target compatible with high-repetition-rate experiments and results in a pure hydrogen plasma, facilitating comparison with simulations. A new modification has allowed for the formation of jets with rectangular profiles, facilitating comparison with foil targets. This jet was installed at the Titan laser and driven by laser pulses of 40-60 J of 527 nm laser light in 1 ps. The resulting proton and deuteron spectra were measured in multiple directions with Thomson parabola spectrometers and RCF stacks. The spectral and angular information suggest contribution from both the TNSA and RPA acceleration mechanisms.

Enhanced Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration by Superponderomotive Electrons Generated from Near-Critical-Density Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bin, J. H.; Yeung, M.; Gong, Z.; Wang, H. Y.; Kreuzer, C.; Zhou, M. L.; Streeter, M. J. V.; Foster, P. S.; Cousens, S.; Dromey, B.; Meyer-ter-Vehn, J.; Zepf, M.; Schreiber, J.

2018-02-01

We report on the experimental studies of laser driven ion acceleration from a double-layer target where a near-critical density target with a few-micron thickness is coated in front of a nanometer-thin diamondlike carbon foil. A significant enhancement of proton maximum energies from 12 to ˜30 MeV is observed when a relativistic laser pulse impinges on the double-layer target under linear polarization. We attributed the enhanced acceleration to superponderomotive electrons that were simultaneously measured in the experiments with energies far beyond the free-electron ponderomotive limit. Our interpretation is supported by two-dimensional simulation results.

Beyond injection: Trojan horse underdense photocathode plasma wakefield acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hidding, B.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Xi, Y.

2012-12-21

An overview on the underlying principles of the hybrid plasma wakefield acceleration scheme dubbed 'Trojan Horse' acceleration is given. The concept is based on laser-controlled release of electrons directly into a particle-beam-driven plasma blowout, paving the way for controlled, shapeable electron bunches with ultralow emittance and ultrahigh brightness. Combining the virtues of a low-ionization-threshold underdense photocathode with the GV/m-scale electric fields of a practically dephasing-free beam-driven plasma blowout, this constitutes a 4th generation electron acceleration scheme. It is applicable as a beam brightness transformer for electron bunches from LWFA and PWFA systems alike. At FACET, the proof-of-concept experiment 'E-210: Trojanmore » Horse Plasma Wakefield Acceleration' has recently been approved and is in preparation. At the same time, various LWFA facilities are currently considered to host experiments aiming at stabilizing and boosting the electron bunch output quality via a trojan horse afterburner stage. Since normalized emittance and brightness can be improved by many orders of magnitude, the scheme is an ideal candidate for light sources such as free-electron-lasers and those based on Thomson scattering and betatron radiation alike.« less

Compact beam transport system for free-electron lasers driven by a laser plasma accelerator

DOE PAGES

Liu, Tao; Zhang, Tong; Wang, Dong; ...

2017-02-01

Utilizing laser-driven plasma accelerators (LPAs) as a high-quality electron beam source is a promising approach to significantly downsize the x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facility. A multi-GeV LPA beam can be generated in several-centimeter acceleration distance, with a high peak current and a low transverse emittance, which will considerably benefit a compact FEL design. However, the large initial angular divergence and energy spread make it challenging to transport the beam and realize FEL radiation. In this paper, a novel design of beam transport system is proposed to maintain the superior features of the LPA beam and a transverse gradient undulator (TGU)more » is also adopted as an effective energy spread compensator to generate high-brilliance FEL radiation. As a result, theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are presented based on a demonstration experiment with an electron energy of 380 MeV and a radiation wavelength of 30 nm.« less

Narrow bandwidth Laser-Plasma Accelerator driven Thomson photon source development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geddes, C. G. R.; Tsai, H.-E.; Otero, G.; Liu, X.; van Tilborg, J.; Toth, Cs.; Vay, J.-L.; Lehe, R.; Schroeder, C. B.; Esarey, E.; Friedman, A.; Grote, D. P.; Leemans, W. P.

2017-10-01

Compact, high-quality photon sources at MeV energies can be provided by Thomson scattering of a laser from the electron beam of a Laser-Plasma Accelerator (LPA). Recent experiments and simulations demonstrate controllable LPAs in the energy range appropriate to MeV sources. Simulations indicate that high flux with narrow energy spread can be achieved via control of the scattering laser pulse shape and laser guiding, and that undesired background bremsstrahlung can be mitigated by plasma based deceleration of the electron beam after photon production. Construction of experiments and laser capabilities to combine these elements will be presented, along with initial operations, towards a compact photon source system. Work supported by US DOE NNSA DNN R&D and by Sc. HEP under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Effect of pulse profile and chirp on a laser wakefield generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Xiaomei; Shen Baifei; Ji Liangliang

2012-05-15

A laser wakefield driven by an asymmetric laser pulse with/without chirp is investigated analytically and through two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. For a laser pulse with an appropriate pulse length compared with the plasma wavelength, the wakefield amplitude can be enhanced by using an asymmetric un-chirped laser pulse with a fast rise time; however, the growth is small. On the other hand, the wakefield can be greatly enhanced for both positively chirped laser pulse having a fast rise time and negatively chirped laser pulse having a slow rise time. Simulations show that at the early laser-plasma interaction stage, due to the influencemore » of the fast rise time the wakefield driven by the positively chirped laser pulse is more intense than that driven by the negatively chirped laser pulse, which is in good agreement with analytical results. At a later time, since the laser pulse with positive chirp exhibits opposite evolution to the one with negative chirp when propagating in plasma, the wakefield in the latter case grows more intensely. These effects should be useful in laser wakefield acceleration experiments operating at low plasma densities.« less

Nonlinear mixing of electromagnetic waves in plasmas.

PubMed

Stefan, V; Cohen, B I; Joshi, C

1989-01-27

Recently, a strong research effort has been focused on applications of beat waves in plasma interactions. This research has important implications for various aspects of plasma physics and plasma technology. This article reviews the present status of the field and comments on plasma probing, heating of magnetically confined and laser plasmas, ionospheric plasma modification, beat-wave particle acceleration, beat-wave current drive in toroidal devices, beat wave-driven free-electron lasers, and phase conjugation with beat waves.

Coherent control of plasma dynamics by feedback-optimized wavefront manipulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Z.-H.; Hou, B.; Gao, G.

2015-05-15

Plasmas generated by an intense laser pulse can support coherent structures such as large amplitude wakefield that can affect the outcome of an experiment. We investigate the coherent control of plasma dynamics by feedback-optimized wavefront manipulation using a deformable mirror. The experimental outcome is directly used as feedback in an evolutionary algorithm for optimization of the phase front of the driving laser pulse. In this paper, we applied this method to two different experiments: (i) acceleration of electrons in laser driven plasma waves and (ii) self-compression of optical pulses induced by ionization nonlinearity. The manipulation of the laser wavefront leadsmore » to orders of magnitude improvement to electron beam properties such as the peak charge, beam divergence, and transverse emittance. The demonstration of coherent control for plasmas opens new possibilities for future laser-based accelerators and their applications.« less

Enhanced betatron radiation by steering a laser-driven plasma wakefield with a tilted shock front

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Changhai; Liu, Jiansheng; Wang, Wentao; Li, Wentao; Qi, Rong; Zhang, Zhijun; Qin, Zhiyong; Liu, Jiaqi; Fang, Ming; Feng, Ke; Wu, Ying; Ke, Lintong; Chen, Yu; Wang, Cheng; Xu, Yi; Leng, Yuxin; Xia, Changquan; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan

2018-03-01

We have experimentally realized a scheme to enhance betatron radiation by manipulating transverse oscillation of electrons in a laser-driven plasma wakefield with a tilted shock front (TSF). Very brilliant betatron x-rays have been produced with significant enhancement both in photon yield and peak energy but almost maintain the e-beam energy spread and charge. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate that the accelerated electron beam (e beam) can acquire a very large transverse oscillation amplitude with an increase in more than 10-fold, after being steered into the deflected wakefield due to the refraction of the driving laser at the TSF. Spectral broadening of betatron radiation can be suppressed owing to the small variation in the peak energy of the low-energy-spread e beam in a plasma wiggler regime. It is demonstrated that the e-beam generation, refracting, and wiggling can act as a whole to realize the concurrence of monoenergetic e beams and bright x-rays in a compact laser-wakefield accelerator.

Experimental realization of underdense plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration at FACET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherkl, Paul

2017-10-01

Novel electron beam sources from compact plasma accelerator concepts currently mature into the driving technology for next generation high-energy physics and light source facilities. Particularly electron beams of ultra-high brightness could pave the way for major advances for both scientific and commercial applications, but their generation remains tremendously challenging. The presentation outlines the experimental demonstration of the world's first bright electron beam source from spatiotemporally synchronized laser pulses injecting electrons into particle-driven plasma wakefields at FACET. Two distinctive types of operation - laser-triggered density downramp injection (``Plasma Torch'') and underdense plasma photocathode acceleration (``Trojan Horse'') - and their intermediate transitions are characterized and contrasted. Extensive particle-in-cell simulations substantiate the presentation of experimental results. In combination with novel techniques to minimize the beam energy spread, the acceleration scheme presented here promises ultra-high beam quality and brightness.

Applications of Ultra-Intense, Short Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledingham, Ken W. D.

The high intensity laser production of electron, proton, ion and photon beams is reviewed particularly with respect to the laser-plasma interaction which drives the acceleration process. A number of applications for these intense short pulse beams is discussed e.g. ion therapy, PET isotope production and laser driven transmutation studies. The future for laser driven nuclear physics at the huge new, multi-petawatt proposed laser installation ELI in Bucharest is described. Many people believe this will take European nuclear research to the next level.

Coulomb-driven energy boost of heavy ions for laser-plasma acceleration.

PubMed

Braenzel, J; Andreev, A A; Platonov, K; Klingsporn, M; Ehrentraut, L; Sandner, W; Schnürer, M

2015-03-27

An unprecedented increase of kinetic energy of laser accelerated heavy ions is demonstrated. Ultrathin gold foils have been irradiated by an ultrashort laser pulse at a peak intensity of 8×10^{19}  W/  cm^{2}. Highly charged gold ions with kinetic energies up to >200  MeV and a bandwidth limited energy distribution have been reached by using 1.3 J laser energy on target. 1D and 2D particle in cell simulations show how a spatial dependence on the ion's ionization leads to an enhancement of the accelerating electrical field. Our theoretical model considers a spatial distribution of the ionization inside the thin target, leading to a field enhancement for the heavy ions by Coulomb explosion. It is capable of explaining the energy boost of highly charged ions, enabling a higher efficiency for the laser-driven heavy ion acceleration.

Weibel instability mediated collisionless shocks using intense laser-driven plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palaniyappan, Sasikumar; Fiuza, Federico; Huang, Chengkun; Gautier, Donald; Ma, Wenjun; Schreiber, Jorg; Raymer, Abel; Fernandez, Juan; Shimada, Tom; Johnson, Randall

2017-10-01

The origin of cosmic rays remains a long-standing challenge in astrophysics and continues to fascinate physicists. It is believed that ``collisionless shocks'' - where the particle Coulomb mean free path is much larger that the shock transition - are a dominant source of energetic cosmic rays. These shocks are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments such as gamma-ray bursts, supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebula and coronal mass ejections from the sun. A particular type of electromagnetic plasma instability known as Weibel instability is believed to be the dominant mechanism behind the formation of these collisionless shocks in the cosmos. The understanding of the microphysics behind collisionless shocks and their particle acceleration is tightly related with nonlinear basic plasma processes and remains a grand challenge. In this poster, we will present results from recent experiments at the LANL Trident laser facility studying collisionless shocks using intense ps laser (80J, 650 fs - peak intensity of 1020 W/cm2) driven near-critical plasmas using carbon nanotube foam targets. A second short pulse laser driven protons from few microns thick gold foil is used to radiograph the main laser-driven plasma. Work supported by the LDRD program at LANL.

Solid hydrogen target for laser driven proton acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perin, J. P.; Garcia, S.; Chatain, D.; Margarone, D.

2015-05-01

The development of very high power lasers opens up new horizons in various fields, such as laser plasma acceleration in Physics and innovative approaches for proton therapy in Medicine. Laser driven proton acceleration is commonly based on the so-called Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) mechanisms: a high power laser is focused onto a solid target (thin metallic or plastic foil) and interact with matter at very high intensity, thus generating a plasma; as a consequence "hot" electrons are produced and move into the forward direction through the target. Protons are generated at the target rear side, electrons try to escape from the target and an ultra-strong quasi-electrostatic field (~1TV/m) is generated. Such a field can accelerate protons with a wide energy spectrum (1-200 MeV) in a few tens of micrometers. The proton beam characteristics depend on the laser parameters and on the target geometry and nature. This technique has been validated experimentally in several high power laser facilities by accelerating protons coming from hydrogenated contaminant (mainly water) at the rear of metallic target, however, several research groups are investigating the possibility to perform experiments by using "pure" hydrogen targets. In this context, the low temperature laboratory at CEA-Grenoble has developed a cryostat able to continuously produce a thin hydrogen ribbon (from 40 to 100 microns thick). A new extrusion concept, without any moving part has been carried out, using only the thermodynamic properties of the fluid. First results and perspectives are presented in this paper.

Betatron x-ray radiation from laser-plasma accelerators driven by femtosecond and picosecond laser systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, F.; Lemos, N.; Shaw, J. L.; King, P. M.; Pollock, B. B.; Goyon, C.; Schumaker, W.; Saunders, A. M.; Marsh, K. A.; Pak, A.; Ralph, J. E.; Martins, J. L.; Amorim, L. D.; Falcone, R. W.; Glenzer, S. H.; Moody, J. D.; Joshi, C.

2018-05-01

A comparative experimental study of betatron x-ray radiation from laser wakefield acceleration in the blowout and self-modulated regimes is presented. Our experiments use picosecond duration laser pulses up to 150 J (self-modulated regime) and 60 fs duration laser pulses up to 10 J (blowout regime), for plasmas with electronic densities on the order of 1019 cm-3. In the self-modulated regime, where betatron radiation has been very little studied compared to the blowout regime, electrons accelerated in the wake of the laser pulse are subject to both the longitudinal plasma and transverse laser electrical fields. As a result, their motion within the wake is relatively complex; consequently, the experimental and theoretical properties of the x-ray source based on self-modulation differ from the blowout regime of laser wakefield acceleration. In our experimental configuration, electrons accelerated up to about 250 MeV and betatron x-ray spectra with critical energies of about 10-20 keV and photon fluxes between 108 and 1010 photons/eV Sr are reported. Our experiments open the prospect of using betatron x-ray radiation for applications, and the source is competitive with current x-ray backlighting methods on multi-kilojoule laser systems.

Direct longitudinal laser acceleration of electrons in free space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbajo, Sergio; Nanni, Emilio A.; Wong, Liang Jie; Moriena, Gustavo; Keathley, Phillip D.; Laurent, Guillaume; Miller, R. J. Dwayne; Kärtner, Franz X.

2016-02-01

Compact laser-driven accelerators are pursued heavily worldwide because they make novel methods and tools invented at national laboratories widely accessible in science, health, security, and technology [V. Malka et al., Principles and applications of compact laser-plasma accelerators, Nat. Phys. 4, 447 (2008)]. Current leading laser-based accelerator technologies [S. P. D. Mangles et al., Monoenergetic beams of relativistic electrons from intense laser-plasma interactions, Nature (London) 431, 535 (2004); T. Toncian et al., Ultrafast laser-driven microlens to focus and energy-select mega-electron volt protons, Science 312, 410 (2006); S. Tokita et al. Single-shot ultrafast electron diffraction with a laser-accelerated sub-MeV electron pulse, Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 111911 (2009)] rely on a medium to assist the light to particle energy transfer. The medium imposes material limitations or may introduce inhomogeneous fields [J. R. Dwyer et al., Femtosecond electron diffraction: "Making the molecular movie,", Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 364, 741 (2006)]. The advent of few cycle ultraintense radially polarized lasers [S. Carbajo et al., Efficient generation of ultraintense few-cycle radially polarized laser pulses, Opt. Lett. 39, 2487 (2014)] has ushered in a novel accelerator concept [L. J. Wong and F. X. Kärtner, Direct acceleration of an electron in infinite vacuum by a pulsed radially polarized laser beam, Opt. Express 18, 25035 (2010); F. Pierre-Louis et al. Direct-field electron acceleration with ultrafast radially polarized laser beams: Scaling laws and optimization, J. Phys. B 43, 025401 (2010); Y. I. Salamin, Electron acceleration from rest in vacuum by an axicon Gaussian laser beam, Phys. Rev. A 73, 043402 (2006); C. Varin and M. Piché, Relativistic attosecond electron pulses from a free-space laser-acceleration scheme, Phys. Rev. E 74, 045602 (2006); A. Sell and F. X. Kärtner, Attosecond electron bunches accelerated and compressed by radially polarized laser pulses and soft-x-ray pulses from optical undulators, J. Phys. B 47, 015601 (2014)] avoiding the need of a medium or guiding structure entirely to achieve strong longitudinal energy transfer. Here we present the first observation of direct longitudinal laser acceleration of nonrelativistic electrons that undergo highly directional multi-GeV /m accelerating gradients. This demonstration opens a new frontier for direct laser-driven particle acceleration capable of creating well collimated and relativistic attosecond electron bunches [C. Varin and M. Piché, Relativistic attosecond electron pulses from a free-space laser-acceleration scheme, Phys. Rev. E 74, 045602 (2006)] and x-ray pulses [A. Sell and F. X. Kärtner, Attosecond electron bunches accelerated and compressed by radially polarized laser pulses and soft-x-ray pulses from optical undulators, J. Phys. B 47, 015601 (2014)].

Preferential enhancement of laser-driven carbon ion acceleration from optimized nanostructured surfaces

PubMed Central

Dalui, Malay; Wang, W.-M.; Trivikram, T. Madhu; Sarkar, Subhrangshu; Tata, Sheroy; Jha, J.; Ayyub, P.; Sheng, Z. M.; Krishnamurthy, M.

2015-01-01

High-intensity ultrashort laser pulses focused on metal targets readily generate hot dense plasmas which accelerate ions efficiently and can pave way to compact table-top accelerators. Laser-driven ion acceleration studies predominantly focus on protons, which experience the maximum acceleration owing to their highest charge-to-mass ratio. The possibility of tailoring such schemes for the preferential acceleration of a particular ion species is very much desired but has hardly been explored. Here, we present an experimental demonstration of how the nanostructuring of a copper target can be optimized for enhanced carbon ion acceleration over protons or Cu-ions. Specifically, a thin (≈0.25 μm) layer of 25–30 nm diameter Cu nanoparticles, sputter-deposited on a polished Cu-substrate, enhances the carbon ion energy by about 10-fold at a laser intensity of 1.2×1018  W/cm2. However, particles smaller than 20 nm have an adverse effect on the ion acceleration. Particle-in-cell simulations provide definite pointers regarding the size of nanoparticles necessary for maximizing the ion acceleration. The inherent contrast of the laser pulse is found to play an important role in the species selective ion acceleration. PMID:26153048

Betatron x-ray radiation in the self-modulated wakefield acceleration regime (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Felicie

2017-05-01

Betatron x-ray radiation, driven by electrons from laser-wakefield acceleration, has unique properties to probe high energy density (HED) plasmas and warm dense matter. Betatron radiation is produced when relativistic electrons oscillate in the plasma wake of a laser pulse. Its properties are similar to those of synchrotron radiation, with a 1000 fold shorter pulse. This presentation will focus on the experimental challenges and results related to the development of betatron radiation in the self modulated regime of laser wakefield acceleration. We observed multi keV Betatron x-rays from a self-modulated laser wakefield accelerator. The experiment was performed at the Jupiter Laser Facility, LLNL, by focusing the Titan short pulse beam (4-150 J, 1 ps) onto the edge of a Helium gas jet at electronic densities around 1019 cm-3. For the first time on this laser system, we used a long focal length optic, which produced a laser normalized potential a0 in the range 1-3. Under these conditions, electrons are accelerated by the plasma wave created in the wake of the light pulse. As a result, intense Raman satellites, which measured shifts depend on the electron plasma density, were observed on the laser spectrum transmitted through the target. Electrons with energies up to 200 MeV, as well as Betatron x-rays with critical energies around 20 keV, were measured. OSIRIS 2D PIC simulations confirm that the electrons gain energy both from the plasma wave and from their interaction with the laser field.

Carbon-assisted flyer plates

DOEpatents

Stahl, D.B.; Paisley, D.L.

1994-04-12

A laser driven flyer plate is described utilizing an optical fiber connected to a laser. The end of the optical fiber has a layer of carbon and a metal layer deposited onto it. The carbon layer provides the laser induced plasma which is superior to the plasma produced from most metals. The carbon layer plasma is capable of providing a flatter flyer plate, converting more of the laser energy to driving plasma, promoting a higher flyer plate acceleration, and providing a more uniform pulse behind the plate. In another embodiment, the laser is in optical communication with a substrate onto which a layer of carbon and a layer of metal have been deposited. 2 figures.

Simulation study of the sub-terawatt laser wakefield acceleration operated in self-modulated regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, C.-Y.; Lin, M.-W.; Chen, S.-H.

2018-02-01

Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) can be accomplished by introducing a sub-terawatt (TW) laser pulse into a thin, high-density gas target. In this way, the self-focusing effect and the self-modulation that happened on the laser pulse produce a greatly enhanced laser peak intensity that can drive a nonlinear plasma wave to accelerate electrons. A particle-in-cell model is developed to study sub-TW LWFA when a 0.6-TW laser pulse interacts with a dense hydrogen plasma. Gas targets having a Gaussian density profile or a flat-top distribution are defined for investigating the properties of sub-TW LWFA when conducting with a gas jet or a gas cell. In addition to using 800-nm laser pulses, simulations are performed with 1030-nm laser pulses, as they represent a viable approach to realize the sub-TW LWFA driven by high-frequency, diode-pumped laser systems. The peak density which allows the laser peak power PL˜2 Pc r of self-focusing critical power is favourable for conducting sub-TW LWFA. Otherwise, an excessively high peak density can induce an undesired filament effect which rapidly disintegrates the laser field envelope and violates the process of plasma wave excitation. The plateau region of a flat-top density distribution allows the self-focusing and the self-modulation of the laser pulse to develop, from which well-established plasma bubbles can be produced to accelerate electrons. The process of electron injection is complicated in such high-density plasma conditions; however, increasing the length of the plateau region represents a straightforward method to realize the injection and acceleration of electrons within the first bubble, such that an improved LWFA performance can be accomplished.

Observation of Betatron X-Ray Radiation in a Self-Modulated Laser Wakefield Accelerator Driven with Picosecond Laser Pulses

DOE PAGES

Albert, F.; Lemos, N.; Shaw, J. L.; ...

2017-03-31

We investigate a new regime for betatron x-ray emission that utilizes kilojoule-class picosecond lasers to drive wakes in plasmas. When such laser pulses with intensities of ~ 5 × 1 0 18 W / cm 2 are focused into plasmas with electron densities of ~ 1 × 1 0 19 cm - 3 , they undergo self-modulation and channeling, which accelerates electrons up to 200 MeV energies and causes those electrons to emit x rays. The measured x-ray spectra are fit with a synchrotron spectrum with a critical energy of 10–20 keV, and 2D particle-in-cell simulations were used to modelmore » the acceleration and radiation of the electrons in our experimental conditions« less

Modeling dynamic plasmas driven by ultraintense nano-focused x-ray laser pulses in solid iron targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royle, Ryan; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Mancini, Roberto

2017-10-01

The hard x-ray free electron laser has proven to be a valuable tool for high energy density (HED) physics as it is able to produce well-characterized samples of HED matter at exactly solid density and homogeneous temperatures. However, if the x-ray pulses are focused to sub-micron spot sizes, where peak intensities can exceed 1020 W/cm2, the plasmas driven by sources of non-thermal photoelectrons and Auger electrons can be highly dynamic and so cannot be modeled by atomic kinetics or fluid codes. We apply the 2D/3D particle-in-cell code, PICLS-which has been extended with numerous physics models to enable the simulation of XFEL-driven plasmas-to the modeling of such dynamic plasmas driven by nano-focused XFEL pulses in solid iron targets. In the case of the smallest focal spot investigated of just 100 nm in diameter, keV plasmas induce strong radial E-fields that accelerate keV ions radially as well as sheath fields that accelerate surface ions to hundreds of keV. The heated spot, which is initially larger than the laser spot due to the kinetic nature of the fast Auger electrons, expands as ion and electron waves propagate radially, leaving a low density region along the laser axis. This research was supported by the US DOE-OFES under Grant No. DE-SC0008827, the DOE-NNSA under Grant No. DE-NA0002075, and the JSPS KAKENHI under Grant No. JP15K21767.

Spectral and spatial characterisation of laser-driven positron beams

DOE PAGES

Sarri, G.; Warwick, J.; Schumaker, W.; ...

2016-10-18

The generation of high-quality relativistic positron beams is a central area of research in experimental physics, due to their potential relevance in a wide range of scientific and engineering areas, ranging from fundamental science to practical applications. There is now growing interest in developing hybrid machines that will combine plasma-based acceleration techniques with more conventional radio-frequency accelerators, in order to minimise the size and cost of these machines. Here we report on recent experiments on laser-driven generation of high-quality positron beams using a relatively low energy and potentially table-top laser system. Lastly, the results obtained indicate that current technology allowsmore » to create, in a compact setup, positron beams suitable for injection in radio-frequency accelerators.« less

Simulations of laser-driven ion acceleration from a thin CH target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jaehong; Bulanov, Stepan; Ji, Qing; Steinke, Sven; Treffert, Franziska; Vay, Jean-Luc; Schenkel, Thomas; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim; Vincenti, Henri

2017-10-01

2D and 3D computer simulations of laser driven ion acceleration from a thin CH foil using code WARP were performed. As the foil thickness varies from a few nm to μm, the simulations confirm that the acceleration mechanism transitions from the RPA (radiation pressure acceleration) to the TNSA (target normal sheath acceleration). In the TNSA regime, with the CH target thickness of 1 μ m and a pre-plasma ahead of the target, the simulations show the production of the collimated proton beam with the maximum energy of about 10 MeV. This agrees with the experimental results obtained at the BELLA laser facility (I 5 × 18 W / cm2 , λ = 800 nm). Furthermore, the maximum proton energy dependence on different setups of the initialization, i.e., different angles of the laser incidence from the target normal axis, different gradient scales and distributions of the pre-plasma, was explored. This work was supported by LDRD funding from LBNL, provided by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231, and used resources of the NERSC, a DOE office of Science User Facility supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Compact laser accelerators for X-ray phase-contrast imaging

PubMed Central

Najmudin, Z.; Kneip, S.; Bloom, M. S.; Mangles, S. P. D.; Chekhlov, O.; Dangor, A. E.; Döpp, A.; Ertel, K.; Hawkes, S. J.; Holloway, J.; Hooker, C. J.; Jiang, J.; Lopes, N. C.; Nakamura, H.; Norreys, P. A.; Rajeev, P. P.; Russo, C.; Streeter, M. J. V.; Symes, D. R.; Wing, M.

2014-01-01

Advances in X-ray imaging techniques have been driven by advances in novel X-ray sources. The latest fourth-generation X-ray sources can boast large photon fluxes at unprecedented brightness. However, the large size of these facilities means that these sources are not available for everyday applications. With advances in laser plasma acceleration, electron beams can now be generated at energies comparable to those used in light sources, but in university-sized laboratories. By making use of the strong transverse focusing of plasma accelerators, bright sources of betatron radiation have been produced. Here, we demonstrate phase-contrast imaging of a biological sample for the first time by radiation generated by GeV electron beams produced by a laser accelerator. The work was performed using a greater than 300 TW laser, which allowed the energy of the synchrotron source to be extended to the 10–100 keV range. PMID:24470414

Development and characterization of plasma targets for controlled injection of electrons into laser-driven wakefields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleinwaechter, Tobias; Goldberg, Lars; Palmer, Charlotte; Schaper, Lucas; Schwinkendorf, Jan-Patrick; Osterhoff, Jens

2012-10-01

Laser-driven wakefield acceleration within capillary discharge waveguides has been used to generate high-quality electron bunches with GeV-scale energies. However, owing to fluctuations in laser and plasma conditions in combination with a difficult to control self-injection mechanism in the non-linear wakefield regime these bunches are often not reproducible and can feature large energy spreads. Specialized plasma targets with tailored density profiles offer the possibility to overcome these issues by controlling the injection and acceleration processes. This requires precise manipulation of the longitudinal density profile. Therefore our target concept is based on a capillary structure with multiple gas in- and outlets. Potential target designs are simulated using the fluid code OpenFOAM and those meeting the specified criteria are fabricated using femtosecond-laser machining of structures into sapphire plates. Density profiles are measured over a range of inlet pressures utilizing gas-density profilometry via Raman scattering and pressure calibration with longitudinal interferometry. In combination these allow absolute density mapping. Here we report the preliminary results.

2D electron density profile measurement in tokamak by laser-accelerated ion-beam probe.

PubMed

Chen, Y H; Yang, X Y; Lin, C; Wang, L; Xu, M; Wang, X G; Xiao, C J

2014-11-01

A new concept of Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP) diagnostic has been proposed, of which the key is to replace the electrostatic accelerator of traditional HIBP by a laser-driven ion accelerator. Due to the large energy spread of ions, the laser-accelerated HIBP can measure the two-dimensional (2D) electron density profile of tokamak plasma. In a preliminary simulation, a 2D density profile was reconstructed with a spatial resolution of about 2 cm, and with the error below 15% in the core region. Diagnostics of 2D density fluctuation is also discussed.

Feasibility of Optical Transition Radiation Imaging for Laser-driven Plasma Accelerator Electron-Beam Diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumpkin, A. H.; Rule, D. W.; Downer, M. C.

We report the initial considerations of using linearly polarized optical transition radiation (OTR) to characterize the electron beams of laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) such as at the Univ. of Texas at Austin. The two LPAs operate at 100 MeV and 2-GeV, and they currently have estimated normalized emittances at ~ 1-mm mrad regime with beam divergences less than 1/γ and beam sizes to be determined at the micron level. Analytical modeling results indicate the feasibility of using these OTR techniques for the LPA applications.

Self-generated surface magnetic fields inhibit laser-driven sheath acceleration of high-energy protons.

PubMed

Nakatsutsumi, M; Sentoku, Y; Korzhimanov, A; Chen, S N; Buffechoux, S; Kon, A; Atherton, B; Audebert, P; Geissel, M; Hurd, L; Kimmel, M; Rambo, P; Schollmeier, M; Schwarz, J; Starodubtsev, M; Gremillet, L; Kodama, R; Fuchs, J

2018-01-18

High-intensity lasers interacting with solid foils produce copious numbers of relativistic electrons, which in turn create strong sheath electric fields around the target. The proton beams accelerated in such fields have remarkable properties, enabling ultrafast radiography of plasma phenomena or isochoric heating of dense materials. In view of longer-term multidisciplinary purposes (e.g., spallation neutron sources or cancer therapy), the current challenge is to achieve proton energies well in excess of 100 MeV, which is commonly thought to be possible by raising the on-target laser intensity. Here we present experimental and numerical results demonstrating that magnetostatic fields self-generated on the target surface may pose a fundamental limit to sheath-driven ion acceleration for high enough laser intensities. Those fields can be strong enough (~10 5  T at laser intensities ~10 21  W cm -2 ) to magnetize the sheath electrons and deflect protons off the accelerating region, hence degrading the maximum energy the latter can acquire.

Self-generated surface magnetic fields inhibit laser-driven sheath acceleration of high-energy protons

DOE PAGES

Nakatsutsumi, M.; Sentoku, Y.; Korzhimanov, A.; ...

2018-01-18

High-intensity lasers interacting with solid foils produce copious numbers of relativistic electrons, which in turn create strong sheath electric fields around the target. The proton beams accelerated in such fields have remarkable properties, enabling ultrafast radiography of plasma phenomena or isochoric heating of dense materials. In view of longer-term multidisciplinary purposes (e.g., spallation neutron sources or cancer therapy), the current challenge is to achieve proton energies well in excess of 100 MeV, which is commonly thought to be possible by raising the on-target laser intensity. Here we present experimental and numerical results demonstrating that magnetostatic fields self-generated on the targetmore » surface may pose a fundamental limit to sheath-driven ion acceleration for high enough laser intensities. Those fields can be strong enough (~10 5 T at laser intensities ~10 21 W cm –2) to magnetize the sheath electrons and deflect protons off the accelerating region, hence degrading the maximum energy the latter can acquire.« less

Self-generated surface magnetic fields inhibit laser-driven sheath acceleration of high-energy protons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nakatsutsumi, M.; Sentoku, Y.; Korzhimanov, A.

High-intensity lasers interacting with solid foils produce copious numbers of relativistic electrons, which in turn create strong sheath electric fields around the target. The proton beams accelerated in such fields have remarkable properties, enabling ultrafast radiography of plasma phenomena or isochoric heating of dense materials. In view of longer-term multidisciplinary purposes (e.g., spallation neutron sources or cancer therapy), the current challenge is to achieve proton energies well in excess of 100 MeV, which is commonly thought to be possible by raising the on-target laser intensity. Here we present experimental and numerical results demonstrating that magnetostatic fields self-generated on the targetmore » surface may pose a fundamental limit to sheath-driven ion acceleration for high enough laser intensities. Those fields can be strong enough (~10 5 T at laser intensities ~10 21 W cm –2) to magnetize the sheath electrons and deflect protons off the accelerating region, hence degrading the maximum energy the latter can acquire.« less

Radiobiological Effectiveness of Ultrashort Laser-Driven Electron Bunches: Micronucleus Frequency, Telomere Shortening and Cell Viability.

PubMed

Andreassi, Maria Grazia; Borghini, Andrea; Pulignani, Silvia; Baffigi, Federica; Fulgentini, Lorenzo; Koester, Petra; Cresci, Monica; Vecoli, Cecilia; Lamia, Debora; Russo, Giorgio; Panetta, Daniele; Tripodi, Maria; Gizzi, Leonida A; Labate, Luca

2016-09-01

Laser-driven electron accelerators are capable of producing high-energy electron bunches in shorter distances than conventional radiofrequency accelerators. To date, our knowledge of the radiobiological effects in cells exposed to electrons using a laser-plasma accelerator is still very limited. In this study, we compared the dose-response curves for micronucleus (MN) frequency and telomere length in peripheral blood lymphocytes exposed to laser-driven electron pulse and X-ray radiations. Additionally, we evaluated the effects on cell survival of in vitro tumor cells after exposure to laser-driven electron pulse compared to electron beams produced by a conventional radiofrequency accelerator used for intraoperative radiation therapy. Blood samples from two different donors were exposed to six radiation doses ranging from 0 to 2 Gy. Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for micronucleus induction was calculated from the alpha coefficients for electrons compared to X rays (RBE = alpha laser/alpha X rays). Cell viability was monitored in the OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cell line using trypan blue exclusion assay at day 3, 5 and 7 postirradiation (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 Gy). The RBE values obtained by comparing the alpha values were 1.3 and 1.2 for the two donors. Mean telomere length was also found to be reduced in a significant dose-dependent manner after irradiation with both electrons and X rays in both donors studied. Our findings showed a radiobiological response as mirrored by the induction of micronuclei and shortening of telomere as well as by the reduction of cell survival in blood samples and cancer cells exposed in vitro to laser-generated electron bunches. Additional studies are needed to improve preclinical validation of the radiobiological characteristics and efficacy of laser-driven electron accelerators in the future.

Laser-plasma accelerator-based single-cycle attosecond undulator source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibai, Z.; Tóth, Gy.; Nagyváradi, A.; Sharma, A.; Mechler, M. I.; Fülöp, J. A.; Almási, G.; Hebling, J.

2018-06-01

Laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs), producing high-quality electron beams, provide an opportunity to reduce the size of free-electron lasers (FELs) to only a few meters. A complete system is proposed here, which is based on FEL technology and consists of an LPA, two undulators, and other magnetic devices. The system is capable to generate carrier-envelope phase stable attosecond pulses with engineered waveform. Pulses with up to 60 nJ energy and 90-400 attosecond duration in the 30-120 nm wavelength range are predicted by numerical simulation. These pulses can be used to investigate ultrafast field-driven electron dynamics in matter.

Spectroscopic measurements of plasma emission light for plasma-based acceleration experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Ferrario, M.; Mostacci, A.; Palumbo, L.; Zigler, A.

2016-09-01

Advanced particle accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves driven by either electron or laser beams. Future experiments scheduled at the SPARC_LAB test facility aim to demonstrate the acceleration of high brightness electron beams through the so-called resonant Plasma Wakefield Acceleration scheme in which a train of electron bunches (drivers) resonantly excites wakefields into a preformed hydrogen plasma; the last bunch (witness) injected at the proper accelerating phase gains energy from the wake. The quality of the accelerated beam depends strongly on plasma density and its distribution along the acceleration length. The measurements of plasma density of the order of 1016-1017 cm-3 can be performed with spectroscopic measurements of the plasma-emitted light. The measured density distribution for hydrogen filled capillary discharge with both Balmer alpha and Balmer beta lines and shot-to-shot variation are here reported.

Intense γ ray generated by refocusing laser pulse on wakefield accelerated electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Jie; Wang, Jinguang; Li, Yifei; Zhu, Changqing; Li, Minghua; He, Yuhang; Li, Dazhang; Wang, Weimin; Chen, Liming

2017-09-01

Ultrafast x/γ ray emission from the combination of laser wake-field acceleration and plasma mirror has been investigated as a promising Thomson scattering source. However, the photon energy and yield of radiation are limited to the intensity of reflected laser pulses. We use the 2D particle in cell simulation to demonstrate that a 75TW driven laser pulse can be refocused on the accelerated electron bunches through a hemispherical plasma mirror with a small f number of 0.25. The energetic electrons with the maximum energy about 350 MeV collide with the reflected laser pulse of a0 = 3.82 at the focal spot, producing high order multi-photon Thomson scattering, and resulting in the scattering spectrum which extends up to 21.2 MeV. Such a high energy γ ray source could be applied to photonuclear reaction and materials science.

Optimizing laser-driven proton acceleration from overdense targets

PubMed Central

Stockem Novo, A.; Kaluza, M. C.; Fonseca, R. A.; Silva, L. O.

2016-01-01

We demonstrate how to tune the main ion acceleration mechanism in laser-plasma interactions to collisionless shock acceleration, thus achieving control over the final ion beam properties (e. g. maximum energy, divergence, number of accelerated ions). We investigate this technique with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations and illustrate a possible experimental realisation. The setup consists of an isolated solid density target, which is preheated by a first laser pulse to initiate target expansion, and a second one to trigger acceleration. The timing between the two laser pulses allows to access all ion acceleration regimes, ranging from target normal sheath acceleration, to hole boring and collisionless shock acceleration. We further demonstrate that the most energetic ions are produced by collisionless shock acceleration, if the target density is near-critical, ne ≈ 0.5 ncr. A scaling of the laser power shows that 100 MeV protons may be achieved in the PW range. PMID:27435449

Effects of laser polarization on electrostatic shock ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young-Kuk; Kang, Teyoun; Hur, Min Sup

2016-10-01

Collisionless electrostatic shock ion acceleration has become a major regime of laser-driven ion acceleration owing to generation of quasi-monoenergetic ion beams from moderate parametric conditions of lasers and plasmas in comparison with target-normal-sheath-acceleration or radiation pressure acceleration. In order to construct the shock, plasma heating is an essential condition for satisfying Mach number condition 1.5

Quasi-monoenergetic proton acceleration from cryogenic hydrogen microjet by ultrashort ultraintense laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, A.; Tibai, Z.; Hebling, J.; Fülöp, J. A.

2018-03-01

Laser-driven proton acceleration from a micron-sized cryogenic hydrogen microjet target is investigated using multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. With few-cycle (20-fs) ultraintense (2-PW) laser pulses, high-energy quasi-monoenergetic proton acceleration is predicted in a new regime. A collisionless shock-wave acceleration mechanism influenced by Weibel instability results in a maximum proton energy as high as 160 MeV and a quasi-monoenergetic peak at 80 MeV for 1022 W/cm2 laser intensity with controlled prepulses. A self-generated strong quasi-static magnetic field is also observed in the plasma, which modifies the spatial distribution of the proton beam.

Enhanced proton acceleration from an ultrathin target irradiated by laser pulses with plateau ASE.

PubMed

Wang, Dahui; Shou, Yinren; Wang, Pengjie; Liu, Jianbo; Li, Chengcai; Gong, Zheng; Hu, Ronghao; Ma, Wenjun; Yan, Xueqing

2018-02-07

We report a simulation study on proton acceleration driven by ultraintense laser pulses with normal contrast (10 7 -10 9 ) containing nanosecond plateau amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). It's found in hydrodynamic simulations that if the thickness of the targets lies in the range of hundreds nanometer matching the intensity and duration of ASE, the ablation pressure would push the whole target in the forward direction with speed exceeding the expansion velocity of plasma, resulting in a plasma density profile with a long extension at the target front and a sharp gradient at the target rear. When the main pulse irradiates the plasma, self-focusing happens at the target front, producing highly energetic electrons through direct laser acceleration(DLA) building the sheath field. The sharp plasma gradient at target rear ensures a strong sheath field. 2D particle-in-cell(PIC) simulations reveal that the proton energy can be enhanced by a factor of 2 compared to the case of using micrometer-thick targets.

Temporally resolved proton radiography of rapidly varying electric and magnetic fields in laser-driven capacitor coil targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morace, A.; Santos, J. J.; Bailly-Grandvaux, M.; Ehret, M.; Alpinaniz, J.; Brabetz, C.; Schaumann, G.; Volpe, L.

2017-02-01

Understanding the dynamics of rapidly varying electromagnetic fields in intense short pulse laser plasma interactions is of key importance to understand the mechanisms at the basis of a wide variety of physical processes, from high energy density physics and fusion science to the development of ultrafast laser plasma devices to control laser-generated particle beams. Target normal sheath accelerated (TNSA) proton radiography represents an ideal tool to diagnose ultrafast electromagnetic phenomena, providing 2D spatially and temporally resolved radiographs with temporal resolution varying from 2-3 ps to few tens of ps. In this work we introduce the proton radiography technique and its application to diagnose the spatial and temporal evolution of electromagnetic fields in laser-driven capacitor coil targets.

Effect of injection-gas concentration on the electron beam quality from a laser-plasma accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaie, Mohammad; Zhang, Guobo; Li, Song; Gao, Kai; Li, Guangyu; Ain, Quratul; Hafz, Nasr A. M.

2018-04-01

By using 25-45 TW ultra-short (30 fs) laser pulses, we report on the effect of the injection gas concentration on the quality of electron beams generated by a laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration employing the ionization-injection. For a plasma formed from helium-nitrogen gas mixture and depending on the concentration of the nitrogen gas, we could distinguish a clear trend for the quality of the generated electron beams in terms of their peak energy, energy-spread, divergence angle, and beam charge. The results clearly showed that the lower the nitrogen concentration, the better the quality (higher peak energy, smaller energy spread, and smaller emittance) of the generated electron beams. The results are in reasonable agreement with two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.

Ion acceleration with a narrow energy spectrum by nanosecond laser-irradiation of solid target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altana, C.; Lanzalone, G.; Mascali, D.; Muoio, A.; Cirrone, G. A. P.; Schillaci, F.; Tudisco, S.

2016-02-01

In laser-driven plasma, ion acceleration of aluminum with the production of a quasi-monoenergetic beam has occurred. A useful device to analyze the ions is the Thomson parabolas spectrometer, a well-known diagnostic that is able to obtain information on charge-to-mass ratio and energy distribution of the charged particles. At the LENS (Laser Energy for Nuclear Science) laboratory of INFN-LNS in Catania, experimental measures were carried out; the features of LENS are: Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with 2 J laser energy, 1064 nm fundamental wavelengths, and 6 ns pulse duration.

Ion acceleration with a narrow energy spectrum by nanosecond laser-irradiation of solid target

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Altana, C., E-mail: altana@lns.infn.it; Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania; Lanzalone, G.

2016-02-15

In laser-driven plasma, ion acceleration of aluminum with the production of a quasi-monoenergetic beam has occurred. A useful device to analyze the ions is the Thomson parabolas spectrometer, a well-known diagnostic that is able to obtain information on charge-to-mass ratio and energy distribution of the charged particles. At the LENS (Laser Energy for Nuclear Science) laboratory of INFN-LNS in Catania, experimental measures were carried out; the features of LENS are: Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with 2 J laser energy, 1064 nm fundamental wavelengths, and 6 ns pulse duration.

Laser-driven electron acceleration in a plasma channel with an additional electric field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Li-Hong; Xue, Ju-Kui, E-mail: xuejk@nwnu.edu.cn; Liu, Jie, E-mail: liu-jie@iapcm.ac.cn

2016-05-15

We examine the electron acceleration in a two-dimensional plasma channel under the action of a laser field and an additional static electric field. We propose to design an appropriate additional electric field (its direction and location), in order to launch the electron onto an energetic trajectory. We find that the electron acceleration strongly depends on the coupled effects of the laser polarization, the direction, and location of the additional electric field. The additional electric field affects the electron dynamics by changing the dephasing rate. Particularly, a suitably designed additional electric field leads to a considerable energy gain from the lasermore » pulse after the interaction with the additional electric field. The electron energy gain from the laser with the additional electric field can be much higher than that without the additional electric field. This engineering provides a possible means for producing high energetic electrons.« less

Compact and tunable focusing device for plasma wakefield acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompili, R.; Anania, M. P.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Ferrario, M.; Lollo, V.; Notargiacomo, A.; Picardi, L.; Ronsivalle, C.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Shpakov, V.; Vannozzi, A.

2018-03-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration, either driven by ultra-short laser pulses or electron bunches, represents one of the most promising techniques able to overcome the limits of conventional RF technology and allows the development of compact accelerators. In the particle beam-driven scenario, ultra-short bunches with tiny spot sizes are required to enhance the accelerating gradient and preserve the emittance and energy spread of the accelerated bunch. To achieve such tight transverse beam sizes, a focusing system with short focal length is mandatory. Here we discuss the development of a compact and tunable system consisting of three small-bore permanent-magnet quadrupoles with 520 T/m field gradient. The device has been designed in view of the plasma acceleration experiments planned at the SPARC_LAB test-facility. Being the field gradient fixed, the focusing is adjusted by tuning the relative position of the three magnets with nanometer resolution. Details about its magnetic design, beam-dynamics simulations, and preliminary results are examined in the paper.

Interaction physics of multipicosecond Petawatt laser pulses with overdense plasma.

PubMed

Kemp, A J; Divol, L

2012-11-09

We study the interaction of intense petawatt laser pulses with overdense plasma over several picoseconds, using two- and three-dimensional kinetic particle simulations. Sustained irradiation with non-diffraction-limited pulses at relativistic intensities yields conditions that differ qualitatively from what is experimentally available today. Nonlinear saturation of laser-driven density perturbations at the target surface causes recurrent emissions of plasma, which stabilize the surface and keep absorption continuously high. This dynamics leads to the acceleration of three distinct groups of electrons up to energies many times the laser ponderomotive potential. We discuss their energy distribution for applications like the fast-ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion.

Attosecond Thomson-scattering x-ray source driven by laser-based electron acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luo, W.; College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073; Zhuo, H. B.

2013-10-21

The possibility of producing attosecond x-rays through Thomson scattering of laser light off laser-driven relativistic electron beams is investigated. For a ≤200-as, tens-MeV electron bunch produced with laser ponderomotive-force acceleration in a plasma wire, exceeding 10{sup 6} photons/s in the form of ∼160 as pulses in the range of 3–300 keV are predicted, with a peak brightness of ≥5 × 10{sup 20} photons/(s mm{sup 2} mrad{sup 2} 0.1% bandwidth). Our study suggests that the physical scheme discussed in this work can be used for an ultrafast (attosecond) x-ray source, which is the most beneficial for time-resolved atomic physics, dubbed “attosecondmore » physics.”.« less

Relativistic Electron Acceleration with Ultrashort Mid-IR Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feder, Linus; Woodbury, Daniel; Shumakova, Valentina; Gollner, Claudia; Miao, Bo; Schwartz, Robert; Pugžlys, Audrius; Baltuška, Andrius; Milchberg, Howard

2017-10-01

We report the first results of laser plasma wakefield acceleration driven by ultrashort mid-infrared laser pulses (λ = 3.9 μm , pulsewidth 100 fs, energy <20 mJ, peak power <1 TW), which enables near- and above-critical density interactions with moderate-density gas jets. We present thresholds for electron acceleration based on critical parameters for relativistic self-focusing and target width, as well as trends in the accelerated beam profiles, charge and energy spectra which are supported by 3D particle-in-cell simulations. These results extend earlier work with sub-TW self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration using near IR drivers to the Mid-IR, and enable us to capture time-resolved images of relativistic self-focusing of the laser pulse. This work supported by DOE (DESC0010706TDD, DESC0015516); AFOSR(FA95501310044, FA95501610121); NSF(PHY1535519); DHS.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; An, Weiming; Clarke, Christine I.; Clayton, Chris E.; Corde, Sebastien; Delahaye, J. P.; Frederico, Joel; Green, Selina Z.; Hast, Carsten; Hogan, Mark J.; Joshi, Chan; Lindstrøm, Carl A.; Lipkowitz, Nate; Litos, Michael; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Mori, Warren B.; O'Shea, Brendan; Vafaei-Najafabadi, Navid; Walz, Dieter; Yakimenko, Vitaly; Yocky, Gerald

2016-06-01

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m-1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

PubMed Central

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; An, Weiming; Clarke, Christine I.; Clayton, Chris E.; Corde, Sebastien; Delahaye, J. P.; Frederico, Joel; Green, Selina Z.; Hast, Carsten; Hogan, Mark J.; Joshi, Chan; Lindstrøm, Carl A.; Lipkowitz, Nate; Litos, Michael; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Mori, Warren B.; O'Shea, Brendan; Vafaei-Najafabadi, Navid; Walz, Dieter; Yakimenko, Vitaly; Yocky, Gerald

2016-01-01

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m−1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations. PMID:27250570

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sokollik, Thomas; Shiraishi, Satomi; Osterhoff, Jens

We present experimental results on a tape-drive based plasma mirror which could be used for a compact coupling of a laser beam into a staged laser driven electron accelerator. This novel kind of plasma mirror is suitable for high repetition rates and for high number of laser shots. In order to design a compact, staged laser plasma based accelerator or collider [1], the coupling of the laser beam into the different stages represents one of the key issues. To limit the spatial foot print and thus to realize a high overall acceleration gradient, a concept has to be found whichmore » realizes this in-coupling within a few centimeters (cf. Fig 1). The fluence of the laser pulse several centimeters away from the acceleration stage (focus) exceeds the damage threshold of any available mirror coating. Therefore, in reference [2] a plasma mirror was suggested for this purpose. We present experiments on a tape-drive based plasma mirror which could be used to reflect the focused laser beam into the acceleration stage. Plasma mirrors composed of antireflection coated glass substrates are usually used to improve the temporal laser contrast of laser pulses by several orders of magnitudes [3,4]. This is particularly important for laser interaction with solid matter, such as ion acceleration [5,6] and high harmonic generation on surfaces [7]. Therefore, the laser pulse is weekly focused onto a substrate. The main pulse generates a plasma and is reflected at the critical surface, whereas the low intensity pre-pulse (mainly the Amplified Spontaneous Emission pedestal) will be transmitted through the substrate before the mirror has been triggered. Several publications [3,4] demonstrate a conservation of the spatial beam quality and a reflectivity of about 70 %. The drawback of this technique is the limited repetition rate since for every shot a fresh surface has to be provided. In the past years several novel approaches for high repetition rate plasma mirrors have been developed [2, 8]. Nevertheless, for the staged accelerator scheme a second important requirement has to be considered. Since the electron beam has to propagate through the mirror, the thickness of the substrate has to be as thin as possible to reduce the distortion of the electron beam. A tape of only several micrometer thickness can overcome these disadvantages. It can be used with a sufficient repetition rate while it allows the electron beam to propagate through with a minimum of scattering.« less

Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration from Plasma Micro-Channel Targets

PubMed Central

Zou, D. B.; Pukhov, A.; Yi, L. Q.; Zhou, H. B.; Yu, T. P.; Yin, Y.; Shao, F. Q.

2017-01-01

Efficient energy boost of the laser-accelerated ions is critical for their applications in biomedical and hadron research. Achiev-able energies continue to rise, with currently highest energies, allowing access to medical therapy energy windows. Here, a new regime of simultaneous acceleration of ~100 MeV protons and multi-100 MeV carbon-ions from plasma micro-channel targets is proposed by using a ~1020 W/cm2 modest intensity laser pulse. It is found that two trains of overdense electron bunches are dragged out from the micro-channel and effectively accelerated by the longitudinal electric-field excited in the plasma channel. With the optimized channel size, these “superponderomotive” energetic electrons can be focused on the front surface of the attached plastic substrate. The much intense sheath electric-field is formed on the rear side, leading to up to ~10-fold ionic energy increase compared to the simple planar geometry. The analytical prediction of the optimal channel size and ion maximum energies is derived, which shows good agreement with the particle-in-cell simulations. PMID:28218247

Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration from Plasma Micro-Channel Targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, D. B.; Pukhov, A.; Yi, L. Q.; Zhou, H. B.; Yu, T. P.; Yin, Y.; Shao, F. Q.

2017-02-01

Efficient energy boost of the laser-accelerated ions is critical for their applications in biomedical and hadron research. Achiev-able energies continue to rise, with currently highest energies, allowing access to medical therapy energy windows. Here, a new regime of simultaneous acceleration of ~100 MeV protons and multi-100 MeV carbon-ions from plasma micro-channel targets is proposed by using a ~1020 W/cm2 modest intensity laser pulse. It is found that two trains of overdense electron bunches are dragged out from the micro-channel and effectively accelerated by the longitudinal electric-field excited in the plasma channel. With the optimized channel size, these “superponderomotive” energetic electrons can be focused on the front surface of the attached plastic substrate. The much intense sheath electric-field is formed on the rear side, leading to up to ~10-fold ionic energy increase compared to the simple planar geometry. The analytical prediction of the optimal channel size and ion maximum energies is derived, which shows good agreement with the particle-in-cell simulations.

Ultra-high gradient channeling acceleration in nanostructures: Design/progress of proof-of-concept (POC) experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Y. M.; Green, A.; Lumpkin, A. H.; Thurman-Keup, R. M.; Shiltsev, V.; Zhang, X.; Farinella, D. M.-A.; Taborek, P.; Tajima, T.; Wheeler, J. A.; Mourou, G.

2017-03-01

A short bunch of relativistic particles, or a short-pulse laser, perturb the density state of conduction electrons in a solid crystal and excite wakefields along atomic lattices in a crystal. Under a coupling condition between a driver and plasma, the wakes, if excited, can accelerate channeling particles with TeV/m acceleration gradients [1], in principle, since the density of charge carriers (conduction electrons) in solids n0 = 1020 - 1023 cm-3 is significantly higher than what was considered above in gaseous plasma. Nanostructures have some advantages over crystals for channeling applications of high power beams. The de-channeling rate can be reduced and the beam acceptance increased by the large size of the channels. For beam-driven acceleration, a bunch length with a sufficient charge density would need to be in the range of the plasma wavelength to properly excite plasma wakefields, and channeled particle acceleration with the wakefields must occur before the ions in the lattices move beyond the restoring threshold. In the case of the excitation by short laser pulses, the dephasing length is appreciably increased with the larger channel, which enables channeled particles to gain sufficient amounts of energy. This paper describes simulation analyses on beam- and laser (X-ray)-driven accelerations in effective nanotube models obtained from the Vsim and EPOCH codes. Experimental setups to detect wakefields are also outlined with accelerator facilities at Fermilab and Northern Illinois University (NIU). In the FAST facility, the electron beamline was successfully commissioned at 50 MeV, and it is being upgraded toward higher energies for electron accelerator R&D. The 50 MeV injector beamline of the facility is used for X-ray crystal-channeling radiation with a diamond target. It has been proposed to utilize the same diamond crystal for a channeling acceleration proof-of-concept (POC). Another POC experiment is also designed for the NIU accelerator lab with time-resolved electron diffraction. Recently, a stable generation of single-cycle laser pulses with tens of Petawatt power based on the thin film compression (TFC) technique has been investigated for target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) and radiation pressure acceleration (RPA). The experimental plan with a nanometer foil is discussed with an available test facility such as Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP).

Laser-driven ion acceleration via target normal sheath acceleration in the relativistic transparency regime

DOE PAGES

Poole, P. L.; Obst, L.; Cochran, G. E.; ...

2018-01-11

Here we present an experimental study investigating laser-driven proton acceleration via target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) over a target thickness range spanning the typical TNSA-dominant regime (~1 μm) down to below the onset of relativistic laser-transparency (<40 nm). This is done with a single target material in the form of freely adjustable films of liquid crystals along with high contrast (via plasma mirror) laser interaction (~2.65 J, 30 fs, I>1 x 10 21 W cm -2). Thickness dependent maximum proton energies scale well with TNSA models down to the thinnest targets, while those under ~40 nm indicate the influence ofmore » relativistic transparency on TNSA, observed via differences in light transmission, maximum proton energy, and proton beam spatial profile. Oblique laser incidence (45°) allowed the fielding of numerous diagnostics to determine the interaction quality and details: ion energy and spatial distribution was measured along the laser axis and both front and rear target normal directions; these along with reflected and transmitted light measurements on-shot verify TNSA as dominant during high contrast interaction, even for ultra-thin targets. Additionally, 3D particle-in-cell simulations qualitatively support the experimental observations of target-normal-directed proton acceleration from ultra-thin films.« less

Laser-driven ion acceleration via target normal sheath acceleration in the relativistic transparency regime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poole, P. L.; Obst, L.; Cochran, G. E.

Here we present an experimental study investigating laser-driven proton acceleration via target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) over a target thickness range spanning the typical TNSA-dominant regime (~1 μm) down to below the onset of relativistic laser-transparency (<40 nm). This is done with a single target material in the form of freely adjustable films of liquid crystals along with high contrast (via plasma mirror) laser interaction (~2.65 J, 30 fs, I>1 x 10 21 W cm -2). Thickness dependent maximum proton energies scale well with TNSA models down to the thinnest targets, while those under ~40 nm indicate the influence ofmore » relativistic transparency on TNSA, observed via differences in light transmission, maximum proton energy, and proton beam spatial profile. Oblique laser incidence (45°) allowed the fielding of numerous diagnostics to determine the interaction quality and details: ion energy and spatial distribution was measured along the laser axis and both front and rear target normal directions; these along with reflected and transmitted light measurements on-shot verify TNSA as dominant during high contrast interaction, even for ultra-thin targets. Additionally, 3D particle-in-cell simulations qualitatively support the experimental observations of target-normal-directed proton acceleration from ultra-thin films.« less

Shock ion acceleration by an ultrashort circularly polarized laser pulse via relativistic transparency in an exploded target.

PubMed

Kim, Young-Kuk; Cho, Myung-Hoon; Song, Hyung Seon; Kang, Teyoun; Park, Hyung Ju; Jung, Moon Youn; Hur, Min Sup

2015-10-01

We investigated ion acceleration by an electrostatic shock in an exploded target irradiated by an ultrashort, circularly polarized laser pulse by means of one- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We discovered that the laser field penetrating via relativistic transparency (RT) rapidly heated the upstream electron plasma to enable the formation of a high-speed electrostatic shock. Owing to the RT-based rapid heating and the fast compression of the initial density spike by a circularly polarized pulse, a new regime of the shock ion acceleration driven by an ultrashort (20-40 fs), moderately intense (1-1.4 PW) laser pulse is envisaged. This regime enables more efficient shock ion acceleration under a limited total pulse energy than a linearly polarized pulse with crystal laser systems of λ∼1μm.

Neutron Source from Laser Plasma Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Xuejing; Shaw, Joseph; McCary, Eddie; Downer, Mike; Hegelich, Bjorn

2016-10-01

Laser driven electron beams and ion beams were utilized to produce neutron sources via different mechanism. On the Texas Petawatt laser, deuterized plastic, gold and DLC foil targets of varying thickness were shot with 150 J , 150 fs laser pulses at a peak intensity of 2 ×1021W /cm2 . Ions were accelerated by either target normal sheath acceleration or Breakout Afterburner acceleration. Neutrons were produced via the 9Be(d,n) and 9Be(p,n) reactions when accelerated ions impinged on a Beryllium converter as well as by deuteron breakup reactions. We observed 2 ×1010 neutron per shot in average, corresponding to 5 ×1018n /s . The efficiencies for different targets are comparable. In another experiment, 38fs , 0.3 J UT3 laser pulse interacted with mixed gas target. Electrons with energy 40MeV were produced via laser wakefield acceleration. Neutron flux of 2 ×106 per shot was generated through bremsstrahlung and subsequent photoneutron reactions on a Copper converter.

High Energy electron and proton acceleration by circularly polarized laser pulse from near critical density hydrogen gas target.

PubMed

Sharma, Ashutosh

2018-02-01

Relativistic electron rings hold the possibility of very high accelerating rates, and hopefully a relatively cheap and compact accelerator/collimator for ultrahigh energy proton source. In this work, we investigate the generation of helical shaped quasi-monoenergetic relativistic electron beam and high-energy proton beam from near critical density plasmas driven by petawatt-circularly polarized-short laser pulses. We numerically observe the efficient proton acceleration from magnetic vortex acceleration mechanism by using the three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations; proton beam with peak energy 350 MeV, charge ~10nC and conversion efficiency more than 6% (which implies 2.4 J proton beam out of the 40 J incident laser energy) is reported. We detailed the microphysics involved in the ion acceleration mechanism, which requires investigating the role of self-generated plasma electric and magnetic fields. The concept of efficient generation of quasi-monoenergetic electron and proton beam from near critical density gas targets may be verified experimentally at advanced high power - high repetition rate laser facilities e.g. ELI-ALPS. Such study should be an important step towards the development of high quality electron and proton beam.

Injection of externally produced kinetic electrons into a self-guided laser wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, Bradley; Ralph, Joseph; Albert, Felicie; Shaw, Jessica; Clayton, Christopher; Marsh, Ken; Joshi, Chan; Mori, Warren; Kesler, Leigh; Mills, Sarah; Severson, Brian; Rigby, Alexandra; Glenzer, Siegfried

2012-10-01

A two-stage laser wakefield accelerator is being developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using the Callisto laser system. The first stage is a high density (˜10^19 cm-3), 5 mm He gas jet plasma which is driven by 30 TW of 800 nm laser light focused to an a0˜ 2. The <100 MeV electrons produced in this stage are deflected by a 0.5 T dipole magnet onto the axis of the second stage, which is a low density (˜10^18 cm-3), 15 mm He gas cell driven by 200 TW of 800 nm light also focused to an a0˜ 2; no additional electrons are trapped in this stage. Electrons injected into the second stage can then be further accelerated to higher energy without increasing the energy spread. Measurements of the transmitted laser profile and spectrum from the second stage indicate that the laser pulse is self-guided throughout the gas cell and that a strong wake is driven. These results compare well with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations performed with the code OSIRIS. This work was performed under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. DE-AC52-07NA-27344.

Laser-driven injector of electrons for IOTA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanov, Aleksandr

2017-03-01

Fermilab is developing the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) ring for experiments on nonlinear integrable optics. The machine will operate with either electron beams of 150 MeV or proton beams of 2.5 MeV energies, respectively. The stability of integrable optics depends critically on the precision of the magnetic lattice, which demands the use of beam-based lattice measurements for optics correction. In the proton mode, the low-energy proton beam does not represent a good probe for this application; hence we consider the use of a low-intensity reverse-injected electron beam of matched momentum (70 MeV). Such an injector could be implemented with the use of laser-driven acceleration techniques. This report presents the consideration for a laser-plasma injector for IOTA and discusses the requirements determined by the ring design.

A gas-dynamical approach to radiation pressure acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Peter; Boine-Frankenheim, Oliver

2016-06-01

The study of high intensity ion beams driven by high power pulsed lasers is an active field of research. Of particular interest is the radiation pressure acceleration, for which simulations predict narrow band ion energies up to GeV. We derive a laser-piston model by applying techniques for non-relativistic gas-dynamics. The model reveals a laser intensity limit, below which sufficient laser-piston acceleration is impossible. The relation between target thickness and piston velocity as a function of the laser pulse length yields an approximation for the permissible target thickness. We performed one-dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations to confirm the predictions of the analytical model. These simulations also reveal the importance of electromagnetic energy transport. We find that this energy transport limits the achievable compression and rarefies the plasma.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE PAGES

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; ...

2016-06-02

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. In this study, we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel ismore » created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m -1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.« less

Shock-Wave Acceleration of Protons on OMEGA EP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberberger, D.; Froula, D. H.; Pak, A.; Link, A.; Patel, P.; Fiuza, F.; Tochitsky, S.; Joshi, C.

2015-11-01

Recent experimental results using shock-wave acceleration (SWA) driven by a CO2 laser in a H2 gas-jet plasma have shown the possibility of producing proton beams with energy spreads <10% and with energies of up to 20 MeV using a modest peak laser power of 4 TW. Here we propose the investigation of the scaling of the SWA mechanism to higher laser powers using the 1- μm OMEGA EP Laser System at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The required tailored plasma profile is created by expanding a CH target using the thermal x-ray emission from a UV ablated material. The desired characteristics optimal for SWA are met: (a) peak plasma density is overcritical for the 1- μm main pulse and (b) the plasma profile exponentially decays over a long scale length on the rear side. Results will be shown using a 4 ω probe to experimentally characterize the plasma density profile. Scaling from simulations of the SWA mechanism shows that ion energies in the range of 100 MeV/amu are achievable with a focused a0 of 5 from the OMEGA EP Laser System. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

Methods and system for controlled laser-driven explosive bonding

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubenchik, Alexander M.; Farmer, Joseph C.; Hackel, Lloyd

A technique for bonding two dissimilar materials includes positioning a second material over a first material at an oblique angle and applying a tamping layer over the second martial. A laser beam is directed at the second material that generates a plasma at the location of impact on the second material. The plasma generates pressure that accelerates a portion of the second material to a very high velocity and towards the first material. The second material impacts the first material causing bonding of the two materials.

Special issue on compact x-ray sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooker, Simon; Midorikawa, Katsumi; Rosenzweig, James

2014-04-01

Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics is delighted to announce a forthcoming special issue on compact x-ray sources, to appear in the winter of 2014, and invites you to submit a paper. The potential for high-brilliance x- and gamma-ray sources driven by advanced, compact accelerators has gained increasing attention in recent years. These novel sources—sometimes dubbed 'fifth generation sources'—will build on the revolutionary advance of the x-ray free-electron laser (FEL). New radiation sources of this type have widespread applications, including in ultra-fast imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic medicine, and studies of matter under extreme conditions. Rapid advances in compact accelerators and in FEL techniques make this an opportune moment to consider the opportunities which could be realized by bringing these two fields together. Further, the successful development of compact radiation sources driven by compact accelerators will be a significant milestone on the road to the development of high-gradient colliders able to operate at the frontiers of particle physics. Thus the time is right to publish a peer-reviewed collection of contributions concerning the state-of-the-art in: advanced and novel acceleration techniques; sophisticated physics at the frontier of FELs; and the underlying and enabling techniques of high brightness electron beam physics. Interdisciplinary research connecting two or more of these fields is also increasingly represented, as exemplified by entirely new concepts such as plasma based electron beam sources, and coherent imaging with fs-class electron beams. We hope that in producing this special edition of Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (iopscience.iop.org/0953-4075/) we may help further a challenging mission and ongoing intellectual adventure: the harnessing of newly emergent, compact advanced accelerators to the creation of new, agile light sources with unprecedented capabilities. New schemes for compact accelerators: laser- and beam-driven plasma accelerators; dielectric laser accelerators; THz accelerators. Latest results for compact accelerators. Target design and staging of advanced accelerators. Advanced injection and phase space manipulation techniques. Novel diagnostics: single-shot measurement of sub-fs bunch duration; measurement of ultra-low emittance. Generation and characterization of incoherent radiation: betatron and undulator radiation; Thomson/Compton scattering sources, novel THz sources. Generation and characterization of coherent radiation. Novel FEL simulation techniques. Advances in simulations of novel accelerators: simulations of injection and acceleration processes; simulations of coherent and incoherent radiation sources; start-to-end simulations of fifth generation light sources. Novel undulator schemes. Novel laser drivers for laser-driven accelerators: high-repetition rate laser systems; high wall-plug efficiency systems. Applications of compact accelerators: imaging; radiography; medical applications; electron diffraction and microscopy. Please submit your article by 15 May 2014 (expected web publication: winter 2014); submissions received after this date will be considered for the journal, but may not be included in the special issue.

Guiding of relativistic electron beams in dense matter by laser-driven magnetostatic fields.

PubMed

Bailly-Grandvaux, M; Santos, J J; Bellei, C; Forestier-Colleoni, P; Fujioka, S; Giuffrida, L; Honrubia, J J; Batani, D; Bouillaud, R; Chevrot, M; Cross, J E; Crowston, R; Dorard, S; Dubois, J-L; Ehret, M; Gregori, G; Hulin, S; Kojima, S; Loyez, E; Marquès, J-R; Morace, A; Nicolaï, Ph; Roth, M; Sakata, S; Schaumann, G; Serres, F; Servel, J; Tikhonchuk, V T; Woolsey, N; Zhang, Z

2018-01-09

Intense lasers interacting with dense targets accelerate relativistic electron beams, which transport part of the laser energy into the target depth. However, the overall laser-to-target energy coupling efficiency is impaired by the large divergence of the electron beam, intrinsic to the laser-plasma interaction. Here we demonstrate that an efficient guiding of MeV electrons with about 30 MA current in solid matter is obtained by imposing a laser-driven longitudinal magnetostatic field of 600 T. In the magnetized conditions the transported energy density and the peak background electron temperature at the 60-μm-thick target's rear surface rise by about a factor of five, as unfolded from benchmarked simulations. Such an improvement of energy-density flux through dense matter paves the ground for advances in laser-driven intense sources of energetic particles and radiation, driving matter to extreme temperatures, reaching states relevant for planetary or stellar science as yet inaccessible at the laboratory scale and achieving high-gain laser-driven thermonuclear fusion.

Designing a Dielectric Laser Accelerator on a Chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niedermayer, Uwe; Boine-Frankenheim, Oliver; Egenolf, Thilo

2017-07-01

Dielectric Laser Acceleration (DLA) achieves gradients of more than 1GeV/m, which are among the highest in non-plasma accelerators. The long-term goal of the ACHIP collaboration is to provide relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons by means of a laser driven microchip accelerator. Examples of ’’slightly resonant” dielectric structures showing gradients in the range of 70% of the incident laser field (1 GV/m) for electrons with beta=0.32 and 200% for beta=0.91 are presented. We demonstrate the bunching and acceleration of low energy electrons in dedicated ballistic buncher and velocity matched grating structures. However, the design gradient of 500 MeV/m leads to rapid defocusing. Therefore we present a scheme to bunch the beam in stages, which does not only reduce the energy spread, but also the transverse defocusing. The designs are made with a dedicated homemade 6D particle tracking code.

Laser-driven collimated tens-GeV monoenergetic protons from mass-limited target plus preformed channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, F. L.; Wu, S. Z.; Wu, H. C.; Zhou, C. T.; Cai, H. B.; Yu, M. Y.; Tajima, T.; Yan, X. Q.; He, X. T.

2013-01-01

Proton acceleration by ultra-intense laser pulse irradiating a target with cross-section smaller than the laser spot size and connected to a parabolic density channel is investigated. The target splits the laser into two parallel propagating parts, which snowplow the back-side plasma electrons along their paths, creating two adjacent parallel wakes and an intense return current in the gap between them. The radiation-pressure pre-accelerated target protons trapped in the wake fields now undergo acceleration as well as collimation by the quasistatic wake electrostatic and magnetic fields. Particle-in-cell simulations show that stable long-distance acceleration can be realized, and a 30 fs monoenergetic ion beam of >10 GeV peak energy and <2° divergence can be produced by a circularly polarized laser pulse at an intensity of about 1022 W/cm2.

Stochastic acceleration of electrons from multiple uncorrelated plasma waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gee, David; Michel, Pierre; Wurtele, Jonathan

2017-10-01

One-dimensional theory puts a strict limit on the maximum energy attainable by an electron trapped and accelerated by an electron plasma wave (EPW). However, experimental measurements of hot electron distributions accelerated by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in ICF experiments typically show a thermal distribution with temperatures of the order of the kinetic energy of the resonant EPW's (Thot mvp2 , where vp is the phase velocity of the EPW's driven by SRS) and no clear cutoff at high energies. In this project, we are investigating conditions under which electrons can be stochastically accelerated by multiple uncorrelated EPW's, such as those generated by incoherent laser speckles in large laser spots like the ones used on NIF ( mm-size), and reproduce distributions similar to those observed in experiments. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Suppression of transverse ablative Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability in the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration by using elliptically polarized laser pulses.

PubMed

Wu, D; Zheng, C Y; Qiao, B; Zhou, C T; Yan, X Q; Yu, M Y; He, X T

2014-08-01

It is shown that the transverse Rayleigh-Taylor-like (RT) instability in the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration can be suppressed by using an elliptically polarized (EP) laser. A moderate J×B heating of the EP laser will thermalize the local electrons, which leads to the transverse diffusion of ions, suppressing the short wavelength perturbations of RT instability. A proper condition of polarization ratio is obtained analytically for the given laser intensity and plasma density. The idea is confirmed by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, showing that the ion beam driven by the EP laser is more concentrated and intense compared with that of the circularly polarized laser.

Generation and Evolution of High-Mach-Number Laser-Driven Magnetized Collisionless Shocks in the Laboratory.

PubMed

Schaeffer, D B; Fox, W; Haberberger, D; Fiksel, G; Bhattacharjee, A; Barnak, D H; Hu, S X; Germaschewski, K

2017-07-14

We present the first laboratory generation of high-Mach-number magnetized collisionless shocks created through the interaction of an expanding laser-driven plasma with a magnetized ambient plasma. Time-resolved, two-dimensional imaging of plasma density and magnetic fields shows the formation and evolution of a supercritical shock propagating at magnetosonic Mach number M_{ms}≈12. Particle-in-cell simulations constrained by experimental data further detail the shock formation and separate dynamics of the multi-ion-species ambient plasma. The results show that the shocks form on time scales as fast as one gyroperiod, aided by the efficient coupling of energy, and the generation of a magnetic barrier between the piston and ambient ions. The development of this experimental platform complements present remote sensing and spacecraft observations, and opens the way for controlled laboratory investigations of high-Mach number collisionless shocks, including the mechanisms and efficiency of particle acceleration.

Compact quasi-monoenergetic photon sources from laser-plasma accelerators for nuclear detection and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geddes, Cameron G. R.; Rykovanov, Sergey; Matlis, Nicholas H.; Steinke, Sven; Vay, Jean-Luc; Esarey, Eric H.; Ludewigt, Bernhard; Nakamura, Kei; Quiter, Brian J.; Schroeder, Carl B.; Toth, Csaba; Leemans, Wim P.

2015-05-01

Near-monoenergetic photon sources at MeV energies offer improved sensitivity at greatly reduced dose for active interrogation, and new capabilities in treaty verification, nondestructive assay of spent nuclear fuel and emergency response. Thomson (also referred to as Compton) scattering sources are an established method to produce appropriate photon beams. Applications are however restricted by the size of the required high-energy electron linac, scattering (photon production) system, and shielding for disposal of the high energy electron beam. Laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs) produce GeV electron beams in centimeters, using the plasma wave driven by the radiation pressure of an intense laser. Recent LPA experiments are presented which have greatly improved beam quality and efficiency, rendering them appropriate for compact high-quality photon sources based on Thomson scattering. Designs for MeV photon sources utilizing the unique properties of LPAs are presented. It is shown that control of the scattering laser, including plasma guiding, can increase photon production efficiency. This reduces scattering laser size and/or electron beam current requirements to scale compatible with the LPA. Lastly, the plasma structure can decelerate the electron beam after photon production, reducing the size of shielding required for beam disposal. Together, these techniques provide a path to a compact photon source system.

Optimization of laser-plasma injector via beam loading effects using ionization-induced injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, P.; Maynard, G.; Audet, T. L.; Cros, B.; Lehe, R.; Vay, J.-L.

2018-05-01

Simulations of ionization-induced injection in a laser driven plasma wakefield show that high-quality electron injectors in the 50-200 MeV range can be achieved in a gas cell with a tailored density profile. Using the PIC code Warp with parameters close to existing experimental conditions, we show that the concentration of N2 in a hydrogen plasma with a tailored density profile is an efficient parameter to tune electron beam properties through the control of the interplay between beam loading effects and varying accelerating field in the density profile. For a given laser plasma configuration, with moderate normalized laser amplitude, a0=1.6 and maximum electron plasma density, ne 0=4 ×1018 cm-3 , the optimum concentration results in a robust configuration to generate electrons at 150 MeV with a rms energy spread of 4% and a spectral charge density of 1.8 pC /MeV .

Laser-plasma-based linear collider using hollow plasma channels

DOE PAGES

Schroeder, C. B.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.; ...

2016-03-03

A linear electron–positron collider based on laser-plasma accelerators using hollow plasma channels is considered. Laser propagation and energy depletion in the hollow channel is discussed, as well as the overall efficiency of the laser-plasma accelerator. Example parameters are presented for a 1-TeV and 3-TeV center-of-mass collider based on laser-plasma accelerators.

Ultra-High Gradient Channeling Acceleration in Nanostructures: Design/Progress of Proof-of-Concept (POC) Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Young Min; Green, A.; Lumpkin, A. H.

2016-09-16

A short bunch of relativistic particles or a short-pulse laser perturbs the density state of conduction electrons in a solid crystal and excites wakefields along atomic lattices in a crystal. Under a coupling condition the wakes, if excited, can accelerate channeling particles with TeV/m acceleration gradients in principle since the density of charge carriers (conduction electrons) in solids n 0 = ~ 10 20 – 10 23 cm -3 is significantly higher than what can be obtained in gaseous plasma. Nanostructures have some advantages over crystals for channeling applications of high power beams. The dechanneling rate can be reduced andmore » the beam acceptance increased by the large size of the channels. For beam-driven acceleration, a bunch length with a sufficient charge density would need to be in the range of the plasma wavelength to properly excite plasma wakefields, and channeled particle acceleration with the wakefields must occur before the ions in the lattices move beyond the restoring threshold. In the case of the excitation by short laser pulses, the dephasing length is appreciably increased with the larger channel, which enables channeled particles to gain sufficient amounts of energy. This paper describes simulation analyses on beam- and laser (X-ray)-driven accelerations in effective nanotube models obtained from Vsim and EPOCH codes. Experimental setups to detect wakefields are also outlined with accelerator facilities at Fermilab and NIU. In the FAST facility, the electron beamline was successfully commissioned at 50 MeV and it is being upgraded toward higher energies for electron accelerator R&D. The 50 MeV injector beamline of the facility is used for X-ray crystal-channeling radiation with a diamond target. It has been proposed to utilize the same diamond crystal for a channeling acceleration POC test. Another POC experiment is also designed for the NIU accelerator lab with time-resolved electron diffraction. Recently, a stable generation of single-cycle laser pulses with tens of Petawatt power based on thin film compression (TFC) technique has been investigated for target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) and radiation pressure acceleration (RPA). The experimental plan with a nanometer foil is discussed with an available test facility such as Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP).« less

Focusing and transport of high-intensity multi-MeV proton bunches from a compact laser-driven source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busold, S.; Schumacher, D.; Deppert, O.; Brabetz, C.; Frydrych, S.; Kroll, F.; Joost, M.; Al-Omari, H.; Blažević, A.; Zielbauer, B.; Hofmann, I.; Bagnoud, V.; Cowan, T. E.; Roth, M.

2013-10-01

Laser ion acceleration provides for compact, high-intensity ion sources in the multi-MeV range. Using a pulsed high-field solenoid, for the first time high-intensity laser-accelerated proton bunches could be selected from the continuous exponential spectrum and delivered to large distances, containing more than 109 particles in a narrow energy interval around a central energy of 9.4 MeV and showing ≤30mrad envelope divergence. The bunches of only a few nanoseconds bunch duration were characterized 2.2 m behind the laser-plasma source with respect to arrival time, energy width, and intensity as well as spatial and temporal bunch profile.

Ion dynamics of a laser produced aluminium plasma at different ambient pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sankar, Pranitha; Shashikala, H. D.; Philip, Reji

2018-01-01

Plasma is generated by pulsed laser ablation of an Aluminium target using 1064 nm, 7 ns Nd:YAG laser pulses. The spatial and temporal evolution of the whole plasma plume, as well as that of the ionic (Al2+) component present in the plume, are investigated using spectrally resolved time-gated imaging. The influence of ambient gas pressure on the expansion dynamics of Al2+ is studied in particular. In vacuum (10-5 Torr, 10-2 Torr) the whole plume expands adiabatically and diffuses into the ambient. For higher pressures in the range of 1-10 Torr plume expansion is in accordance with the shock wave model, while at 760 Torr the expansion follows the drag model. On the other hand, the expansion dynamics of the Al2+ component, measured by introducing a band pass optical filter in the detection system, fits to the shock wave model for the entire pressure range of 10-2 Torr to 760 Torr. The expansion velocities of the whole plume and the Al2+ component have been measured in vacuum. These dynamics studies are of potential importance for applications such as laser-driven plasma accelerators, ion acceleration, pulsed laser deposition, micromachining, laser-assisted mass spectrometry, ion implantation, and light source generation.

Collaborative Research: Tomographic imaging of laser-plasma structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Downer, Michael

The interaction of intense short laser pulses with ionized gases, or plasmas, underlies many applications such as acceleration of elementary particles, production of energy by laser fusion, generation of x-ray and far-infrared “terahertz” pulses for medical and materials probing, remote sensing of explosives and pollutants, and generation of guide stars. Such laser-plasma interactions create tiny electron density structures (analogous to the wake behind a boat) inside the plasma in the shape of waves, bubbles and filaments that move at the speed of light, and evolve as they propagate. Prior to recent work by the PI of this proposal, detailed knowledgemore » of such structures came exclusively from intensive computer simulations. Now “snapshots” of these elusive, light-velocity structures can be taken in the laboratory using dynamic variant of holography, the technique used to produce ID cards and DVDs, and dynamic variant of tomography, the technique used in medicine to image internal bodily organs. These fast visualization techniques are important for understanding, improving and scaling the above-mentioned applications of laser-plasma interactions. In this project, we accomplished three things: 1) We took holographic pictures of a laser-driven plasma-wave in the act of accelerating electrons to high energy, and used computer simulations to understand the pictures. 2) Using results from this experiment to optimize the performance of the accelerator, and the brightness of x-rays that it emits. These x-rays will be useful for medical and materials science applications. 3) We made technical improvements to the holographic technique that enables us to see finer details in the recorded pictures. Four refereed journal papers were published, and two students earned PhDs and moved on to scientific careers in US National Laboratories based on their work under this project.« less

Towards ion beam therapy based on laser plasma accelerators.

PubMed

Karsch, Leonhard; Beyreuther, Elke; Enghardt, Wolfgang; Gotz, Malte; Masood, Umar; Schramm, Ulrich; Zeil, Karl; Pawelke, Jörg

2017-11-01

Only few ten radiotherapy facilities worldwide provide ion beams, in spite of their physical advantage of better achievable tumor conformity of the dose compared to conventional photon beams. Since, mainly the large size and high costs hinder their wider spread, great efforts are ongoing to develop more compact ion therapy facilities. One promising approach for smaller facilities is the acceleration of ions on micrometre scale by high intensity lasers. Laser accelerators deliver pulsed beams with a low pulse repetition rate, but a high number of ions per pulse, broad energy spectra and high divergences. A clinical use of a laser based ion beam facility requires not only a laser accelerator providing beams of therapeutic quality, but also new approaches for beam transport, dosimetric control and tumor conformal dose delivery procedure together with the knowledge of the radiobiological effectiveness of laser-driven beams. Over the last decade research was mainly focused on protons and progress was achieved in all important challenges. Although currently the maximum proton energy is not yet high enough for patient irradiation, suggestions and solutions have been reported for compact beam transport and dose delivery procedures, respectively, as well as for precise dosimetric control. Radiobiological in vitro and in vivo studies show no indications of an altered biological effectiveness of laser-driven beams. Laser based facilities will hardly improve the availability of ion beams for patient treatment in the next decade. Nevertheless, there are possibilities for a need of laser based therapy facilities in future.

Trains of electron micro-bunches in plasma wake-field acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lécz, Zsolt; Andreev, Alexander; Konoplev, Ivan; Seryi, Andrei; Smith, Jonathan

2018-07-01

Plasma-based charged particle accelerators have been intensively investigated in the past three decades due to their capability to open up new horizons in accelerator science and particle physics yielding electric field accelerating gradient more than three orders of magnitudes higher than in conventional devices. At the current stage the most advanced and reliable mechanism for accelerating electrons is based on the propagation of an intense laser pulse or a relativistic electron beam in a low density gaseous target. In this paper we concentrate on the electron beam-driven plasma wake-field acceleration and demonstrate using 3D PiC simulations that a train of electron micro-bunches with ∼10 fs period can be generated behind the driving beam propagating in a density down-ramp. We will discuss the conditions and properties of the micro-bunches generated aiming at understanding and study of multi-bunch mechanism of injection. It is show that the periodicity and duration of micro-bunches can be controlled by adjusting the plasma density gradient and driving beam charge.

STUDIES OF A FREE ELECTRON LASER DRIVEN BY A LASER-PLASMA ACCELERATOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Montgomery, A.; Schroeder, C.; Fawley, W.

A free electron laser (FEL) uses an undulator, a set of alternating magnets producing a periodic magnetic fi eld, to stimulate emission of coherent radiation from a relativistic electron beam. The Lasers, Optical Accelerator Systems Integrated Studies (LOASIS) group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) will use an innovative laserplasma wakefi eld accelerator to produce an electron beam to drive a proposed FEL. In order to optimize the FEL performance, the dependence on electron beam and undulator parameters must be understood. Numerical modeling of the FEL using the simulation code GINGER predicts the experimental results for given input parameters. Amongmore » the parameters studied were electron beam energy spread, emittance, and mismatch with the undulator focusing. Vacuum-chamber wakefi elds were also simulated to study their effect on FEL performance. Energy spread was found to be the most infl uential factor, with output FEL radiation power sharply decreasing for relative energy spreads greater than 0.33%. Vacuum chamber wakefi elds and beam mismatch had little effect on the simulated LOASIS FEL at the currents considered. This study concludes that continued improvement of the laser-plasma wakefi eld accelerator electron beam will allow the LOASIS FEL to operate in an optimal regime, producing high-quality XUV and x-ray pulses.« less

High flux femtosecond x-ray emission from the electron-hose instability in laser wakefield accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, C. F.; Zhao, T. Z.; Behm, K.

Here, bright and ultrashort duration x-ray pulses can be produced by through betatron oscillations of electrons during laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). Our experimental measurements using the Hercules laser system demonstrate a dramatic increase in x-ray flux for interaction distances beyond the depletion/dephasing lengths, where the initial electron bunch injected into the first wake bucket catches up with the laser pulse front and the laser pulse depletes. A transition from an LWFA regime to a beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration regime consequently occurs. The drive electron bunch is susceptible to the electron-hose instability and rapidly develops large amplitude oscillations in its tail,more » which leads to greatly enhanced x-ray radiation emission. We measure the x-ray flux as a function of acceleration length using a variable length gas cell. 3D particle-in-cell simulations using a Monte Carlo synchrotron x-ray emission algorithm elucidate the time-dependent variations in the radiation emission processes.« less

High flux femtosecond x-ray emission from the electron-hose instability in laser wakefield accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, C. F.; Zhao, T. Z.; Behm, K.; Cummings, P. G.; Nees, J.; Maksimchuk, A.; Yanovsky, V.; Krushelnick, K.; Thomas, A. G. R.

2018-04-01

Bright and ultrashort duration x-ray pulses can be produced by through betatron oscillations of electrons during laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). Our experimental measurements using the Hercules laser system demonstrate a dramatic increase in x-ray flux for interaction distances beyond the depletion/dephasing lengths, where the initial electron bunch injected into the first wake bucket catches up with the laser pulse front and the laser pulse depletes. A transition from an LWFA regime to a beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration regime consequently occurs. The drive electron bunch is susceptible to the electron-hose instability and rapidly develops large amplitude oscillations in its tail, which leads to greatly enhanced x-ray radiation emission. We measure the x-ray flux as a function of acceleration length using a variable length gas cell. 3D particle-in-cell simulations using a Monte Carlo synchrotron x-ray emission algorithm elucidate the time-dependent variations in the radiation emission processes.

Intra-pulse transition between ion acceleration mechanisms in intense laser-foil interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Padda, H.; King, M.; Gray, R. J.

Multiple ion acceleration mechanisms can occur when an ultrathin foil is irradiated with an intense laser pulse, with the dominant mechanism changing over the course of the interaction. Measurement of the spatial-intensity distribution of the beam of energetic protons is used to investigate the transition from radiation pressure acceleration to transparency-driven processes. It is shown numerically that radiation pressure drives an increased expansion of the target ions within the spatial extent of the laser focal spot, which induces a radial deflection of relatively low energy sheath-accelerated protons to form an annular distribution. Through variation of the target foil thickness, themore » opening angle of the ring is shown to be correlated to the point in time transparency occurs during the interaction and is maximized when it occurs at the peak of the laser intensity profile. Corresponding experimental measurements of the ring size variation with target thickness exhibit the same trends and provide insight into the intra-pulse laser-plasma evolution.« less

High flux femtosecond x-ray emission from the electron-hose instability in laser wakefield accelerators

DOE PAGES

Dong, C. F.; Zhao, T. Z.; Behm, K.; ...

2018-04-24

Here, bright and ultrashort duration x-ray pulses can be produced by through betatron oscillations of electrons during laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). Our experimental measurements using the Hercules laser system demonstrate a dramatic increase in x-ray flux for interaction distances beyond the depletion/dephasing lengths, where the initial electron bunch injected into the first wake bucket catches up with the laser pulse front and the laser pulse depletes. A transition from an LWFA regime to a beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration regime consequently occurs. The drive electron bunch is susceptible to the electron-hose instability and rapidly develops large amplitude oscillations in its tail,more » which leads to greatly enhanced x-ray radiation emission. We measure the x-ray flux as a function of acceleration length using a variable length gas cell. 3D particle-in-cell simulations using a Monte Carlo synchrotron x-ray emission algorithm elucidate the time-dependent variations in the radiation emission processes.« less

Laboratory Observation of High-Mach Number, Laser-Driven Magnetized Collisionless Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaeffer, Derek; Fox, Will; Haberberger, Dan; Fiksel, Gennady; Bhattacharjee, Amitava; Barnak, Daniel; Hu, Suxing; Germaschewski, Kai

2017-06-01

Collisionless shocks are common phenomena in space and astrophysical systems, including solar and planetary winds, coronal mass ejections, supernovae remnants, and the jets of active galactic nuclei, and in many the shocks are believed to efficiently accelerate particles to some of the highest observed energies. Only recently, however, have laser and diagnostic capabilities evolved sufficiently to allow the detailed study in the laboratory of the microphysics of collisionless shocks over a large parameter regime. We present the first laboratory generation of high-Mach number magnetized collisionless shocks created through the interaction of an expanding laser-driven plasma with a magnetized ambient plasma. Time-resolved, two-dimensional imaging of plasma density and magnetic fields shows the formation and evolution of a supercritical shock propagating at magnetosonic Mach number Mms≈12. Particle-in-cell simulations constrained by experimental data further detail the shock formation and separate dynamics of the multi-ion-species ambient plasma. The results show that the shocks form on timescales as fast as one gyroperiod, aided by the efficient coupling of energy, and the generation of a magnetic barrier, between the piston and ambient ions. The development of this experimental platform complements present remote sensing and spacecraft observations, and opens the way for controlled laboratory investigations of high-Mach number collisionless shocks, including the mechanisms and efficiency of particle acceleration. The platform is also flexible, allowing us to study shocks in different magnetic field geometries, in different ambient plasma conditions, and in relation to other effects in magnetized, high-Mach number plasmas such as magnetic reconnection or the Weibel instability.

Motion of the plasma critical layer during relativistic-electron laser interaction with immobile and comoving ion plasma for ion accelerationa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, Aakash A.

2014-05-01

We analyze the motion of the plasma critical layer by two different processes in the relativistic-electron laser-plasma interaction regime (a0>1). The differences are highlighted when the critical layer ions are stationary in contrast to when they move with it. Controlling the speed of the plasma critical layer in this regime is essential for creating low-β traveling acceleration structures of sufficient laser-excited potential for laser ion accelerators. In Relativistically Induced Transparency Acceleration (RITA) scheme, the heavy plasma-ions are fixed and only trace-density light-ions are accelerated. The relativistic critical layer and the acceleration structure move longitudinally forward by laser inducing transparency through apparent relativistic increase in electron mass. In the Radiation Pressure Acceleration (RPA) scheme, the whole plasma is longitudinally pushed forward under the action of the laser radiation pressure, possible only when plasma ions co-propagate with the laser front. In RPA, the acceleration structure velocity critically depends upon plasma-ion mass in addition to the laser intensity and plasma density. In RITA, mass of the heavy immobile plasma-ions does not affect the speed of the critical layer. Inertia of the bared immobile ions in RITA excites the charge separation potential, whereas RPA is not possible when ions are stationary.

Motion of the plasma critical layer during relativistic-electron laser interaction with immobile and comoving ion plasma for ion acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahai, Aakash A., E-mail: aakash.sahai@gmail.com

2014-05-15

We analyze the motion of the plasma critical layer by two different processes in the relativistic-electron laser-plasma interaction regime (a{sub 0}>1). The differences are highlighted when the critical layer ions are stationary in contrast to when they move with it. Controlling the speed of the plasma critical layer in this regime is essential for creating low-β traveling acceleration structures of sufficient laser-excited potential for laser ion accelerators. In Relativistically Induced Transparency Acceleration (RITA) scheme, the heavy plasma-ions are fixed and only trace-density light-ions are accelerated. The relativistic critical layer and the acceleration structure move longitudinally forward by laser inducing transparencymore » through apparent relativistic increase in electron mass. In the Radiation Pressure Acceleration (RPA) scheme, the whole plasma is longitudinally pushed forward under the action of the laser radiation pressure, possible only when plasma ions co-propagate with the laser front. In RPA, the acceleration structure velocity critically depends upon plasma-ion mass in addition to the laser intensity and plasma density. In RITA, mass of the heavy immobile plasma-ions does not affect the speed of the critical layer. Inertia of the bared immobile ions in RITA excites the charge separation potential, whereas RPA is not possible when ions are stationary.« less

Concept of a staged FEL enabled by fast synchrotron radiation cooling of laser-plasma accelerated beam by solenoidal magnetic fields in plasma bubble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seryi, Andrei; Lesz, Zsolt; Andreev, Alexander; Konoplev, Ivan

2017-03-01

A novel method for generating GigaGauss solenoidal fields in a laser-plasma bubble, using screw-shaped laser pulses, has been recently presented. Such magnetic fields enable fast synchrotron radiation cooling of the beam emittance of laser-plasma accelerated leptons. This recent finding opens a novel approach for design of laser-plasma FELs or colliders, where the acceleration stages are interleaved with laser-plasma emittance cooling stages. In this concept paper, we present an outline of what a staged plasma-acceleration FEL could look like, and discuss further studies needed to investigate the feasibility of the concept in detail.

Laser-driven particle acceleration for radiobiology and radiotherapy: where we are and where we are going

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giulietti, Antonio

2017-05-01

Radiation therapy of tumors progresses continuously and so do devices, sharing a global market of about $ 4 billions, growing at an annual rate exceeding 5%. Most of the progress involves tumor targeting, multi-beam irradiation, reduction of damage on healthy tissues and critical organs, dose fractioning. This fast-evolving scenario is the moving benchmark for the progress of the laser-based accelerators towards clinical uses. As for electrons, both energy and dose requested by radiotherapy are available with plasma accelerators driven by lasers in the power range of tens of TW but several issues have still to be faced before getting a prototype device for clinical tests. They include capability of varying electron energy, stability of the process, reliability for medical users. On the other side hadron therapy, presently applied to a small fraction of cases but within an exponential growth, is a primary option for the future. With such a strong motivation, research on laser-based proton/ion acceleration has been supported in the last decade in order to get performances suitable to clinical standards. None of these performances has been achieved so far with laser techniques. In the meantime a rich crop of data have been obtained in radiobiological experiments performed with beams of particles produced with laser techniques. It is quite significant however that most of the experiments have been performed moving bio samples to laser labs, rather moving laser equipment to bio labs or clinical contexts. This give us the measure that laser community cannot so far provide practical devices usable by non-laser people.

Laser heating challenges of high yield MagLIF targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slutz, Stephen; Sefkow, Adam; Vesey, Roger

2014-10-01

The MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) concept is predicted by numerical simulation to produce fusion yields of about 100 kJ, when driven by 25 MA from the existing Z accelerator [S. A. Slutz et al. Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] and much higher yields with future accelerators delivering higher currents [Slutz and Vesey PRL 108, 025003 (2012)]. The fuel must be heated before compression to obtain significant fusion yields due to the relatively slow implosion velocities (~ 100 km/s) of magnetically driven liners. Lasers provide a convenient means to accomplish this pre-compressional heating of the fusion fuel, but there are challenges. The laser must penetrate a foil covering the laser entrance hole and deposit 20-30 kJ within the ~1 cm length of the liner in fuel at 6-12 mg/cc. Such high densities could result in beam scattering due to refraction and laser plasma interactions. Numerical simulations of the laser heating process are presented, which indicate that energies as high as 30 kJ could be deposited in the fuel by using two laser pulses of different wavelengths. Simulations of this process will be presented as well of results for a MagLIF design for a potential new machine delivering 50 MA of current. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Propulsion Utilizing Laser-Driven Ponderomotive Fields for Deep-Space Missions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, George J.; Gilland, James H.

The generation of large amplitude electric fields in plasmas by high-power lasers has been studied for several years in the context of high-energy particle acceleration. Fields on the order of GeV/m are generated in the plasma wake of the laser by non-linear ponderomotive forces. The laser fields generate longitudinal and translational electron plasma waves with phase velocities close to the speed of light. These fields and velocities offer the potential to revolutionize spacecraft propulsion, leading to extended deep space robotic probes. Based on these initial calculations, plasma acceleration by means of laser-induced ponderomotive forces appears to offer significant potential formore » spacecraft propulsion. Relatively high-efficiencies appear possible with proper beam conditioning, resulting in an order of magnitude more thrust than alternative concepts for high I{sub SP} (>10{sup 5} s) and elimination of the primary life-limiting erosion phenomena associated with conventional electric propulsion systems. Ponderomotive propulsion readily lends itself to beamed power which might overcome some of the constraints of power-limited propulsion concepts. A preliminary assessment of the impact of these propulsion systems for several promising configurations on mission architectures has been conducted. Emphasizing interstellar and interstellar-precursor applications, performance and technical requirements are identified for a number of missions. The use of in-situ plasma and gas for propellant is evaluated as well.« less

Optimization of the combined proton acceleration regime with a target composition scheme

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yao, W. P.; Graduate School, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Beijing 100088; Li, B. W., E-mail: li-baiwen@iapcm.ac.cn

A target composition scheme to optimize the combined proton acceleration regime is presented and verified by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations by using an ultra-intense circularly polarized (CP) laser pulse irradiating an overdense hydrocarbon (CH) target, instead of a pure hydrogen (H) one. The combined acceleration regime is a two-stage proton acceleration scheme combining the radiation pressure dominated acceleration (RPDA) stage and the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) stage sequentially together. Protons get pre-accelerated in the first stage when an ultra-intense CP laser pulse irradiating an overdense CH target. The wakefield is driven by the laser pulse after penetrating through the overdense CHmore » target and propagating in the underdense tritium plasma gas. With the pre-accelerate stage, protons can now get trapped in the wakefield and accelerated to much higher energy by LWFA. Finally, protons with higher energies (from about 20 GeV up to about 30 GeV) and lower energy spreads (from about 18% down to about 5% in full-width at half-maximum, or FWHM) are generated, as compared to the use of a pure H target. It is because protons can be more stably pre-accelerated in the first RPDA stage when using CH targets. With the increase of the carbon-to-hydrogen density ratio, the energy spread is lower and the maximum proton energy is higher. It also shows that for the same laser intensity around 10{sup 22} W cm{sup −2}, using the CH target will lead to a higher proton energy, as compared to the use of a pure H target. Additionally, proton energy can be further increased by employing a longitudinally negative gradient of a background plasma density.« less

Time-resolved measurements with streaked diffraction patterns from electrons generated in laser plasma wakefield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Zhaohan; Nees, John; Hou, Bixue; Krushelnick, Karl; Thomas, Alec; Beaurepaire, Benoît; Malka, Victor; Faure, Jérôme

2013-10-01

Femtosecond bunches of electrons with relativistic to ultra-relativistic energies can be robustly produced in laser plasma wakefield accelerators (LWFA). Scaling the electron energy down to sub-relativistic and MeV level using a millijoule laser system will make such electron source a promising candidate for ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) applications due to the intrinsic short bunch duration and perfect synchronization with the optical pump. Recent results of electron diffraction from a single crystal gold foil, using LWFA electrons driven by 8-mJ, 35-fs laser pulses at 500 Hz, will be presented. The accelerated electrons were collimated with a solenoid magnetic lens. By applying a small-angle tilt to the magnetic lens, the diffraction pattern can be streaked such that the temporal evolution is separated spatially on the detector screen after propagation. The observable time window and achievable temporal resolution are studied in pump-probe measurements of photo-induced heating on the gold foil.

Generation and Evolution of High-Mach-Number Laser-Driven Magnetized Collisionless Shocks in the Laboratory

DOE PAGES

Schaeffer, D. B.; Fox, W.; Haberberger, D.; ...

2017-07-13

Here, we present the first laboratory generation of high-Mach-number magnetized collisionless shocks created through the interaction of an expanding laser-driven plasma with a magnetized ambient plasma. Time-resolved, two-dimensional imaging of plasma density and magnetic fields shows the formation and evolution of a supercritical shock propagating at magnetosonic Mach number M ms ≈ 12. Particle-in-cell simulations constrained by experimental data further detail the shock formation and separate dynamics of the multi-ion-species ambient plasma. The results show that the shocks form on time scales as fast as one gyroperiod, aided by the efficient coupling of energy, and the generation of a magneticmore » barrier between the piston and ambient ions. The development of this experimental platform complements present remote sensing and spacecraft observations, and opens the way for controlled laboratory investigations of high-Mach number collisionless shocks, including the mechanisms and efficiency of particle acceleration.« less

Generation and Evolution of High-Mach-Number Laser-Driven Magnetized Collisionless Shocks in the Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaeffer, D. B.; Fox, W.; Haberberger, D.

Here, we present the first laboratory generation of high-Mach-number magnetized collisionless shocks created through the interaction of an expanding laser-driven plasma with a magnetized ambient plasma. Time-resolved, two-dimensional imaging of plasma density and magnetic fields shows the formation and evolution of a supercritical shock propagating at magnetosonic Mach number M ms ≈ 12. Particle-in-cell simulations constrained by experimental data further detail the shock formation and separate dynamics of the multi-ion-species ambient plasma. The results show that the shocks form on time scales as fast as one gyroperiod, aided by the efficient coupling of energy, and the generation of a magneticmore » barrier between the piston and ambient ions. The development of this experimental platform complements present remote sensing and spacecraft observations, and opens the way for controlled laboratory investigations of high-Mach number collisionless shocks, including the mechanisms and efficiency of particle acceleration.« less

Bright betatron X-ray radiation from a laser-driven-clustering gas target

PubMed Central

Chen, L. M.; Yan, W. C.; Li, D. Z.; Hu, Z. D.; Zhang, L.; Wang, W. M.; Hafz, N.; Mao, J. Y.; Huang, K.; Ma, Y.; Zhao, J. R.; Ma, J. L.; Li, Y. T.; Lu, X.; Sheng, Z. M.; Wei, Z. Y.; Gao, J.; Zhang, J.

2013-01-01

Hard X-ray sources from femtosecond (fs) laser-produced plasmas, including the betatron X-rays from laser wakefield-accelerated electrons, have compact sizes, fs pulse duration and fs pump-probe capability, making it promising for wide use in material and biological sciences. Currently the main problem with such betatron X-ray sources is the limited average flux even with ultra-intense laser pulses. Here, we report ultra-bright betatron X-rays can be generated using a clustering gas jet target irradiated with a small size laser, where a ten-fold enhancement of the X-ray yield is achieved compared to the results obtained using a gas target. We suggest the increased X-ray photon is due to the existence of clusters in the gas, which results in increased total electron charge trapped for acceleration and larger wiggling amplitudes during the acceleration. This observation opens a route to produce high betatron average flux using small but high repetition rate laser facilities for applications. PMID:23715033

Radiobiological study by using laser-driven proton beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yogo, A.; Sato, K.; Nishikino, M.; Mori, M.; Teshima, T.; Numasaki, H.; Murakami, M.; Demizu, Y.; Akagi, S.; Nagayama, S.; Ogura, K.; Sagisaka, A.; Orimo, S.; Nishiuchi, M.; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Ikegami, M.; Tampo, M.; Sakaki, H.; Suzuki, M.; Daito, I.; Oishi, Y.; Sugiyama, H.; Kiriyama, H.; Okada, H.; Kanazawa, S.; Kondo, S.; Shimomura, T.; Nakai, Y.; Tanoue, M.; Sugiyama, H.; Sasao, H.; Wakai, D.; Kawachi, T.; Nishimura, H.; Bolton, P. R.; Daido, H.

2009-07-01

Particle acceleration driven by high-intensity laser systems is widely attracting interest as a potential alternative to conventional ion acceleration, including ion accelerator applications to tumor therapy. Recent works have shown that a high intensity laser pulse can produce single proton bunches of a high current and a short pulse duration. This unique feature of laser-ion acceleration can lead to progress in the development of novel ion sources. However, there has been no experimental study of the biological effects of laser-driven ion beams. We describe in this report the first demonstrated irradiation effect of laser-accelerated protons on human lung cancer cells. In-vitro A549 cells are irradiated with a proton dose of 20 Gy, resulting in a distinct formation of γ-H2AX foci as an indicator of DNA double-strand breaks. This is a pioneering result that points to future investigations of the radiobiological effects of laser-driven ion beams. The laser-driven ion beam is apotential excitation source for time-resolved determination of hydroxyl (OH) radical yield, which will explore relationship between the fundamental chemical reactions of radiation effects and consequent biological processes.

Resonantly Enhanced Betatron Hard X-rays from Ionization Injected Electrons in a Laser Plasma Accelerator

PubMed Central

Huang, K.; Li, Y. F.; Li, D. Z.; Chen, L. M.; Tao, M. Z.; Ma, Y.; Zhao, J. R.; Li, M. H.; Chen, M.; Mirzaie, M.; Hafz, N.; Sokollik, T.; Sheng, Z. M.; Zhang, J.

2016-01-01

Ultrafast betatron x-ray emission from electron oscillations in laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) has been widely investigated as a promising source. Betatron x-rays are usually produced via self-injected electron beams, which are not controllable and are not optimized for x-ray yields. Here, we present a new method for bright hard x-ray emission via ionization injection from the K-shell electrons of nitrogen into the accelerating bucket. A total photon yield of 8 × 108/shot and 108 photons with energy greater than 110 keV is obtained. The yield is 10 times higher than that achieved with self-injection mode in helium under similar laser parameters. The simulation suggests that ionization-injected electrons are quickly accelerated to the driving laser region and are subsequently driven into betatron resonance. The present scheme enables the single-stage betatron radiation from LWFA to be extended to bright γ-ray radiation, which is beyond the capability of 3rd generation synchrotrons. PMID:27273170

Laser-driven three-stage heavy-ion acceleration from relativistic laser-plasma interaction.

PubMed

Wang, H Y; Lin, C; Liu, B; Sheng, Z M; Lu, H Y; Ma, W J; Bin, J H; Schreiber, J; He, X T; Chen, J E; Zepf, M; Yan, X Q

2014-01-01

A three-stage heavy ion acceleration scheme for generation of high-energy quasimonoenergetic heavy ion beams is investigated using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation and analytical modeling. The scheme is based on the interaction of an intense linearly polarized laser pulse with a compound two-layer target (a front heavy ion layer + a second light ion layer). We identify that, under appropriate conditions, the heavy ions preaccelerated by a two-stage acceleration process in the front layer can be injected into the light ion shock wave in the second layer for a further third-stage acceleration. These injected heavy ions are not influenced by the screening effect from the light ions, and an isolated high-energy heavy ion beam with relatively low-energy spread is thus formed. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that ∼100MeV/u quasimonoenergetic Fe24+ beams can be obtained by linearly polarized laser pulses at intensities of 1.1×1021W/cm2.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muggli, P.; Adli, E.; Apsimon, R.; Asmus, F.; Baartman, R.; Bachmann, A.-M.; Barros Marin, M.; Batsch, F.; Bauche, J.; Berglyd Olsen, V. K.; Bernardini, M.; Biskup, B.; Blanco Vinuela, E.; Boccardi, A.; Bogey, T.; Bohl, T.; Bracco, C.; Braunmuller, F.; Burger, S.; Burt, G.; Bustamante, S.; Buttenschön, B.; Butterworth, A.; Caldwell, A.; Cascella, M.; Chevallay, E.; Chung, M.; Damerau, H.; Deacon, L.; Dexter, A.; Dirksen, P.; Doebert, S.; Farmer, J.; Fedosseev, V.; Feniet, T.; Fior, G.; Fiorito, R.; Fonseca, R.; Friebel, F.; Gander, P.; Gessner, S.; Gorgisyan, I.; Gorn, A. A.; Grulke, O.; Gschwendtner, E.; Guerrero, A.; Hansen, J.; Hessler, C.; Hofle, W.; Holloway, J.; Hüther, M.; Ibison, M.; Islam, M. R.; Jensen, L.; Jolly, S.; Kasim, M.; Keeble, F.; Kim, S.-Y.; Kraus, F.; Lasheen, A.; Lefevre, T.; LeGodec, G.; Li, Y.; Liu, S.; Lopes, N.; Lotov, K. V.; Martyanov, M.; Mazzoni, S.; Medina Godoy, D.; Mete, O.; Minakov, V. A.; Mompo, R.; Moody, J.; Moreira, M. T.; Mitchell, J.; Mutin, C.; Norreys, P.; Öz, E.; Ozturk, E.; Pauw, W.; Pardons, A.; Pasquino, C.; Pepitone, K.; Petrenko, A.; Pitmann, S.; Plyushchev, G.; Pukhov, A.; Rieger, K.; Ruhl, H.; Schmidt, J.; Shalimova, I. A.; Shaposhnikova, E.; Sherwood, P.; Silva, L.; Sosedkin, A. P.; Speroni, R.; Spitsyn, R. I.; Szczurek, K.; Thomas, J.; Tuev, P. V.; Turner, M.; Verzilov, V.; Vieira, J.; Vincke, H.; Welsch, C. P.; Williamson, B.; Wing, M.; Xia, G.; Zhang, H.; AWAKE Collaboration

2018-01-01

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 10× {10}14 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.

Applications of laser wakefield accelerator-based light sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albert, Felicie; Thomas, Alec G. R.

Laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) were proposed more than three decades ago, and while they promise to deliver compact, high energy particle accelerators, they will also provide the scientific community with novel light sources. In a LWFA, where an intense laser pulse focused onto a plasma forms an electromagnetic wave in its wake, electrons can be trapped and are now routinely accelerated to GeV energies. From terahertz radiation to gamma-rays, this article reviews light sources from relativistic electrons produced by LWFAs, and discusses their potential applications. Betatron motion, Compton scattering and undulators respectively produce x-rays or gamma-rays by oscillating relativistic electrons inmore » the wakefield behind the laser pulse, a counter-propagating laser field, or a magnetic undulator. Other LWFA-based light sources include bremsstrahlung and terahertz radiation. Here, we first evaluate the performance of each of these light sources, and compare them with more conventional approaches, including radio frequency accelerators or other laser-driven sources. We have then identified applications, which we discuss in details, in a broad range of fields: medical and biological applications, military, defense and industrial applications, and condensed matter and high energy density science.« less

Applications of laser wakefield accelerator-based light sources

DOE PAGES

Albert, Felicie; Thomas, Alec G. R.

2016-10-01

Laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) were proposed more than three decades ago, and while they promise to deliver compact, high energy particle accelerators, they will also provide the scientific community with novel light sources. In a LWFA, where an intense laser pulse focused onto a plasma forms an electromagnetic wave in its wake, electrons can be trapped and are now routinely accelerated to GeV energies. From terahertz radiation to gamma-rays, this article reviews light sources from relativistic electrons produced by LWFAs, and discusses their potential applications. Betatron motion, Compton scattering and undulators respectively produce x-rays or gamma-rays by oscillating relativistic electrons inmore » the wakefield behind the laser pulse, a counter-propagating laser field, or a magnetic undulator. Other LWFA-based light sources include bremsstrahlung and terahertz radiation. Here, we first evaluate the performance of each of these light sources, and compare them with more conventional approaches, including radio frequency accelerators or other laser-driven sources. We have then identified applications, which we discuss in details, in a broad range of fields: medical and biological applications, military, defense and industrial applications, and condensed matter and high energy density science.« less

Laser-driven ion acceleration: methods, challenges and prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badziak, J.

2018-01-01

The recent development of laser technology has resulted in the construction of short-pulse lasers capable of generating fs light pulses with PW powers and intensities exceeding 1021 W/cm2, and has laid the basis for the multi-PW lasers, just being built in Europe, that will produce fs pulses of ultra-relativistic intensities ~ 1023 - 1024 W/cm2. The interaction of such an intense laser pulse with a dense target can result in the generation of collimated beams of ions of multi-MeV to GeV energies of sub-ps time durations and of extremely high beam intensities and ion fluencies, barely attainable with conventional RF-driven accelerators. Ion beams with such unique features have the potential for application in various fields of scientific research as well as in medical and technological developments. This paper provides a brief review of state-of-the art in laser-driven ion acceleration, with a focus on basic ion acceleration mechanisms and the production of ultra-intense ion beams. The challenges facing laser-driven ion acceleration studies, in particular those connected with potential applications of laser-accelerated ion beams, are also discussed.

Laser-driven relativistic electron dynamics in a cylindrical plasma channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Pan-Fei; Lv, Wen-Juan; Li, Xiao-Liang; Tang, Rong-An; Xue, Ju-Kui

2018-03-01

The energy and trajectory of the electron, which is irradiated by a high-power laser pulse in a cylindrical plasma channel with a uniform positive charge and a uniform negative current, have been analyzed in terms of a single-electron model of direct laser acceleration. We find that the energy and trajectory of the electron strongly depend on the positive charge density, the negative current density, and the intensity of the laser pulse. The electron can be accelerated significantly only when the positive charge density, the negative current density, and the intensity of the laser pulse are in suitable ranges due to the dephasing rate between the wave and electron motion. Particularly, when their values satisfy a critical condition, the electron can stay in phase with the laser and gain the largest energy from the laser. With the enhancement of the electron energy, strong modulations of the relativistic factor cause a considerable enhancement of the electron transverse oscillations across the channel, which makes the electron trajectory become essentially three-dimensional, even if it is flat at the early stage of the acceleration. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11475027, 11765017, 11764039, 11305132, and 11274255), the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province, China (Grant No. 17JR5RA076), and the Scientific Research Project of Gansu Higher Education, China (Grant No. 2016A-005).

Demonstration of acceleration of relativistic electrons at a dielectric microstructure using femtosecond laser pulses

DOE PAGES

Wootton, Kent P.; Wu, Ziran; Cowan, Benjamin M.; ...

2016-06-02

Acceleration of electrons using laser-driven dielectric microstructures is a promising technology for the miniaturization of particle accelerators. Achieving the desired GV m –1 accelerating gradients is possible only with laser pulse durations shorter than ~1 ps. In this Letter, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of acceleration of relativistic electrons at a dielectric microstructure driven by femtosecond duration laser pulses. Furthermore, using this technique, an electron accelerating gradient of 690±100 MV m –1 was measured—a record for dielectric laser accelerators.

Terahertz-driven linear electron acceleration

PubMed Central

Nanni, Emilio A.; Huang, Wenqian R.; Hong, Kyung-Han; Ravi, Koustuban; Fallahi, Arya; Moriena, Gustavo; Dwayne Miller, R. J.; Kärtner, Franz X.

2015-01-01

The cost, size and availability of electron accelerators are dominated by the achievable accelerating gradient. Conventional high-brightness radio-frequency accelerating structures operate with 30–50 MeV m−1 gradients. Electron accelerators driven with optical or infrared sources have demonstrated accelerating gradients orders of magnitude above that achievable with conventional radio-frequency structures. However, laser-driven wakefield accelerators require intense femtosecond sources and direct laser-driven accelerators suffer from low bunch charge, sub-micron tolerances and sub-femtosecond timing requirements due to the short wavelength of operation. Here we demonstrate linear acceleration of electrons with keV energy gain using optically generated terahertz pulses. Terahertz-driven accelerating structures enable high-gradient electron/proton accelerators with simple accelerating structures, high repetition rates and significant charge per bunch. These ultra-compact terahertz accelerators with extremely short electron bunches hold great potential to have a transformative impact for free electron lasers, linear colliders, ultrafast electron diffraction, X-ray science and medical therapy with X-rays and electron beams. PMID:26439410

Terahertz-driven linear electron acceleration

DOE PAGES

Nanni, Emilio A.; Huang, Wenqian R.; Hong, Kyung-Han; ...

2015-10-06

The cost, size and availability of electron accelerators are dominated by the achievable accelerating gradient. Conventional high-brightness radio-frequency accelerating structures operate with 30–50 MeVm -1 gradients. Electron accelerators driven with optical or infrared sources have demonstrated accelerating gradients orders of magnitude above that achievable with conventional radio-frequency structures. However, laser-driven wakefield accelerators require intense femtosecond sources and direct laser-driven accelerators suffer from low bunch charge, sub-micron tolerances and sub-femtosecond timing requirements due to the short wavelength of operation. Here we demonstrate linear acceleration of electrons with keV energy gain using optically generated terahertz pulses. Terahertz-driven accelerating structures enable high-gradient electron/protonmore » accelerators with simple accelerating structures, high repetition rates and significant charge per bunch. As a result, these ultra-compact terahertz accelerators with extremely short electron bunches hold great potential to have a transformative impact for free electron lasers, linear colliders, ultrafast electron diffraction, X-ray science and medical therapy with X-rays and electron beams.« less

Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser-plasma accelerator and plasma mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Hai-En; Wang, Xiaoming; Shaw, Joseph M.; Li, Zhengyan; Arefiev, Alexey V.; Zhang, Xi; Zgadzaj, Rafal; Henderson, Watson; Khudik, V.; Shvets, G.; Downer, M. C.

2015-02-01

We present an in-depth experimental-computational study of the parameters necessary to optimize a tunable, quasi-monoenergetic, efficient, low-background Compton backscattering (CBS) x-ray source that is based on the self-aligned combination of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) and a plasma mirror (PM). The main findings are (1) an LPA driven in the blowout regime by 30 TW, 30 fs laser pulses produce not only a high-quality, tunable, quasi-monoenergetic electron beam, but also a high-quality, relativistically intense (a0 ˜ 1) spent drive pulse that remains stable in profile and intensity over the LPA tuning range. (2) A thin plastic film near the gas jet exit retro-reflects the spent drive pulse efficiently into oncoming electrons to produce CBS x-rays without detectable bremsstrahlung background. Meanwhile, anomalous far-field divergence of the retro-reflected light demonstrates relativistic "denting" of the PM. Exploiting these optimized LPA and PM conditions, we demonstrate quasi-monoenergetic (50% FWHM energy spread), tunable (75-200 KeV) CBS x-rays, characteristics previously achieved only on more powerful laser systems by CBS of a split-off, counter-propagating pulse. Moreover, laser-to-x-ray photon conversion efficiency (˜6 × 10-12) exceeds that of any previous LPA-based quasi-monoenergetic Compton source. Particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the measurements.

Observation of 690 MV m -1 Electron Accelerating Gradient with a Laser-Driven Dielectric Microstructure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wootton, K. P.; Wu, Z.; Cowan, B. M.

Acceleration of electrons using laser-driven dielectric microstructures is a promising technology for the miniaturization of particle accelerators. In this work, experimental results are presented of relativistic electron acceleration with 690±100 MVm -1 gradient. This is a record-high accelerating gradient for a dielectric microstructure accelerator, nearly doubling the previous record gradient. To reach higher acceleration gradients the present experiment employs 90 fs duration laser pulses.

High-Mach number, laser-driven magnetized collisionless shocks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaeffer, Derek B.; Fox, W.; Haberberger, D.

Collisionless shocks are ubiquitous in space and astrophysical systems, and the class of supercritical shocks is of particular importance due to their role in accelerating particles to high energies. While these shocks have been traditionally studied by spacecraft and remote sensing observations, laboratory experiments can provide reproducible and multi-dimensional datasets that provide complementary understanding of the underlying microphysics. We present experiments undertaken on the OMEGA and OMEGA EP laser facilities that show the formation and evolution of high-Mach number collisionless shocks created through the interaction of a laser-driven magnetic piston and magnetized ambient plasma. Through time-resolved, 2-D imaging we observemore » large density and magnetic compressions that propagate at super-Alfvenic speeds and that occur over ion kinetic length scales. Electron density and temperature of the initial ambient plasma are characterized using optical Thomson scattering. Measurements of the piston laser-plasma are modeled with 2-D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, which are used to initialize 2-D particle-in-cell simulations of the interaction between the piston and ambient plasmas. The numerical results show the formation of collisionless shocks, including the separate dynamics of the carbon and hydrogen ions that constitute the ambient plasma and their effect on the shock structure. Furthermore, the simulations also show the shock separating from the piston, which we observe in the data at late experimental times.« less

High-Mach number, laser-driven magnetized collisionless shocks

DOE PAGES

Schaeffer, Derek B.; Fox, W.; Haberberger, D.; ...

2017-12-08

Collisionless shocks are ubiquitous in space and astrophysical systems, and the class of supercritical shocks is of particular importance due to their role in accelerating particles to high energies. While these shocks have been traditionally studied by spacecraft and remote sensing observations, laboratory experiments can provide reproducible and multi-dimensional datasets that provide complementary understanding of the underlying microphysics. We present experiments undertaken on the OMEGA and OMEGA EP laser facilities that show the formation and evolution of high-Mach number collisionless shocks created through the interaction of a laser-driven magnetic piston and magnetized ambient plasma. Through time-resolved, 2-D imaging we observemore » large density and magnetic compressions that propagate at super-Alfvenic speeds and that occur over ion kinetic length scales. Electron density and temperature of the initial ambient plasma are characterized using optical Thomson scattering. Measurements of the piston laser-plasma are modeled with 2-D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, which are used to initialize 2-D particle-in-cell simulations of the interaction between the piston and ambient plasmas. The numerical results show the formation of collisionless shocks, including the separate dynamics of the carbon and hydrogen ions that constitute the ambient plasma and their effect on the shock structure. Furthermore, the simulations also show the shock separating from the piston, which we observe in the data at late experimental times.« less

High-Mach number, laser-driven magnetized collisionless shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaeffer, D. B.; Fox, W.; Haberberger, D.; Fiksel, G.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Barnak, D. H.; Hu, S. X.; Germaschewski, K.; Follett, R. K.

2017-12-01

Collisionless shocks are ubiquitous in space and astrophysical systems, and the class of supercritical shocks is of particular importance due to their role in accelerating particles to high energies. While these shocks have been traditionally studied by spacecraft and remote sensing observations, laboratory experiments can provide reproducible and multi-dimensional datasets that provide a complementary understanding of the underlying microphysics. We present experiments undertaken on the OMEGA and OMEGA EP laser facilities that show the formation and evolution of high-Mach number collisionless shocks created through the interaction of a laser-driven magnetic piston and a magnetized ambient plasma. Through time-resolved, 2-D imaging, we observe large density and magnetic compressions that propagate at super-Alfvénic speeds and that occur over ion kinetic length scales. The electron density and temperature of the initial ambient plasma are characterized using optical Thomson scattering. Measurements of the piston laser-plasma are modeled with 2-D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, which are used to initialize 2-D particle-in-cell simulations of the interaction between the piston and ambient plasmas. The numerical results show the formation of collisionless shocks, including the separate dynamics of the carbon and hydrogen ions that constitute the ambient plasma and their effect on the shock structure. The simulations also show the shock separating from the piston, which we observe in the data at late experimental times.

The diagnostics of ultra-short pulse laser-produced plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Markus

2011-09-01

Since the invention of the laser, coherent light has been used to break down solid or gaseous material and transform it into a plasma. Over the last three decades two things have changed. Due to multiple advancements and design of high power lasers it is now possible to increase the electric and magnetic field strength that pushed the electron motion towards the regime of relativistic plasma physics. Moreover, due to the short pulse duration of the driving laser the underlying physics has become so transient that concepts like thermal equilibrium (even a local one) or spatial isotropy start to fail. Consequently short pulse laser-driven plasmas have become a rich source of new phenomena that we are just about beginning to explore. Such phenomena, like particle acceleration, nuclear laser-induced reactions, the generation of coherent secondary radiation ranging from THz to high harmonics and the production of attosecond pulses have excited an enormous interest in the study of short pulse laser plasmas. The diagnostics of such ultra-short pulse laser plasmas is a challenging task that involves many and different techniques compared to conventional laser-produced plasmas. While this review cannot cover the entire field of diagnostics that has been developed over the last years, we will try to give a summarizing description of the most important techniques that are currently being used.

Acceleration and Pickup Ring of Energetic Electrons Observed in Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ping, Y. L.; Zhong, J. Y.; Wang, X. G.; Sheng, Z. M.; Zhao, G.

2017-11-01

Pickup ring of energetic electrons found in relativistic magnetic reconnection (MR) driven by two relativistic intense femtosecond laser pulses is investigated by particle simulation in 3D geometry. Magnetic reconnection processes and configurations are characterized by plasma current density distributions at different axial positions. Two helical structures associated with the circular polarization of laser pulses break down in the reconnection processes to form a current sheet between them, where energetic electrons are found to pile up and the outflow relativistic electron jets are observed. In the field line diffusion region, electrons are accelerated to multi-MeV with a flatter power-law spectrum due to MR. The development of the pickup ring of energetic electrons is strongly dependent upon laser peak intensities.

Electron acceleration in pulsed-power driven magnetic-reconnection experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halliday, Jonathan; Hare, Jack; Lebedev, Sergey; Suttle, Lee; Bland, Simon; Clayson, Thomas; Tubman, Eleanor; Pikuz, Sergei; Shelkovenko, Tanya

2017-10-01

We present recent results from pulsed-power driven magnetic reconnection experiments, fielded on the MAGPIE generator (1.2 MA, 250 ns). The setup used in these experiments produces plasma inflows which are intrinsically magnetised; persist for many hydrodynamic time-scales; and are supersonic. Previous work has focussed on characterising the dynamics of bulk plasma flows, using a suite of diagnostics including laser interferometry, (imaging) Faraday rotation, and Thompson scattering. Measurements show the formation of a well defined, long lasting reconnection layer and demonstrate a power balance between the power into and out of the reconnection region. The work presented here focuses on diagnosing non-thermal electron acceleration by the reconnecting electric field. To achieve this, metal foils were placed in the path of accelerated electrons. Atomic transitions in the foil were collisionally exited by the electron beam, producing a characteristic X-Ray spectrum. This X-Ray emission was diagnosed using spherically bent crystal X-Ray spectrometry, filtered X-Ray pinhole imaging, and X-Ray sensitive PIN diodes.

Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Instabilities in Turbulent Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimonte, G.

1998-11-01

The Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) and its shock driven analog, the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI), affect a wide variety of important phenomena from sub-terrainian to astrophysical environments. The ``fluids" are equally varied from plasmas and magnetic fields to elastic-plastic solids. In most applications, the instabilities occur with a complex acceleration history and evolve to a highly nonlinear state, making the theoretical description formidable. We will link the fluid and plasma regimes while describing the theoretical issues and basic experiments in different venues to isolate key physics issues. RMI experiments on the Nova laser investigate the affects of compressibility with strong radiatively driven shocks (Mach > 10) in near solid density plasmas of sub-millimeter scale. The growth of single sinusoidal and random 3-D perturbations are measured using backlit radiography. RTI experiments with the Linear Electric Motor (LEM) are conducted with a variety of acceleration (<< 10^4 m/s^2) histories and fluids of 10 cm scale. Turbulent RTI experiments with high Reynolds number liquids show self-similar growth which is characterized with laser induced fluorescence. LEM experiments with an elastic-plastic material (yogurt) exhibit a critical wavelength and amplitude for instability. The experimental results will be compared with linear and nonlinear theories and hydrodynamic simulations.

First Observations of Laser-Driven Acceleration of Relativistic Electrons in a Semi-Infinite Vacuum Space

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plettner, T.; Byer, R.L.; Smith, T.I.

2006-02-17

We have observed acceleration of relativistic electrons in vacuum driven by a linearly polarized visible laser beam incident on a thin gold-coated reflective boundary. The observed energy modulation effect follows all the characteristics expected for linear acceleration caused by a longitudinal electric field. As predicted by the Lawson-Woodward theorem the laser driven modulation only appears in the presence of the boundary. It shows a linear dependence with the strength of the electric field of the laser beam and also it is critically dependent on the laser polarization. Finally, it appears to follow the expected angular dependence of the inverse transitionmore » radiation process. experiment as the Laser Electron Accelerator Project (LEAP).« less

Guided post-acceleration of laser-driven ions by a miniature modular structure

PubMed Central

Kar, Satyabrata; Ahmed, Hamad; Prasad, Rajendra; Cerchez, Mirela; Brauckmann, Stephanie; Aurand, Bastian; Cantono, Giada; Hadjisolomou, Prokopis; Lewis, Ciaran L. S.; Macchi, Andrea; Nersisyan, Gagik; Robinson, Alexander P. L.; Schroer, Anna M.; Swantusch, Marco; Zepf, Matt; Willi, Oswald; Borghesi, Marco

2016-01-01

All-optical approaches to particle acceleration are currently attracting a significant research effort internationally. Although characterized by exceptional transverse and longitudinal emittance, laser-driven ion beams currently have limitations in terms of peak ion energy, bandwidth of the energy spectrum and beam divergence. Here we introduce the concept of a versatile, miniature linear accelerating module, which, by employing laser-excited electromagnetic pulses directed along a helical path surrounding the laser-accelerated ion beams, addresses these shortcomings simultaneously. In a proof-of-principle experiment on a university-scale system, we demonstrate post-acceleration of laser-driven protons from a flat foil at a rate of 0.5 GeV m−1, already beyond what can be sustained by conventional accelerator technologies, with dynamic beam collimation and energy selection. These results open up new opportunities for the development of extremely compact and cost-effective ion accelerators for both established and innovative applications. PMID:27089200

Intense laser-driven ion beams in the relativistic-transparency regime: acceleration, control and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez, Juan C.

2016-10-01

Laser-plasma interactions in the novel regime of relativistically-induced transparency have been harnessed to generate efficiently intense ion beams with average energies exceeding 10 MeV/nucleon (>100 MeV for protons) at ``table-top'' scales. We have discovered and utilized a self-organizing scheme that exploits persisting self-generated plasma electric ( 0.1 TV/m) and magnetic ( 104 Tesla) fields to reduce the ion-energy (Ei) spread after the laser exits the plasma, thus separating acceleration from spread reduction. In this way we routinely generate aluminum and carbon beams with narrow spectral peaks at Ei up to 310 MeV and 220 MeV, respectively, with high efficiency ( 5%). The experimental demonstration has been done at the LANL Trident laser with 0.12 PW, high-contrast, 0.65 ps Gaussian laser pulses irradiating planar foils up to 250 nm thick. In this regime, Ei scales empirically with laser intensity (I) as I 1 / 2. Our progress is enabled by high-fidelity, massive computer simulations of the experiments. This work advances next-generation compact accelerators suitable for new applications. E . g ., a carbon beam with Ei 400 MeV and 10% energy spread is suitable for fast ignition (FI) of compressed DT. The observed scaling suggests that is feasible with existing target fabrication and PW-laser technologies, using a sub-ps laser pulse with I 2.5 ×1021 W/cm2. These beams have been used on Trident to generate warm-dense matter at solid-densities, enabling us to investigate its equation of state and mixing of heterogeneous interfaces purely by plasma effects distinct from hydrodynamics. They also drive an intense neutron-beam source with great promise for important applications such as active interrogation of shielded nuclear materials. Considerations on controlling ion-beam divergence for their increased utility are discussed. Funded by the LANL LDRD program.

First staging of two laser accelerators.

PubMed

Kimura, W D; van Steenbergen, A; Babzien, M; Ben-Zvi, I; Campbell, L P; Cline, D B; Dilley, C E; Gallardo, J C; Gottschalk, S C; He, P; Kusche, K P; Liu, Y; Pantell, R H; Pogorelsky, I V; Quimby, D C; Skaritka, J; Steinhauer, L C; Yakimenko, V

2001-04-30

Staging of two laser-driven, relativistic electron accelerators has been demonstrated for the first time in a proof-of-principle experiment, whereby two distinct and serial laser accelerators acted on an electron beam in a coherently cumulative manner. Output from a CO2 laser was split into two beams to drive two inverse free electron lasers (IFEL) separated by 2.3 m. The first IFEL served to bunch the electrons into approximately 3 fs microbunches, which were rephased with the laser wave in the second IFEL. This represents a crucial step towards the development of practical laser-driven electron accelerators.

Direct measurement of kilo-tesla level magnetic field generated with laser-driven capacitor-coil target by proton deflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Law, K. F. F.; Bailly-Grandvaux, M.; Morace, A.; Sakata, S.; Matsuo, K.; Kojima, S.; Lee, S.; Vaisseau, X.; Arikawa, Y.; Yogo, A.; Kondo, K.; Zhang, Z.; Bellei, C.; Santos, J. J.; Fujioka, S.; Azechi, H.

2016-02-01

A kilo-tesla level, quasi-static magnetic field (B-field), which is generated with an intense laser-driven capacitor-coil target, was measured by proton deflectometry with a proper plasma shielding. Proton deflectometry is a direct and reliable method to diagnose strong, mm3-scale laser-produced B-field; however, this was not successful in the previous experiment. A target-normal-sheath-accelerated proton beam is deflected by Lorentz force in the laser-produced magnetic field with the resulting deflection pattern recorded on a radiochromic film stack. A 610 ± 30 T of B-field amplitude was inferred by comparing the experimental proton pattern with Monte-Carlo calculations. The amplitude and temporal evolutions of the laser-generated B-field were also measured by a differential magnetic probe, independently confirming the proton deflectometry measurement results.

Neutron imaging with the short-pulse laser driven neutron source at the TRIDENT Laser Facility

DOE PAGES

Guler, Nevzat; Volegov, Petr Lvovich; Favalli, Andrea; ...

2016-10-17

Emerging approaches to short-pulse laser-driven neutron production offer a possible gateway to compact, low cost, and intense broad spectrum sources for a wide variety of applications. They are based on energetic ions, driven by an intense short-pulse laser, interacting with a converter material to produce neutrons via breakup and nuclear reactions. Recent experiments performed with the high-contrast laser at the Trident laser facility of Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a laser-driven ion acceleration mechanism operating in the regime of relativistic transparency, featuring a volumetric laser-plasma interaction. This mechanism is distinct from previously studied ones that accelerate ions at themore » laser-target surface. The Trident experiments produced an intense beam of deuterons with an energy distribution extending above 100 MeV. This deuteron beam, when directed at a beryllium converter, produces a forward-directed neutron beam with ~5x10 9 n/sr, in a single laser shot, primarily due to deuteron breakup. The neutron beam has a pulse duration on the order of a few nanoseconds with an energy distribution extending from a few hundreds of keV to almost 80 MeV. For the experiments on neutron-source spot-size measurements, our gated neutron imager was setup to select neutrons in the energy range of 2.5 to 35 MeV. The spot size of neutron emission at the converter was measured by two different imaging techniques, using a knife-edge and a penumbral aperture, in two different experimental campaigns. The neutron-source spot size is measured ~1 mm for both experiments. The measurements and analysis reported here give a spatial characterization for this type of neutron source for the first time. In addition, the forward modeling performed provides an empirical estimate of the spatial characteristics of the deuteron ion-beam. Finally, these experimental observations, taken together, provide essential yet unique data to benchmark and verify theoretical work into the basic acceleration mechanism, which remains an ongoing challenge.« less

Neutron imaging with the short-pulse laser driven neutron source at the TRIDENT Laser Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guler, Nevzat; Volegov, Petr Lvovich; Favalli, Andrea

Emerging approaches to short-pulse laser-driven neutron production offer a possible gateway to compact, low cost, and intense broad spectrum sources for a wide variety of applications. They are based on energetic ions, driven by an intense short-pulse laser, interacting with a converter material to produce neutrons via breakup and nuclear reactions. Recent experiments performed with the high-contrast laser at the Trident laser facility of Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a laser-driven ion acceleration mechanism operating in the regime of relativistic transparency, featuring a volumetric laser-plasma interaction. This mechanism is distinct from previously studied ones that accelerate ions at themore » laser-target surface. The Trident experiments produced an intense beam of deuterons with an energy distribution extending above 100 MeV. This deuteron beam, when directed at a beryllium converter, produces a forward-directed neutron beam with ~5x10 9 n/sr, in a single laser shot, primarily due to deuteron breakup. The neutron beam has a pulse duration on the order of a few nanoseconds with an energy distribution extending from a few hundreds of keV to almost 80 MeV. For the experiments on neutron-source spot-size measurements, our gated neutron imager was setup to select neutrons in the energy range of 2.5 to 35 MeV. The spot size of neutron emission at the converter was measured by two different imaging techniques, using a knife-edge and a penumbral aperture, in two different experimental campaigns. The neutron-source spot size is measured ~1 mm for both experiments. The measurements and analysis reported here give a spatial characterization for this type of neutron source for the first time. In addition, the forward modeling performed provides an empirical estimate of the spatial characteristics of the deuteron ion-beam. Finally, these experimental observations, taken together, provide essential yet unique data to benchmark and verify theoretical work into the basic acceleration mechanism, which remains an ongoing challenge.« less

Design considerations for the use of laser-plasma accelerators for advanced space radiation studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Königstein, T.; Karger, O.; Pretzler, G.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Hidding, B.; Hidding

2012-08-01

We present design considerations for the use of laser-plasma accelerators for mimicking space radiation and testing space-grade electronics. This novel application takes advantage of the inherent ability of laser-plasma accelerators to produce particle beams with exponential energy distribution, which is a characteristic shared with the hazardous relativistic electron flux present in the radiation belts of planets such as Earth, Saturn and Jupiter. Fundamental issues regarding laser-plasma interaction parameters, beam propagation, flux development, and experimental setup are discussed.

Modeling laser-plasma acceleration in the laboratory frame

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2011-01-01

A simulation of laser-plasma acceleration in the laboratory frame. Both the laser and the wakefield buckets must be resolved over the entire domain of the plasma, requiring many cells and many time steps. While researchers often use a simulation window that moves with the pulse, this reduces only the multitude of cells, not the multitude of time steps. For an artistic impression of how to solve the simulation by using the boosted-frame method, watch the video "Modeling laser-plasma acceleration in the wakefield frame".

High Energy Density Physics and Exotic Acceleration Schemes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cowan, T.; /General Atomics, San Diego; Colby, E.

2005-09-27

The High Energy Density and Exotic Acceleration working group took as our goal to reach beyond the community of plasma accelerator research with its applications to high energy physics, to promote exchange with other disciplines which are challenged by related and demanding beam physics issues. The scope of the group was to cover particle acceleration and beam transport that, unlike other groups at AAC, are not mediated by plasmas or by electromagnetic structures. At this Workshop, we saw an impressive advancement from years past in the area of Vacuum Acceleration, for example with the LEAP experiment at Stanford. And wemore » saw an influx of exciting new beam physics topics involving particle propagation inside of solid-density plasmas or at extremely high charge density, particularly in the areas of laser acceleration of ions, and extreme beams for fusion energy research, including Heavy-ion Inertial Fusion beam physics. One example of the importance and extreme nature of beam physics in HED research is the requirement in the Fast Ignitor scheme of inertial fusion to heat a compressed DT fusion pellet to keV temperatures by injection of laser-driven electron or ion beams of giga-Amp current. Even in modest experiments presently being performed on the laser-acceleration of ions from solids, mega-amp currents of MeV electrons must be transported through solid foils, requiring almost complete return current neutralization, and giving rise to a wide variety of beam-plasma instabilities. As keynote talks our group promoted Ion Acceleration (plenary talk by A. MacKinnon), which historically has grown out of inertial fusion research, and HIF Accelerator Research (invited talk by A. Friedman), which will require impressive advancements in space-charge-limited ion beam physics and in understanding the generation and transport of neutralized ion beams. A unifying aspect of High Energy Density applications was the physics of particle beams inside of solids, which is proving to be a very important field for diverse applications such as muon cooling, fusion energy research, and ultra-bright particle and radiation generation with high intensity lasers. We had several talks on these and other subjects, and many joint sessions with the Computational group, the EM Structures group, and the Beam Generation group. We summarize our groups' work in the following categories: vacuum acceleration schemes; ion acceleration; particle transport in solids; and applications to high energy density phenomena.« less

Calculating the radiation characteristics of accelerated electrons in laser-plasma interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, X. F.; Graduate School of Engineering, Utsunomiya University, 7-1-2 Yohtoh, Utsunomiya 321-8585; Yu, Q.

2016-03-15

In this paper, we studied the characteristics of radiation emitted by electrons accelerated in a laser–plasma interaction by using the Lienard–Wiechert field. In the interaction of a laser pulse with a underdense plasma, electrons are accelerated by two mechanisms: direct laser acceleration (DLA) and laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). At the beginning of the process, the DLA electrons emit most of the radiation, and the DLA electrons emit a much higher peak photon energy than the LWFA electrons. As the laser–plasma interaction progresses, the LWFA electrons become the major radiation emitter; however, even at this stage, the contribution from DLA electronsmore » is significant, especially to the peak photon energy.« less

Investigation of ionization-induced electron injection in a wakefield driven by laser inside a gas cell

DOE PAGES

Audet, T. L.; Hansson, M.; Lee, P.; ...

2016-02-16

Ionization-induced electron injection was investigated experimentally by focusing a driving laser pulse with a maximum normalized potential of 1.2 at different positions along the plasma density profile inside a gas cell, filled with a gas mixture composed of 99%H 2+1%N 2. Changing the laser focus position relative to the gas cell entrance controls the accelerated electron bunch properties, such as the spectrum width, maximum energy, and accelerated charge. Simulations performed using the 3D particle-in-cell code WARP with a realistic density profile give results that are in good agreement with the experimental ones. Lastly, we discuss the interest of this regimemore » for optimizing the bunch charge in a selected energy window.« less

Plasma-based wakefield accelerators as sources of axion-like particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, David A.; Noble, Adam

2018-03-01

We estimate the average flux density of minimally-coupled axion-like particles (ALPs) generated by a laser-driven plasma wakefield propagating along a constant strong magnetic field. Our calculations suggest that a terrestrial source based on this approach could generate a pulse of ALPs whose flux density is comparable to that of solar ALPs at Earth. This mechanism is optimal for ALPs with mass in the range of interest of contemporary experiments designed to detect dark matter using microwave cavities.

Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser-plasma accelerator and plasma mirror

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsai, Hai-En; Wang, Xiaoming; Shaw, Joseph M.

2015-02-15

We present an in-depth experimental-computational study of the parameters necessary to optimize a tunable, quasi-monoenergetic, efficient, low-background Compton backscattering (CBS) x-ray source that is based on the self-aligned combination of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) and a plasma mirror (PM). The main findings are (1) an LPA driven in the blowout regime by 30 TW, 30 fs laser pulses produce not only a high-quality, tunable, quasi-monoenergetic electron beam, but also a high-quality, relativistically intense (a{sub 0} ∼ 1) spent drive pulse that remains stable in profile and intensity over the LPA tuning range. (2) A thin plastic film near the gas jetmore » exit retro-reflects the spent drive pulse efficiently into oncoming electrons to produce CBS x-rays without detectable bremsstrahlung background. Meanwhile, anomalous far-field divergence of the retro-reflected light demonstrates relativistic “denting” of the PM. Exploiting these optimized LPA and PM conditions, we demonstrate quasi-monoenergetic (50% FWHM energy spread), tunable (75–200 KeV) CBS x-rays, characteristics previously achieved only on more powerful laser systems by CBS of a split-off, counter-propagating pulse. Moreover, laser-to-x-ray photon conversion efficiency (∼6 × 10{sup −12}) exceeds that of any previous LPA-based quasi-monoenergetic Compton source. Particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the measurements.« less

Summary Report of Working Group 2: Computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoltz, P. H.; Tsung, R. S.

2009-01-01

The working group on computation addressed three physics areas: (i) plasma-based accelerators (laser-driven and beam-driven), (ii) high gradient structure-based accelerators, and (iii) electron beam sources and transport [1]. Highlights of the talks in these areas included new models of breakdown on the microscopic scale, new three-dimensional multipacting calculations with both finite difference and finite element codes, and detailed comparisons of new electron gun models with standard models such as PARMELA. The group also addressed two areas of advances in computation: (i) new algorithms, including simulation in a Lorentz-boosted frame that can reduce computation time orders of magnitude, and (ii) new hardware architectures, like graphics processing units and Cell processors that promise dramatic increases in computing power. Highlights of the talks in these areas included results from the first large-scale parallel finite element particle-in-cell code (PIC), many order-of-magnitude speedup of, and details of porting the VPIC code to the Roadrunner supercomputer. The working group featured two plenary talks, one by Brian Albright of Los Alamos National Laboratory on the performance of the VPIC code on the Roadrunner supercomputer, and one by David Bruhwiler of Tech-X Corporation on recent advances in computation for advanced accelerators. Highlights of the talk by Albright included the first one trillion particle simulations, a sustained performance of 0.3 petaflops, and an eight times speedup of science calculations, including back-scatter in laser-plasma interaction. Highlights of the talk by Bruhwiler included simulations of 10 GeV accelerator laser wakefield stages including external injection, new developments in electromagnetic simulations of electron guns using finite difference and finite element approaches.

Summary Report of Working Group 2: Computation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stoltz, P. H.; Tsung, R. S.

2009-01-22

The working group on computation addressed three physics areas: (i) plasma-based accelerators (laser-driven and beam-driven), (ii) high gradient structure-based accelerators, and (iii) electron beam sources and transport [1]. Highlights of the talks in these areas included new models of breakdown on the microscopic scale, new three-dimensional multipacting calculations with both finite difference and finite element codes, and detailed comparisons of new electron gun models with standard models such as PARMELA. The group also addressed two areas of advances in computation: (i) new algorithms, including simulation in a Lorentz-boosted frame that can reduce computation time orders of magnitude, and (ii) newmore » hardware architectures, like graphics processing units and Cell processors that promise dramatic increases in computing power. Highlights of the talks in these areas included results from the first large-scale parallel finite element particle-in-cell code (PIC), many order-of-magnitude speedup of, and details of porting the VPIC code to the Roadrunner supercomputer. The working group featured two plenary talks, one by Brian Albright of Los Alamos National Laboratory on the performance of the VPIC code on the Roadrunner supercomputer, and one by David Bruhwiler of Tech-X Corporation on recent advances in computation for advanced accelerators. Highlights of the talk by Albright included the first one trillion particle simulations, a sustained performance of 0.3 petaflops, and an eight times speedup of science calculations, including back-scatter in laser-plasma interaction. Highlights of the talk by Bruhwiler included simulations of 10 GeV accelerator laser wakefield stages including external injection, new developments in electromagnetic simulations of electron guns using finite difference and finite element approaches.« less

Electron Acceleration by Beating of Two Intense Cross-Focused Hollow Gaussian Laser Beams in Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoud, Saleh T.; Gauniyal, Rakhi; Ahmad, Nafis; Rawat, Priyanka; Purohit, Gunjan

2018-01-01

This paper presents propagation of two cross-focused intense hollow Gaussian laser beams (HGBs) in collisionless plasma and its effect on the generation of electron plasma wave (EPW) and electron acceleration process, when relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities are simultaneously operative. Nonlinear differential equations have been set up for beamwidth of laser beams, power of generated EPW, and energy gain by electrons using WKB and paraxial approximations. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the effect of typical laser-plasma parameters on the focusing of laser beams in plasmas and further its effect on power of excited EPW and acceleration of electrons. It is observed that focusing of two laser beams in plasma increases for higher order of hollow Gaussian beams, which significantly enhanced the power of generated EPW and energy gain. The amplitude of EPW and energy gain by electrons is found to enhance with an increase in the intensity of laser beams and plasma density. This study will be useful to plasma beat wave accelerator and in other applications requiring multiple laser beams. Supported by United Arab Emirates University for Financial under Grant No. UPAR (2014)-31S164

Nonlinear Electron and Ion Density Modulations Driven by Interfering High-Intensity Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S.; Zhang, P.; Saleh, N.; Sheng, Z. M.; Widjaja, C.; Umstadter, D.

2002-11-01

The optical spectrum from interaction of two crossed ultra short laser beams (400 fs) with underdense plasma is measured at various angles. Enhancement and broadening of the spectrum in the forward direction of one of the beams shows evidence of energy transfer between the two laser beams(G. Shvets, N. J. Fisch, A. Pukhov, and J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Phys. Rev. E 60, 2218 (1999).), which is confirmed by a 2-D PIC simulation. The spectrum and scattered power indicate that a large amplitude electron density modulation is driven, which is attributed to the ponderomotive force of the interference, in agreement with simple analysis and simulation(δn/n_0>10). Stokes and anti-Stokes satellites reveals that the energy transfer is accompanied by a large amplitude nonlinear ion acoustic wave created by the laser interference in the strongly driven limit. The wavelength shift indicates that the ion acoustic wave's speed is 2.3×10^6m/s, corresponding to the electron temperature 119 keV, which is attributed to stochastic heating, also found in the simulation. Besides being of interest in basic plasma physics, this research is also relevant to fast igniter fusion or ion acceleration experiments, in which a laser pulse may potentially beat with a reflected weaker pulse, with intensities comparable to those used in the experiment(Y. Sentoku, et al., Appl. Phys. B 74, 207-215 (2002).).

Multistage coupling of independent laser-plasma accelerators

DOE PAGES

Steinke, S.; van Tilborg, J.; Benedetti, C.; ...

2016-02-01

Laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs) are capable of accelerating charged particles to very high energies in very compact structures. In theory, therefore, they offer advantages over conventional, large-scale particle accelerators. However, the energy gain in a single-stage LPA can be limited by laser diffraction, dephasing, electron-beam loading and laser-energy depletion. The problem of laser diffraction can be addressed by using laser-pulse guiding and preformed plasma waveguides to maintain the required laser intensity over distances of many Rayleigh lengths; dephasing can be mitigated by longitudinal tailoring of the plasma density; and beam loading can be controlled by proper shaping of the electron beam.more » To increase the beam energy further, it is necessary to tackle the problem of the depletion of laser energy, by sequencing the accelerator into stages, each powered by a separate laser pulse. In this work, we present results from an experiment that demonstrates such staging. Two LPA stages were coupled over a short distance (as is needed to preserve the average acceleration gradient) by a plasma mirror. Stable electron beams from a first LPA were focused to a twenty-micrometre radius-by a discharge capillary-based active plasma lens-into a second LPA, such that the beams interacted with the wakefield excited by a separate laser. Staged acceleration by the wakefield of the second stage is detected via an energy gain of 100 megaelectronvolts for a subset of the electron beam. Changing the arrival time of the electron beam with respect to the second-stage laser pulse allowed us to reconstruct the temporal wakefield structure and to determine the plasma density. Our results indicate that the fundamental limitation to energy gain presented by laser depletion can be overcome by using staged acceleration, suggesting a way of reaching the electron energies required for collider applications.« less

Fiber Based Seed Laser for CO 2 Ultrafast Laser Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yuchuan

A compact and effective 10-micron femtosecond laser with pulse duration <500fs and repetition rate of >100Hz or smaller is desirable by DOE for seeding CO 2 ultrafast laser systems to improve the stability, reliability and efficiency in generating 10-micron laser from GW up to 100TW peak power, which is irreplaceable in driving an accelerator for particle beam generation due to the efficiency proportional to the square of the laser wavelength. Agiltron proposes a fiber based ultrafast 10-micron seed laser that can provide the required specifications and high performance. Its success will directly benefit DOE’s compact proton and ion sources. Themore » innovative technology can be used for ultrafast laser generation over the whole mid-IR range, and speed up the development of mid-IR laser applications. Agiltron, Inc. has successfully completed all tasks and demonstrated the feasibility of a fiber based 10-micron ultrafast laser in Phase I of the Program. We built a mode-locked fiber laser that generated < 400fs ultrafast laser pulses and successfully controlled the repetition rate to be the required 100Hz. Using this mode-locked laser, we demonstrated the feasibility of parametric femtosecond laser generation based on frequency down conversion. The experimental results agree with our simulation results. The investigation results of Phase I will be used to optimize the design of the laser system and build a fully functional prototype for delivery to the DOE in the Phase II program. The prototype development in Phase II program will be in the collaboration with Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi, the leader of UCLA Laser-Plasma group. Prof. Joshi discovered a new mechanism for generation of monoenergetic proton/ion beams: Shock Wave Acceleration in a near critical density plasma and demonstrated that high-energy proton beams using CO 2 laser driven collisionless shocks in a gas jet plasma, which opened an opportunity to develop a rather compact high-repetition rate ion source for medical and other applications which could be significantly cheaper than that based on RF acceleration. We propose an output energy >1 μJ, one order of magnitude higher than the DOE original requirement. The performance of the prototype will be tested at UCLA by directly seeding the CO 2 laser system driving an accelerator.« less

High-energy-density plasma jet generated by laser-cone interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Y. Z.; Yang, X. H.; Ma, Y. Y.; Xu, B. B.; Ge, Z. Y.; Gan, L. F.; Meng, L.; Wang, S. W.; Kawata, S.

2018-04-01

The generation of high-energy-density (HED) plasma jet from a laser ablating thin cone target is studied theoretically and by numerical simulations. Theoretical analysis and 1D simulations show that a maximum kinetic energy conversion efficiency (CE) of 26% can be achieved when nearly 80% of the foil is ablated by laser. A HED plasma jet is generated when an intense laser (˜1015 W/cm2) irradiates the cone target, inducing a great enhancement of energy density compared to that of the planar target, which is attributed to the cumulative effect of the cone shape and the new generation mechanism of jet, i.e., laser directly accelerating the cone wall onto the axis. The characteristic of jet is influenced by the cone geometry, i.e., thickness and cone angle. It is found that a cone with a half opening angle around 70 ° and the optimized thickness (˜5 μm) can induce a jet with a high CE and long duration, whose peak energy density can reach 3.5 × 1015 erg/cm3. The results can be beneficial for laser-driven novel neutron sources and other fusion related experiments, where HED plasma jet can be applied.

Recent advances in laser-driven neutron sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alejo, A.; Ahmed, H.; Green, A.; Mirfayzi, S. R.; Borghesi, M.; Kar, S.

2016-11-01

Due to the limited number and high cost of large-scale neutron facilities, there has been a growing interest in compact accelerator-driven sources. In this context, several potential schemes of laser-driven neutron sources are being intensively studied employing laser-accelerated electron and ion beams. In addition to the potential of delivering neutron beams with high brilliance, directionality and ultra-short burst duration, a laser-driven neutron source would offer further advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, compactness and radiation confinement by closed-coupled experiments. Some of the recent advances in this field are discussed, showing improvements in the directionality and flux of the laser-driven neutron beams.

Beam-driven acceleration in ultra-dense plasma media

DOE PAGES

Shin, Young-Min

2014-09-15

Accelerating parameters of beam-driven wakefield acceleration in an extremely dense plasma column has been analyzed with the dynamic framed particle-in-cell plasma simulator, and compared with analytic calculations. In the model, a witness beam undergoes a TeV/m scale alternating potential gradient excited by a micro-bunched drive beam in a 10 25 m -3 and 1.6 x 10 28 m -3 plasma column. The acceleration gradient, energy gain, and transformer ratio have been extensively studied in quasi-linear, linear-, and blowout-regimes. The simulation analysis indicated that in the beam-driven acceleration system a hollow plasma channel offers 20 % higher acceleration gradient by enlargingmore » the channel radius (r) from 0.2 Ap to 0.6 .Ap in a blowout regime. This paper suggests a feasibility of TeV/m scale acceleration with a hollow crystalline structure (e.g. nanotubes) of high electron plasma density.« less

Parametric study of transport beam lines for electron beams accelerated by laser-plasma interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scisciò, M.; Lancia, L.; Migliorati, M.; Mostacci, A.; Palumbo, L.; Papaphilippou, Y.; Antici, P.

2016-03-01

In the last decade, laser-plasma acceleration of high-energy electrons has attracted strong attention in different fields. Electrons with maximum energies in the GeV range can be laser-accelerated within a few cm using multi-hundreds terawatt (TW) lasers, yielding to very high beam currents at the source (electron bunches with up to tens-hundreds of pC in a few fs). While initially the challenge was to increase the maximum achievable electron energy, today strong effort is put in the control and usability of these laser-generated beams that still lack of some features in order to be used for applications where currently conventional, radio-frequency (RF) based, electron beam lines represent the most common and efficient solution. Several improvements have been suggested for this purpose, some of them acting directly on the plasma source, some using beam shaping tools located downstream. Concerning the latter, several studies have suggested the use of conventional accelerator magnetic devices (such as quadrupoles and solenoids) as an easy implementable solution when the laser-plasma accelerated beam requires optimization. In this paper, we report on a parametric study related to the transport of electron beams accelerated by laser-plasma interaction, using conventional accelerator elements and tools. We focus on both, high energy electron beams in the GeV range, as produced on petawatt (PW) class laser systems, and on lower energy electron beams in the hundreds of MeV range, as nowadays routinely obtained on commercially available multi-hundred TW laser systems. For both scenarios, our study allows understanding what are the crucial parameters that enable laser-plasma accelerators to compete with conventional ones and allow for a beam transport. We show that suitable working points require a tradeoff-combination between low beam divergence and narrow energy spread.

Beam manipulation with velocity bunching for PWFA applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompili, R.; Anania, M. P.; Bellaveglia, M.; Biagioni, A.; Bisesto, F.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Croia, M.; Curcio, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Galletti, M.; Gallo, A.; Giribono, A.; Li, W.; Marocchino, A.; Mostacci, A.; Petrarca, M.; Petrillo, V.; Di Pirro, G.; Romeo, S.; Rossi, A. R.; Scifo, J.; Shpakov, V.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.; Zhu, J.

2016-09-01

The activity of the SPARC_LAB test-facility (LNF-INFN, Frascati) is currently focused on the development of new plasma-based accelerators. Particle accelerators are used in many fields of science, with applications ranging from particle physics research to advanced radiation sources (e.g. FEL). The demand to accelerate particles to higher and higher energies is currently limited by the effective efficiency in the acceleration process that requires the development of km-size facilities. By increasing the accelerating gradient, the compactness can be improved and costs reduced. Recently, the new technique which attracts main efforts relies on plasma acceleration. In the following, the current status of plasma-based activities at SPARC_LAB is presented. Both laser- and beam-driven schemes will be adopted with the aim to provide an adequate accelerating gradient (1-10 GV/m) while preserving the brightness of the accelerated beams to the level of conventional photo-injectors. This aspect, in particular, requires the use of ultra-short (< 100 fs) electron beams, consisting in one or more bunches. We show, with the support of simulations and experimental results, that such beams can be produced using RF compression by velocity-bunching.

Boosting laser-ion acceleration with multi-picosecond pulses

PubMed Central

Yogo, A.; Mima, K.; Iwata, N.; Tosaki, S.; Morace, A.; Arikawa, Y.; Fujioka, S.; Johzaki, T.; Sentoku, Y.; Nishimura, H.; Sagisaka, A.; Matsuo, K.; Kamitsukasa, N.; Kojima, S.; Nagatomo, H.; Nakai, M.; Shiraga, H.; Murakami, M.; Tokita, S.; Kawanaka, J.; Miyanaga, N.; Yamanoi, K.; Norimatsu, T.; Sakagami, H.; Bulanov, S. V.; Kondo, K.; Azechi, H.

2017-01-01

Using one of the world most powerful laser facility, we demonstrate for the first time that high-contrast multi-picosecond pulses are advantageous for proton acceleration. By extending the pulse duration from 1.5 to 6 ps with fixed laser intensity of 1018 W cm−2, the maximum proton energy is improved more than twice (from 13 to 33 MeV). At the same time, laser-energy conversion efficiency into the MeV protons is enhanced with an order of magnitude, achieving 5% for protons above 6 MeV with the 6 ps pulse duration. The proton energies observed are discussed using a plasma expansion model newly developed that takes the electron temperature evolution beyond the ponderomotive energy in the over picoseconds interaction into account. The present results are quite encouraging for realizing ion-driven fast ignition and novel ion beamlines. PMID:28211913

Laser-ablation-based ion source characterization and manipulation for laser-driven ion acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommer, P.; Metzkes-Ng, J.; Brack, F.-E.; Cowan, T. E.; Kraft, S. D.; Obst, L.; Rehwald, M.; Schlenvoigt, H.-P.; Schramm, U.; Zeil, K.

2018-05-01

For laser-driven ion acceleration from thin foils (∼10 μm–100 nm) in the target normal sheath acceleration regime, the hydro-carbon contaminant layer at the target surface generally serves as the ion source and hence determines the accelerated ion species, i.e. mainly protons, carbon and oxygen ions. The specific characteristics of the source layer—thickness and relevant lateral extent—as well as its manipulation have both been investigated since the first experiments on laser-driven ion acceleration using a variety of techniques from direct source imaging to knife-edge or mesh imaging. In this publication, we present an experimental study in which laser ablation in two fluence regimes (low: F ∼ 0.6 J cm‑2, high: F ∼ 4 J cm‑2) was applied to characterize and manipulate the hydro-carbon source layer. The high-fluence ablation in combination with a timed laser pulse for particle acceleration allowed for an estimation of the relevant source layer thickness for proton acceleration. Moreover, from these data and independently from the low-fluence regime, the lateral extent of the ion source layer became accessible.

High-quality electron beam generation in a proton-driven hollow plasma wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Xia, G.; Lotov, K. V.; Sosedkin, A. P.; Hanahoe, K.; Mete-Apsimon, O.

2017-10-01

Simulations of proton-driven plasma wakefield accelerators have demonstrated substantially higher accelerating gradients compared to conventional accelerators and the viability of accelerating electrons to the energy frontier in a single plasma stage. However, due to the strong intrinsic transverse fields varying both radially and in time, the witness beam quality is still far from suitable for practical application in future colliders. Here we demonstrate the efficient acceleration of electrons in proton-driven wakefields in a hollow plasma channel. In this regime, the witness bunch is positioned in the region with a strong accelerating field, free from plasma electrons and ions. We show that the electron beam carrying the charge of about 10% of 1 TeV proton driver charge can be accelerated to 0.6 TeV with a preserved normalized emittance in a single channel of 700 m. This high-quality and high-charge beam may pave the way for the development of future plasma-based energy frontier colliders.

The radiobiology of laser-driven particle beams: focus on sub-lethal responses of normal human cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manti, L.; Perozziello, F. M.; Borghesi, M.; Candiano, G.; Chaudhary, P.; Cirrone, G. A. P.; Doria, D.; Gwynne, D.; Leanza, R.; Prise, K. M.; Romagnani, L.; Romano, F.; Scuderi, V.; Tramontana, A.

2017-03-01

Accelerated proton beams have become increasingly common for treating cancer. The need for cost and size reduction of particle accelerating machines has led to the pioneering investigation of optical ion acceleration techniques based on laser-plasma interactions as a possible alternative. Laser-matter interaction can produce extremely pulsed particle bursts of ultra-high dose rates (>= 109 Gy/s), largely exceeding those currently used in conventional proton therapy. Since biological effects of ionizing radiation are strongly affected by the spatio-temporal distribution of DNA-damaging events, the unprecedented physical features of such beams may modify cellular and tissue radiosensitivity to unexplored extents. Hence, clinical applications of laser-generated particles need thorough assessment of their radiobiological effectiveness. To date, the majority of studies have either used rodent cell lines or have focussed on cancer cell killing being local tumour control the main objective of radiotherapy. Conversely, very little data exist on sub-lethal cellular effects, of relevance to normal tissue integrity and secondary cancers, such as premature cellular senescence. Here, we discuss ultra-high dose rate radiobiology and present preliminary data obtained in normal human cells following irradiation by laser-accelerated protons at the LULI PICO2000 facility at Laser Lab Europe, France.

LPWA using supersonic gas jet with tailored density profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kononenko, O.; Bohlen, S.; Dale, J.; D'Arcy, R.; Dinter, M.; Erbe, J. H.; Indorf, G.; di Lucchio, L.; Goldberg, L.; Gruse, J. N.; Karstensen, S.; Libov, V.; Ludwig, K.; Martinez de La Ossa, A.; Marutzky, F.; Niroula, A.; Osterhoff, J.; Quast, M.; Schaper, L.; Schwinkendorf, J.-P.; Streeter, M.; Tauscher, G.; Weichert, S.; Palmer, C.; Horbatiuk, Taras

2016-10-01

Laser driven plasma wakefield accelerators have been explored as a potential compact, reproducible source of relativistic electron bunches, utilising an electric field of many GV/m. Control over injection of electrons into the wakefield is of crucial importance in producing stable, mono-energetic electron bunches. Density tailoring of the target, to control the acceleration process, can also be used to improve the quality of the bunch. By using gas jets to provide tailored targets it is possible to provide good access for plasma diagnostics while also producing sharp density gradients for density down-ramp injection. OpenFOAM hydrodynamic simulations were used to investigate the possibility of producing tailored density targets in a supersonic gas jet. Particle-in-cell simulations of the resulting density profiles modelled the effect of the tailored density on the properties of the accelerated electron bunch. Here, we present the simulation results together with preliminary experimental measurements of electron and x-ray properties from LPWA experiments using gas jet targets and a 25 TW, 25 fs Ti:Sa laser system at DESY.

Extending laser plasma accelerators into the mid-IR spectral domain with a next-generation ultra-fast CO 2 laser

DOE PAGES

Pogorelsky, I. V.; Babzien, M.; Ben-Zvi, I.; ...

2016-01-20

Here we discuss how expanding the scope of relativistic plasma research to wavelengths longer than λ/≈0.8₋1.1μm covered by conventional mode-locked solid-state lasers would offer attractive opportunities due to the quadratic scaling of the ponderomotive electron energy and critical plasma density with λ. Answering this quest, a next-generation mid-IR laser project is being advanced at the BNL ATF as a part of the user facility upgrade. We discuss the technical approach to this conceptually new 100 TW, 100 fs, λ=9₋11 μm CO 2 laser BESTIA (Brookhaven Experimental Supra-Terawatt Infrared at ATF) that encompasses several innovations applied for the first time tomore » molecular gas lasers. BESTIA will enable new regimes of laser plasma accelerators. One for example is shock-wave ion acceleration from gas jets. We review ongoing efforts to achieve stable, monoenergetic proton acceleration by dynamically shaping the plasma density profile from a hydrogen gas target with laser-produced blast waves. At its full power, 100 TW BESTIA promises to achieve proton beams at energy exceeding 200 MeV. In addition to ion acceleration in over-critical plasma, the ultra-intense mid-IR laser BESTIA will open new opportunities in driving wakefields in tenuous plasmas, expanding the landscape of Laser Wake Field Accelerator (LWFA) studies into unexplored long-wavelength spectral domain. Simple wavelength scaling suggests that a 100-TW CO2 laser beam will be capable to efficiently generate plasma “bubbles” thousand times bigger in volume compared to a near-IR solid state laser of an equivalent power. Combined with a femtosecond electron linac available at the ATF, this wavelength scaling will facilitate study of external seeding and staging of LWFA.« less

Probing electron acceleration and x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thaury, C.; Ta Phuoc, K.; Corde, S.

2013-06-15

While laser-plasma accelerators have demonstrated a strong potential in the acceleration of electrons up to giga-electronvolt energies, few experimental tools for studying the acceleration physics have been developed. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for probing the acceleration process. A second laser beam, propagating perpendicular to the main beam, is focused on the gas jet few nanosecond before the main beam creates the accelerating plasma wave. This second beam is intense enough to ionize the gas and form a density depletion, which will locally inhibit the acceleration. The position of the density depletion is scanned along the interaction lengthmore » to probe the electron injection and acceleration, and the betatron X-ray emission. To illustrate the potential of the method, the variation of the injection position with the plasma density is studied.« less

Ion response to relativistic electron bunches in the blowout regime of laser-plasma accelerators.

PubMed

Popov, K I; Rozmus, W; Bychenkov, V Yu; Naseri, N; Capjack, C E; Brantov, A V

2010-11-05

The ion response to relativistic electron bunches in the so called bubble or blowout regime of a laser-plasma accelerator is discussed. In response to the strong fields of the accelerated electrons the ions form a central filament along the laser axis that can be compressed to densities 2 orders of magnitude higher than the initial particle density. A theory of the filament formation and a model of ion self-compression are proposed. It is also shown that in the case of a sharp rear plasma-vacuum interface the ions can be accelerated by a combination of three basic mechanisms. The long time ion evolution that results from the strong electrostatic fields of an electron bunch provides a unique diagnostic of laser-plasma accelerators.

Large-scale studies of ion acceleration in laser-generated plasma at intensities from 1010 W/cm2 to 1019 W/cm2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrisi, L.

2018-02-01

A large-scale study of ion acceleration in laser-generated plasma, extended to intensities from 1010 W/cm2 up to 1019 W/cm2, is presented. Aluminium thick and thin foils were irradiated in high vacuum using different infrared lasers and pulse durations from ns up to fs scale. Plasma was monitored mainly using SiC detectors employed in time-of-flight configuration. Protons and aluminium ions, at different energies and yields, were measured as a function of the laser intensity. The discontinuity region between particle acceleration from both the backward plasma (BPA) in thick targets and the forward plasma in thin foils in the target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) regimes were investigated.

Ion acceleration in electrostatic collisionless shock: on the optimal density profile for quasi-monoenergetic beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boella, E.; Fiúza, F.; Stockem Novo, A.; Fonseca, R.; Silva, L. O.

2018-03-01

A numerical study on ion acceleration in electrostatic shock waves is presented, with the aim of determining the best plasma configuration to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams in laser-driven systems. It was recently shown that tailored near-critical density plasmas characterized by a long-scale decreasing rear density profile lead to beams with low energy spread (Fiúza et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 215001). In this work, a detailed parameter scan investigating different plasma scale lengths is carried out. As result, the optimal plasma spatial scale length that allows for minimizing the energy spread while ensuring a significant reflection of ions by the shock is identified. Furthermore, a new configuration where the required profile has been obtained by coupling micro layers of different densities is proposed. Results show that this new engineered approach is a valid alternative, guaranteeing a low energy spread with a higher level of controllability.

Reduction of angular divergence of laser-driven ion beams during their acceleration and transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakova, M.; Pšikal, Jan; Margarone, Daniele; Maggiore, Mario; Korn, G.

2015-05-01

Laser plasma physics is a field of big interest because of its implications in basic science, fast ignition, medicine (i.e. hadrontherapy), astrophysics, material science, particle acceleration etc. 100-MeV class protons accelerated from the interaction of a short laser pulse with a thin target have been demonstrated. With continuing development of laser technology, greater and greater energies are expected, therefore projects focusing on various applications are being formed, e.g. ELIMAIA (ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser-Ion Acceleration). One of the main characteristic and crucial disadvantage of ion beams accelerated by ultra-short intense laser pulses is their large divergence, not suitable for the most of applications. In this paper two ways how to decrease beam divergence are proposed. Firstly, impact of different design of targets on beam divergence is studied by using 2D Particlein-cell simulations (PIC). Namely, various types of targets include at foils, curved foil and foils with diverse microstructures. Obtained results show that well-designed microstructures, i.e. a hole in the center of the target, can produce proton beam with the lowest divergence. Moreover, the particle beam accelerated from a curved foil has lower divergence compared to the beam from a flat foil. Secondly, another proposed method for the divergence reduction is using of a magnetic solenoid. The trajectories of the laser accelerated particles passing through the solenoid are modeled in a simple Matlab program. Results from PIC simulations are used as input in the program. The divergence is controlled by optimizing the magnetic field inside the solenoid and installing an aperture in front of the device.

Laser-driven plasma photonic crystals for high-power lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmann, G.; Spatschek, K. H.

2017-05-01

Laser-driven plasma density gratings in underdense plasma are shown to act as photonic crystals for high power lasers. The gratings are created by counterpropagating laser beams that trap electrons, followed by ballistic ion motion. This leads to strong periodic plasma density modulations with a lifetime on the order of picoseconds. The grating structure is interpreted as a plasma photonic crystal time-dependent property, e.g., the photonic band gap width. In Maxwell-Vlasov and particle-in-cell simulations it is demonstrated that the photonic crystals may act as a frequency filter and mirror for ultra-short high-power laser pulses.

Evaluation of laser-driven ion energies for fusion fast-ignition research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tosaki, S.; Yogo, A.; Koga, K.; Okamoto, K.; Shokita, S.; Morace, A.; Arikawa, Y.; Fujioka, S.; Nakai, M.; Shiraga, H.; Azechi, H.; Nishimura, H.

2017-10-01

We investigate laser-driven ion acceleration using kJ-class picosecond (ps) laser pulses as a fundamental study for ion-assisted fusion fast ignition, using a newly developed Thomson-parabola ion spectrometer (TPIS). The TPIS has a space- and weight-saving design, considering its use in an laser-irradiation chamber in which 12 beams of fuel implosion laser are incident, and, at the same time, demonstrates sufficient performance with its detectable range and resolution of the ion energy required for fast-ignition research. As a fundamental study on laser-ion acceleration using a ps pulse laser, we show proton acceleration up to 40 MeV at 1 × 10^{19} W cm^{-2}. The energy conversion efficiency from the incident laser into protons higher than 6 MeV is 4.6%, which encourages the realization of fusion fast ignition by laser-driven ions.

Multistage Coupling of Laser-Wakefield Accelerators with Curved Plasma Channels.

PubMed

Luo, J; Chen, M; Wu, W Y; Weng, S M; Sheng, Z M; Schroeder, C B; Jaroszynski, D A; Esarey, E; Leemans, W P; Mori, W B; Zhang, J

2018-04-13

Multistage coupling of laser-wakefield accelerators is essential to overcome laser energy depletion for high-energy applications such as TeV-level electron-positron colliders. Current staging schemes feed subsequent laser pulses into stages using plasma mirrors while controlling electron beam focusing with plasma lenses. Here a more compact and efficient scheme is proposed to realize the simultaneous coupling of the electron beam and the laser pulse into a second stage. A partly curved channel, integrating a straight acceleration stage with a curved transition segment, is used to guide a fresh laser pulse into a subsequent straight channel, while the electrons continue straight. This scheme benefits from a shorter coupling distance and continuous guiding of the electrons in plasma while suppressing transverse beam dispersion. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the electron beam from a previous stage can be efficiently injected into a subsequent stage for further acceleration while maintaining high capture efficiency, stability, and beam quality.

Multistage Coupling of Laser-Wakefield Accelerators with Curved Plasma Channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, J.; Chen, M.; Wu, W. Y.; Weng, S. M.; Sheng, Z. M.; Schroeder, C. B.; Jaroszynski, D. A.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.; Mori, W. B.; Zhang, J.

2018-04-01

Multistage coupling of laser-wakefield accelerators is essential to overcome laser energy depletion for high-energy applications such as TeV-level electron-positron colliders. Current staging schemes feed subsequent laser pulses into stages using plasma mirrors while controlling electron beam focusing with plasma lenses. Here a more compact and efficient scheme is proposed to realize the simultaneous coupling of the electron beam and the laser pulse into a second stage. A partly curved channel, integrating a straight acceleration stage with a curved transition segment, is used to guide a fresh laser pulse into a subsequent straight channel, while the electrons continue straight. This scheme benefits from a shorter coupling distance and continuous guiding of the electrons in plasma while suppressing transverse beam dispersion. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the electron beam from a previous stage can be efficiently injected into a subsequent stage for further acceleration while maintaining high capture efficiency, stability, and beam quality.

Modeling multi-GeV class laser-plasma accelerators with INF&RNO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, Carlo; Schroeder, Carl; Bulanov, Stepan; Geddes, Cameron; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2016-10-01

Laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) can produce accelerating gradients on the order of tens to hundreds of GV/m, making them attractive as compact particle accelerators for radiation production or as drivers for future high-energy colliders. Understanding and optimizing the performance of LPAs requires detailed numerical modeling of the nonlinear laser-plasma interaction. We present simulation results, obtained with the computationally efficient, PIC/fluid code INF&RNO (INtegrated Fluid & paRticle simulatioN cOde), concerning present (multi-GeV stages) and future (10 GeV stages) LPA experiments performed with the BELLA PW laser system at LBNL. In particular, we will illustrate the issues related to the guiding of a high-intensity, short-pulse, laser when a realistic description for both the laser driver and the background plasma is adopted. Work Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Relativistic magnetic reconnection driven by a moderately intense laser interacting with a micro-plasma-slab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Longqing; Shen, Baifei; Pukhov, Alexander; Fülöp, Tünde

2017-10-01

Magnetic reconnection (MR) in the relativistic regime is generally thought to be responsible for powering rapid bursts of non-thermal radiation in astrophysical events. It is therefore of significant importance to study how the field energy is transferred to the plasma to power the observed emission. However, due to the difficulty in making direct measurements in astrophysical systems or achieving relativistic MR in laboratory environments, the particle acceleration is usually studied using fully kinetic PIC simulations. Here we present a numerical study of a readily available (TW-mJ-class) laser interacting with a micro-scale plasma slab. The simulations show when the electron beams excited on both sides of the slab approach the end of the plasma structure, ultrafast relativistic MR occurs. As the field topology changes, the explosive release of magnetic energy results in emission of relativistic electron jets with cut-off energy 12 MeV. The proposed novel scenario can be straightforwardly implemented in experiments, and might significantly improve the understanding of fundamental questions such as field dissipation and particle acceleration in relativistic MR. This work is supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the European Research Council (ERC-2014-CoG Grant 64712).

Recent progress of the Laser-driven Ion-beam Trace Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaoyi; Xiao, Chijie; Chen, Yihang; Xu, Tianchao; Yu, Yi; Xu, Min; Wang, Long; Lin, Chen; Wang, Xiaogang

2017-10-01

The Laser-driven Ion-beam Trace Probe (LITP) is a new method to diagnose the poloidal magnetic field and radial electric field in tokamaks. Recently significant progresses have been made as follows. 1) The experimental system has been set up on the PKU Plasma Test (PPT) linear device and begun to validate the principle of LITP, including the ion source, the ion detector and the poloidal magnetic field cable. Preliminary experimental results matched the theoretical prediction well. 2) The reconstruction principle has been improved including the nonlinear effect. 3) Tomography methods have been applied in the reconstruction codes. Now the laser-driven ion-beam accelerator has been setup on the PPT device, and further test of LITP will start soon. After that a prototype of LITP system will be designed and setup on the HL-2A tokamak device. This work was supported by the CHINA MOST under 2012YQ030142, ITER-CHINA program 2015GB120001 and National Natural Science Foundation of China under 11575014 and 11375053.

The Role of Superthermal Electrons in the Formation of Double Layers and their Application in Space Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, N.

2014-12-01

It is now widely recognized that superthermal electrons commonly exist with the thermal population in most space plasmas. When plasmas consisting of such electron population expand, double layers (DLs) naturally forma due to charge separation; the more mobile superthermal electrons march ahead of the thermal population, leaving a positive charge behind and generating electric fields. Under certain conditions such fields evolve into thin double layers or shocks. The double layers accelerate ions. Such double-layer formation was first invoked to explain expansion of laser produced plasmas. Since then it has been studied in laboratory experiments, and applied to (i) polar wind acceleration,(ii) the existence of low-altitude double layers in the auroral acceleration, (iii) a possible mechanism for the origination of the solar wind, (iv) the helicon double layer thrusters, and (v) the deceleration of electrons after their acceleration in solar flare events. The role of superthermal-electron driven double layers, also known as the low-altitude auroral double layers in the upward current region, in the upward acceleration of ionospheric ions is well-known. In the auroral application the upward moving superthermal electrons consist of backscattered downgoing primary energetic electrons as well as the secondary electrons. Similarly we suggest that such double layers might play roles in the acceleration of ions in the solar wind across the coronal transition region, where the superthermal electrons are supplied by magnetic reconnection events. We will present a unified theoretical view of the superthermal electron-driven double layers and their applications. We will summarize theoretical, experimental, simulation and observational results highlighting the common threads running through the various existing studies.

Small-scale laser based electron accelerators for biology and medicine: a comparative study of the biological effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labate, Luca; Andreassi, Maria Grazia; Baffigi, Federica; Basta, Giuseppina; Bizzarri, Ranieri; Borghini, Andrea; Candiano, Giuliana C.; Casarino, Carlo; Cresci, Monica; Di Martino, Fabio; Fulgentini, Lorenzo; Ghetti, Francesco; Gilardi, Maria Carla; Giulietti, Antonio; Köster, Petra; Lenci, Francesco; Levato, Tadzio; Oishi, Yuji; Russo, Giorgio; Sgarbossa, Antonella; Traino, Claudio; Gizzi, Leonida A.

2013-05-01

Laser-driven electron accelerators based on the Laser Wakefield Acceleration process has entered a mature phase to be considered as alternative devices to conventional radiofrequency linear accelerators used in medical applications. Before entering the medical practice, however, deep studies of the radiobiological effects of such short bunches as the ones produced by laser-driven accelerators have to be performed. Here we report on the setup, characterization and first test of a small-scale laser accelerator for radiobiology experiments. A brief description of the experimental setup will be given at first, followed by an overview of the electron bunch characterization, in particular in terms of dose delivered to the samples. Finally, the first results from the irradiation of biological samples will be briefly discussed.

Direct ion heating in overdense plasmas through the Brillouin instability driven by relativistic whistler waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Takayoshi; Hata, Masayasu; Iwata, Natsumi; Mima, Kunioki; Sentoku, Yasuhiko

2017-10-01

Strong magnetic fields over kilo-Tesla have been available in the laboratory by the use of ultra-intense lasers. It would be interesting to apply those strong fields to other laser experiments such as the inertial confinement fusion and laboratory astrophysics. The characteristics of laser-plasma interactions could be modified significantly by the presence of such strong magnetic fields. We investigate electromagnetic wave propagation in overdense plasmas along the magnetic field for a right-hand circularly polarized wave by PIC simulations. Since the whistler mode has no cutoff density, it can penetrate into overdense plasmas and interact directly with charged particles there. When the external field strength is near a critical value defined by that the cyclotron frequency is equal to the laser one, it is reported that electrons are accelerated efficiently by the cyclotron resonance. However, if the field strength is far beyond the critical value, the cyclotron resonance is inefficient, while the ions gain a large amount of energy directly from the laser light owning to the Brillouin scattering. As the result, only ions are heated up selectively. We will discuss about the application of this ion heating in dense plasmas. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP15K21767.

Nanomedical science and laser-driven particle acceleration: promising approaches in the prethermal regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauduel, Y. A.

2017-05-01

A major challenge of spatio-temporal radiation biomedicine concerns the understanding of biophysical events triggered by an initial energy deposition inside confined ionization tracks. This contribution deals with an interdisciplinary approach that concerns cutting-edge advances in real-time radiation events, considering the potentialities of innovating strategies based on ultrafast laser science, from femtosecond photon sources to advanced techniques of ultrafast TW laser-plasma accelerator. Recent advances of powerful TW laser sources ( 1019 W cm-2) and laser-plasma interactions providing ultra-short relativistic particle beams in the energy domain 5-200 MeV open promising opportunities for the development of high energy radiation femtochemistry (HERF) in the prethermal regime of secondary low-energy electrons and for the real-time imaging of radiation-induced biomolecular alterations at the nanoscopic scale. New developments would permit to correlate early radiation events triggered by ultrashort radiation sources with a molecular approach of Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE). These emerging research developments are crucial to understand simultaneously, at the sub-picosecond and nanometric scales, the early consequences of ultra-short-pulsed radiation on biomolecular environments or integrated biological entities. This innovating approach would be applied to biomedical relevant concepts such as the emerging domain of real-time nanodosimetry for targeted pro-drug activation and pulsed radio-chimiotherapy of cancers.

Implementation of a 3D version of ponderomotive guiding center solver in particle-in-cell code OSIRIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helm, Anton; Vieira, Jorge; Silva, Luis; Fonseca, Ricardo

2016-10-01

Laser-driven accelerators gained an increased attention over the past decades. Typical modeling techniques for laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) are based on particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. PIC simulations, however, are very computationally expensive due to the disparity of the relevant scales ranging from the laser wavelength, in the micrometer range, to the acceleration length, currently beyond the ten centimeter range. To minimize the gap between these despair scales the ponderomotive guiding center (PGC) algorithm is a promising approach. By describing the evolution of the laser pulse envelope separately, only the scales larger than the plasma wavelength are required to be resolved in the PGC algorithm, leading to speedups in several orders of magnitude. Previous work was limited to two dimensions. Here we present the implementation of the 3D version of a PGC solver into the massively parallel, fully relativistic PIC code OSIRIS. We extended the solver to include periodic boundary conditions and parallelization in all spatial dimensions. We present benchmarks for distributed and shared memory parallelization. We also discuss the stability of the PGC solver.

Kinetic effects on the transition to relativistic self-induced transparency in laser-driven ion acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siminos, Evangelos; Svedung Wettervik, Benjamin; Grech, Mickael; Fülöp, Tünde

2016-10-01

We study kinetic effects responsible for the transition to relativistic self-induced transparency in the interaction of a circularly-polarized laser-pulse with an overdense plasma and their relation to hole-boring and ion acceleration. It is shown, using particle-in-cell simulations and an analysis of separatrices in single-particle phase-space, that this transition is mediated by the complex interplay of fast electron dynamics and ion motion at the initial stage of the interaction. It thus depends on the ion charge-to-mass ratio and can be controlled by varying the laser temporal profile. Moreover, we find a new regime in which a transition from relativistic transparency to hole-boring occurs dynamically during the course of the interaction. It is shown that, for a fixed laser intensity, this dynamic transition regime allows optimal ion acceleration in terms of both energy and energy spread. This work was supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (pliona project) and the European Research Council (ERC-2014-CoG Grant 647121).

X-ray source characterization of aluminum X-pinch plasmas driven by the 0. 5 TW LION accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, N.; Hammer, D.A.; Kalantar, D.H.

1989-12-01

Recent experiments at Cornell have been performed to investigate X-pinch plasmas as intense x-ray sources which might be used to pump resonant photoexcitation lasers. Crossed Al wires have been driven by up to 600 kA current for 40 ns. High density bright spots are observed at the crossing point(s). Various diagnostics were used to characterize the X-pinch plasmas as a function of initial mass loading for several specific wire configurations. The optimum mass loading for different ionization stages of Al, and the total x-ray energy yields, which are on the order of hundreds of Joules, were examined. Estimates of plasmamore » density, {similar to}10{sup 20} cm{sup {minus}3}, and temperature, about 400 eV, were obtained.« less

Parametric study of transport beam lines for electron beams accelerated by laser-plasma interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scisciò, M.; Antici, P., E-mail: patrizio.antici@polytechnique.edu; INRS-EMT, Université du Québec, 1650 Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2

2016-03-07

In the last decade, laser-plasma acceleration of high-energy electrons has attracted strong attention in different fields. Electrons with maximum energies in the GeV range can be laser-accelerated within a few cm using multi-hundreds terawatt (TW) lasers, yielding to very high beam currents at the source (electron bunches with up to tens-hundreds of pC in a few fs). While initially the challenge was to increase the maximum achievable electron energy, today strong effort is put in the control and usability of these laser-generated beams that still lack of some features in order to be used for applications where currently conventional, radio-frequencymore » (RF) based, electron beam lines represent the most common and efficient solution. Several improvements have been suggested for this purpose, some of them acting directly on the plasma source, some using beam shaping tools located downstream. Concerning the latter, several studies have suggested the use of conventional accelerator magnetic devices (such as quadrupoles and solenoids) as an easy implementable solution when the laser-plasma accelerated beam requires optimization. In this paper, we report on a parametric study related to the transport of electron beams accelerated by laser-plasma interaction, using conventional accelerator elements and tools. We focus on both, high energy electron beams in the GeV range, as produced on petawatt (PW) class laser systems, and on lower energy electron beams in the hundreds of MeV range, as nowadays routinely obtained on commercially available multi-hundred TW laser systems. For both scenarios, our study allows understanding what are the crucial parameters that enable laser-plasma accelerators to compete with conventional ones and allow for a beam transport. We show that suitable working points require a tradeoff-combination between low beam divergence and narrow energy spread.« less

Controlling laser driven protons acceleration using a deformable mirror at a high repetition rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noaman-ul-Haq, M.; Sokollik, T.; Ahmed, H.; Braenzel, J.; Ehrentraut, L.; Mirzaie, M.; Yu, L.-L.; Sheng, Z. M.; Chen, L. M.; Schnürer, M.; Zhang, J.

2018-03-01

We present results from a proof-of-principle experiment to optimize laser driven protons acceleration by directly feeding back its spectral information to a deformable mirror (DM) controlled by evolutionary algorithms (EAs). By irradiating a stable high-repetition rate tape driven target with ultra-intense pulses of intensities ∼1020 W/ cm2, we optimize the maximum energy of the accelerated protons with a stability of less than ∼5% fluctuations near optimum value. Moreover, due to spatio-temporal development of the sheath field, modulations in the spectrum are also observed. Particularly, a prominent narrow peak is observed with a spread of ∼15% (FWHM) at low energy part of the spectrum. These results are helpful to develop high repetition rate optimization techniques required for laser-driven ion accelerators.

Particle-in-cell simulation of x-ray wakefield acceleration and betatron radiation in nanotubes

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Xiaomei; Tajima, Toshiki; Farinella, Deano; ...

2016-10-18

Though wakefield acceleration in crystal channels has been previously proposed, x-ray wakefield acceleration has only recently become a realistic possibility since the invention of the single-cycled optical laser compression technique. We investigate the acceleration due to a wakefield induced by a coherent, ultrashort x-ray pulse guided by a nanoscale channel inside a solid material. By two-dimensional particle-in-cell computer simulations, we show that an acceleration gradient of TeV/cm is attainable. This is about 3 orders of magnitude stronger than that of the conventional plasma-based wakefield accelerations, which implies the possibility of an extremely compact scheme to attain ultrahigh energies. In additionmore » to particle acceleration, this scheme can also induce the emission of high energy photons at ~O(10–100) MeV. Here, our simulations confirm such high energy photon emissions, which is in contrast with that induced by the optical laser driven wakefield scheme. In addition to this, the significantly improved emittance of the energetic electrons has been discussed.« less

Thermal emittance from ionization-induced trapping in plasma accelerators

DOE PAGES

Schroeder, C.  B.; Vay, J. -L.; Esarey, E.; ...

2014-10-03

The minimum obtainable transverse emittance (thermal emittance) of electron beams generated and trapped in plasma-based accelerators using laser ionization injection is examined. The initial transverse phase space distribution following ionization and passage through the laser is derived, and expressions for the normalized transverse beam emittance, both along and orthogonal to the laser polarization, are presented. Results are compared to particle-in-cell simulations. Ultralow emittance beams can be generated using laser ionization injection into plasma accelerators, and examples are presented showing normalized emittances on the order of tens of nm.

Development of High-Gradient Dielectric Laser-Driven Particle Accelerator Structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Byer, Robert L.

2013-11-07

The thrust of Stanford's program is to conduct research on high-gradient dielectric accelerator structures driven with high repetition-rate, tabletop infrared lasers. The close collaboration between Stanford and SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) is critical to the success of this project, because it provides a unique environment where prototype dielectric accelerator structures can be rapidly fabricated and tested with a relativistic electron beam.

Radiobiological effectiveness of laser accelerated electrons in comparison to electron beams from a conventional linear accelerator.

PubMed

Laschinsky, Lydia; Baumann, Michael; Beyreuther, Elke; Enghardt, Wolfgang; Kaluza, Malte; Karsch, Leonhard; Lessmann, Elisabeth; Naumburger, Doreen; Nicolai, Maria; Richter, Christian; Sauerbrey, Roland; Schlenvoigt, Hans-Peter; Pawelke, Jörg

2012-01-01

The notable progress in laser particle acceleration technology promises potential medical application in cancer therapy through compact and cost effective laser devices that are suitable for already existing clinics. Previously, consequences on the radiobiological response by laser driven particle beams characterised by an ultra high peak dose rate have to be investigated. Therefore, tumour and non-malignant cells were irradiated with pulsed laser accelerated electrons at the JETI facility for the comparison with continuous electrons of a conventional therapy LINAC. Dose response curves were measured for the biological endpoints clonogenic survival and residual DNA double strand breaks. The overall results show no significant differences in radiobiological response for in vitro cell experiments between laser accelerated pulsed and clinical used electron beams. These first systematic in vitro cell response studies with precise dosimetry to laser driven electron beams represent a first step toward the long term aim of the application of laser accelerated particles in radiotherapy.

Novel high-energy physics studies using intense lasers and plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leemans, Wim P.; Bulanov, Stepan; Esarey, Eric

2015-06-29

In the framework of the project “Novel high-energy physics studies using intense lasers and plasmas” we conducted the study of ion acceleration and “flying mirrors” with high intensity lasers in order to develop sources of ion beams and high frequency radiation for different applications. Since some schemes of laser ion acceleration are also considered a good source of “flying mirrors”, we proposed to investigate the mechanisms of “mirror” formation. As a result we were able to study the laser ion acceleration from thin foils and near critical density targets. We identified several fundamental factors limiting the acceleration in the RPAmore » regime and proposed the target design to compensate these limitations. In the case of near critical density targets, we developed a concept for the laser driven ion source for the hadron therapy. Also we studied the mechanism of “flying mirror” generation during the intense laser interaction with thin solid density targets. As for the laser-based positron creation and capture we initially proposed to study different regimes of positron beam generation and positron beam cooling. Since the for some of these schemes a good quality electron beam is required, we studied the generation of ultra-low emittance electron beams. In order to understand the fundamental physics of high energy electron beam interaction with high intensity laser pulses, which may affect the efficient generation of positron beams, we studied the radiation reaction effects.« less

Experimental Evidence of Kinetic Effects in Indirect-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion Hohlraums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, L. Q.; Cai, H. B.; Zhang, W. S.; Tang, Q.; Zhang, F.; Song, Z. F.; Bi, B.; Ge, F. J.; Chen, J. B.; Liu, D. X.; Wang, W. W.; Yang, Z. H.; Qi, W.; Tian, C.; Yuan, Z. Q.; Zhang, B.; Yang, L.; Jiao, J. L.; Cui, B.; Zhou, W. M.; Cao, L. F.; Zhou, C. T.; Gu, Y. Q.; Zhang, B. H.; Zhu, S. P.; He, X. T.

2018-05-01

We present the first experimental evidence supported by simulations of kinetic effects launched in the interpenetration layer between the laser-driven hohlraum plasma bubbles and the corona plasma of the compressed pellet at the Shenguang-III prototype laser facility. Solid plastic capsules were coated with carbon-deuterium layers; as the implosion neutron yield is quenched, DD fusion yield from the corona plasma provides a direct measure of the kinetic effects inside the hohlraum. An anomalous large energy spread of the DD neutron signal (˜282 keV ) and anomalous scaling of the neutron yield with the thickness of the carbon-deuterium layers cannot be explained by the hydrodynamic mechanisms. Instead, these results can be attributed to kinetic shocks that arise in the hohlraum-wall-ablator interpenetration region, which result in efficient acceleration of the deuterons (˜28.8 J , 0.45% of the total input laser energy). These studies provide novel insight into the interactions and dynamics of a vacuum hohlraum and near-vacuum hohlraum.

Optimized operation of dielectric laser accelerators: Multibunch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanuka, Adi; Schächter, Levi

2018-06-01

We present a self-consistent analysis to determine the optimal charge, gradient, and efficiency for laser driven accelerators operating with a train of microbunches. Specifically, we account for the beam loading reduction on the material occurring at the dielectric-vacuum interface. In the case of a train of microbunches, such beam loading effect could be detrimental due to energy spread, however this may be compensated by a tapered laser pulse. We ultimately propose an optimization procedure with an analytical solution for group velocity which equals to half the speed of light. This optimization results in a maximum efficiency 20% lower than the single bunch case, and a total accelerated charge of 1 06 electrons in the train. The approach holds promise for improving operations of dielectric laser accelerators and may have an impact on emerging laser accelerators driven by high-power optical lasers.

Interaction of laser beams with magnetized substance in a strong magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzenov, V. V.

2018-03-01

Laser-driven magneto-inertial fusion assumed plasma and magnetic flux compression by quasisymmetric laser-driven implosion of magnetized target. We develop a 2D radiation magnetohydrodynamic code and a formulation for the one-fluid two-temperature equations for simulating compressible non-equilibrium magnetized target plasma. Laser system with pulse radiation with 10 ns duration is considered for numerical experiments. A numerical study of a scheme of magnetized laser-driven implosion in the external magnetic field is carried out.

Efficient acceleration of neutral atoms in laser produced plasma

DOE PAGES

Dalui, M.; Trivikram, T. M.; Colgan, James Patrick; ...

2017-06-20

Recent advances in high-intensity laser-produced plasmas have demonstrated their potential as compact charge particle accelerators. Unlike conventional accelerators, transient quasi-static charge separation acceleration fields in laser produced plasmas are highly localized and orders of magnitude larger. Manipulating these ion accelerators, to convert the fast ions to neutral atoms with little change in momentum, transform these to a bright source of MeV atoms. The emittance of the neutral atom beam would be similar to that expected for an ion beam. Since intense laser-produced plasmas have been demonstrated to produce high-brightness-low-emittance beams, it is possible to envisage generation of high-flux, low-emittance, highmore » energy neutral atom beams in length scales of less than a millimeter. Here, we show a scheme where more than 80% of the fast ions are reduced to energetic neutral atoms and demonstrate the feasibility of a high energy neutral atom accelerator that could significantly impact applications in neutral atom lithography and diagnostics.« less

Characteristics of GeV Electron Bunches Accelerated by Intense Lasers in Vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, P. X.; Ho, Y. K.; Kong, Q.; Yuan, X. Q.; Cao, N.; Feng, L.

This paper studies the characteristics of GeV electron bunches driven by ultra-intense lasers in vacuum based on the mechanism of capture and violent acceleration scenario [CAS, see, e.g. J. X. Wang et al., Phys. Rev. E58, 6575 (1998)], which shows an interesting prospect of becoming a new principle of laser-driven accelerators. It has been found that the accelerated GeV electron bunch is a macro-pulse composed of a lot of micro-pulses, which is analogous to the structure of the bunches produced by conventional linacs. The macro-pulse corresponds to the duration of the laser pulse while the micro-pulse corresponds to the periodicity of the laser wave. Therefore, provided that the incoming electron bunch with comparable sizes as that of the laser pulse synchronously impinges on the laser pulse, the total fraction of electrons captured and accelerated to GeV energy can reach more than 20%. These results demonstrate that the mechanisms of CAS is a relatively effective accelerator mechanism.

Post-acceleration of laser driven protons with a compact high field linac

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinigardi, Stefano; Londrillo, Pasquale; Rossi, Francesco; Turchetti, Giorgio; Bolton, Paul R.

2013-05-01

We present a start-to-end 3D numerical simulation of a hybrid scheme for the acceleration of protons. The scheme is based on a first stage laser acceleration, followed by a transport line with a solenoid or a multiplet of quadrupoles, and then a post-acceleration section in a compact linac. Our simulations show that from a laser accelerated proton bunch with energy selection at ~ 30MeV, it is possible to obtain a high quality monochromatic beam of 60MeV with intensity at the threshold of interest for medical use. In the present day experiments using solid targets, the TNSA mechanism describes accelerated bunches with an exponential energy spectrum up to a cut-off value typically below ~ 60MeV and wide angular distribution. At the cut-off energy, the number of protons to be collimated and post-accelerated in a hybrid scheme are still too low. We investigate laser-plasma acceleration to improve the quality and number of the injected protons at ~ 30MeV in order to assure efficient post-acceleration in the hybrid scheme. The results are obtained with 3D PIC simulations using a code where optical acceleration with over-dense targets, transport and post-acceleration in a linac can all be investigated in an integrated framework. The high intensity experiments at Nara are taken as a reference benchmarks for our virtual laboratory. If experimentally confirmed, a hybrid scheme could be the core of a medium sized infrastructure for medical research, capable of producing protons for therapy and x-rays for diagnosis, which complements the development of all optical systems.

A compact tunable polarized X-ray source based on laser-plasma helical undulators

PubMed Central

Luo, J.; Chen, M.; Zeng, M.; Vieira, J.; Yu, L. L.; Weng, S. M.; Silva, L. O.; Jaroszynski, D. A.; Sheng, Z. M.; Zhang, J.

2016-01-01

Laser wakefield accelerators have great potential as the basis for next generation compact radiation sources because of their extremely high accelerating gradients. However, X-ray radiation from such devices still lacks tunability, especially of the intensity and polarization distributions. Here we propose a tunable polarized radiation source based on a helical plasma undulator in a plasma channel guided wakefield accelerator. When a laser pulse is initially incident with a skew angle relative to the channel axis, the laser and accelerated electrons experience collective spiral motions, which leads to elliptically polarized synchrotron-like radiation with flexible tunability on radiation intensity, spectra and polarization. We demonstrate that a radiation source with millimeter size and peak brilliance of 2 × 1019 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1% bandwidth can be made with moderate laser and electron beam parameters. This brilliance is comparable with third generation synchrotron radiation facilities running at similar photon energies, suggesting that laser plasma based radiation sources are promising for advanced applications. PMID:27377126

Observation of Dust Stream Formation Produced by Low Current, High Voltage Cathode Spots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, John E.

2004-01-01

Macro-particle acceleration driven by low current, high voltage cathode spots has been investigated. The phenomenon was observed to occur when nanometer and micrometer-sized particles in the presence of a discharge plasma were exposed to a high voltage pulse. The negative voltage pulse initiates the formation of multiple, high voltage, low current cathode spots which provides the mechanism of actual acceleration of the charged dust particles. Dust streams generated by this process were detected using laser scattering techniques. The particle impact craters observed at the surface of downstream witness badges were documented using SEM and light microscopy.

Generating high-brightness electron beams via ionization injection by transverse colliding lasers in a plasma-wakefield accelerator.

PubMed

Li, F; Hua, J F; Xu, X L; Zhang, C J; Yan, L X; Du, Y C; Huang, W H; Chen, H B; Tang, C X; Lu, W; Joshi, C; Mori, W B; Gu, Y Q

2013-07-05

The production of ultrabright electron bunches using ionization injection triggered by two transversely colliding laser pulses inside a beam-driven plasma wake is examined via three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The relatively low intensity lasers are polarized along the wake axis and overlap with the wake for a very short time. The result is that the residual momentum of the ionized electrons in the transverse plane of the wake is reduced, and the injection is localized along the propagation axis of the wake. This minimizes both the initial thermal emittance and the emittance growth due to transverse phase mixing. Simulations show that ultrashort (~8 fs) high-current (0.4 kA) electron bunches with a normalized emittance of 8.5 and 6 nm in the two planes, respectively, and a brightness of 1.7×10(19) A rad(-2) m(-2) can be obtained for realistic parameters.

Proton acceleration by multi-terawatt interaction with a near-critical density hydrogen jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goers, Andy; Feder, Linus; Hine, George; Salehi, Fatholah; Woodbury, Daniel; Su, J. J.; Papadopoulos, Dennis; Zigler, Arie; Milchberg, Howard

2016-10-01

We investigate the high intensity laser interaction with thin, near critical density plasmas as a means of efficient acceleration of MeV protons. A promising mechanism is magnetic vortex acceleration, where the ponderomotive force of a tightly focused laser pulse drives a relativistic electron current which generates a strong azimuthal magnetic field. The rapid expansion of this azimuthal magnetic field at the back side of the target can accelerate plasma ions to MeV scale energies. Compared to typical ion acceleration experiments utilizing a laser- thin solid foil interaction, magnetic vortex acceleration in near critical density plasma may be realized in a high density gas jet, making it attractive for applications requiring high repetition rates. We present preliminary experiments studying laser-plasma interaction and proton acceleration in a thin (< 200 μm) near-critical density hydrogen gas jet delivering electron densities 1020 -1021 cm-3 . This research was funded by the United States Department of Energy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under Contract Number W911-NF-15-C-0217, issued by the Army Research Office.

Fusion Energy and Stopping Power in a Degenerate DT Pellet Driven by a Laser-Accelerated Proton Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehrangiz, M.; Ghasemizad, A.; Jafari, S.; Khanbabaei, B.

2016-06-01

In this paper, we have improved the fast ignition scheme in order to have more authority needed for high-energy-gain. Due to the more penetrability and energy deposition of the particle beams in fusion targets, we employ a laser-to-ion converter foil as a scheme for generating energetic ion beams to ignite the fusion fuel. We find the favorable intensity and wavelength of incident laser by evaluating the laser-proton conversion gain. By calculating the source-target distance, proton beam power and energy are estimated. Our analysis is generalized to the plasma degeneracy effects which can increase the fusion gain several orders of magnitude by decreasing the ion-electron collisions in the plasma. It is found that the wavelength of 0.53 μm and the intensity of about 1020 W/cm2, by saving about 10% conversion coefficient, are the suitable measured values for converting a laser into protons. Besides, stopping power and fusion burn calculations have been done in degenerate and non-degenerate plasma mediums. The results indicate that in the presence of degeneracy, the rate of fusion enhances. Supported by the Research Council of University of Guilan

Extremely short relativistic-electron-bunch generation in the laser wakefield via novel bunch injection scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khachatryan, A. G.; van Goor, F. A.; Boller, K.-J.; Reitsma, A. J.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

2004-12-01

Recently a new electron-bunch injection scheme for the laser wakefield accelerator has been proposed [

Laser-driven x-ray and neutron source development for industrial applications of plasma accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenner, C. M.; Mirfayzi, S. R.; Rusby, D. R.; Armstrong, C.; Alejo, A.; Wilson, L. A.; Clarke, R.; Ahmed, H.; Butler, N. M. H.; Haddock, D.; Higginson, A.; McClymont, A.; Murphy, C.; Notley, M.; Oliver, P.; Allott, R.; Hernandez-Gomez, C.; Kar, S.; McKenna, P.; Neely, D.

2016-01-01

Pulsed beams of energetic x-rays and neutrons from intense laser interactions with solid foils are promising for applications where bright, small emission area sources, capable of multi-modal delivery are ideal. Possible end users of laser-driven multi-modal sources are those requiring advanced non-destructive inspection techniques in industry sectors of high value commerce such as aerospace, nuclear and advanced manufacturing. We report on experimental work that demonstrates multi-modal operation of high power laser-solid interactions for neutron and x-ray beam generation. Measurements and Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations show that neutron yield is increased by a factor ~2 when a 1 mm copper foil is placed behind a 2 mm lithium foil, compared to using a 2 cm block of lithium only. We explore x-ray generation with a 10 picosecond drive pulse in order to tailor the spectral content for radiography with medium density alloy metals. The impact of using  >1 ps pulse duration on laser-accelerated electron beam generation and transport is discussed alongside the optimisation of subsequent bremsstrahlung emission in thin, high atomic number target foils. X-ray spectra are deconvolved from spectrometer measurements and simulation data generated using the GEANT4 Monte Carlo code. We also demonstrate the unique capability of laser-driven x-rays in being able to deliver single pulse high spatial resolution projection imaging of thick metallic objects. Active detector radiographic imaging of industrially relevant sample objects with a 10 ps drive pulse is presented for the first time, demonstrating that features of 200 μm size are resolved when projected at high magnification.

Space-based laser-driven MHD generator: Feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, S. H.

1986-01-01

The feasibility of a laser-driven MHD generator, as a candidate receiver for a space-based laser power transmission system, was investigated. On the basis of reasonable parameters obtained in the literature, a model of the laser-driven MHD generator was developed with the assumptions of a steady, turbulent, two-dimensional flow. These assumptions were based on the continuous and steady generation of plasmas by the exposure of the continuous wave laser beam thus inducing a steady back pressure that enables the medium to flow steadily. The model considered here took the turbulent nature of plasmas into account in the two-dimensional geometry of the generator. For these conditions with the plasma parameters defining the thermal conductivity, viscosity, electrical conductivity for the plasma flow, a generator efficiency of 53.3% was calculated. If turbulent effects and nonequilibrium ionization are taken into account, the efficiency is 43.2%. The study shows that the laser-driven MHD system has potential as a laser power receiver for space applications because of its high energy conversion efficiency, high energy density and relatively simple mechanism as compared to other energy conversion cycles.

Identifying the source of super-high energetic electrons in the presence of pre-plasma in laser–matter interaction at relativistic intensities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, D.; Krasheninnikov, S. I.; Luan, S. X.

The generation of super-high energetic electrons influenced by pre-plasma in relativistic intensity laser–matter interaction is studied in a one-dimensional slab approximation with particle-in-cell simulations. Different pre-plasma scale lengths and laser intensities are considered, showing an increase in both particle number and cut-off kinetic energy of electrons with the increase of pre-plasma scale length and laser intensity, the cut-off kinetic energy greatly exceeding the corresponding laser ponderomotive energy. A two-stage electron acceleration model is proposed to explain the underlying physics. The first stage is attributed to the synergetic acceleration by longitudinal electric field and counter-propagating laser pulses, and a scaling lawmore » is obtained with efficiency depending on the pre-plasma scale length and laser intensity. These electrons pre-accelerated in the first stage could build up an intense electrostatic potential barrier with maximal value several times as large as the initial electron kinetic energy. Some of the energetic electrons could be further accelerated by reflection off the electrostatic potential barrier, with their finial kinetic energies significantly higher than the values pre-accelerated in the first stage.« less

Identifying the source of super-high energetic electrons in the presence of pre-plasma in laser–matter interaction at relativistic intensities

DOE PAGES

Wu, D.; Krasheninnikov, S. I.; Luan, S. X.; ...

2016-10-03

The generation of super-high energetic electrons influenced by pre-plasma in relativistic intensity laser–matter interaction is studied in a one-dimensional slab approximation with particle-in-cell simulations. Different pre-plasma scale lengths and laser intensities are considered, showing an increase in both particle number and cut-off kinetic energy of electrons with the increase of pre-plasma scale length and laser intensity, the cut-off kinetic energy greatly exceeding the corresponding laser ponderomotive energy. A two-stage electron acceleration model is proposed to explain the underlying physics. The first stage is attributed to the synergetic acceleration by longitudinal electric field and counter-propagating laser pulses, and a scaling lawmore » is obtained with efficiency depending on the pre-plasma scale length and laser intensity. These electrons pre-accelerated in the first stage could build up an intense electrostatic potential barrier with maximal value several times as large as the initial electron kinetic energy. Some of the energetic electrons could be further accelerated by reflection off the electrostatic potential barrier, with their finial kinetic energies significantly higher than the values pre-accelerated in the first stage.« less

Generating multi-GeV electron bunches using single stage laser wakefield acceleration in a 3D nonlinear regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, W.; Tzoufras, M.; Joshi, C.; Tsung, F. S.; Mori, W. B.; Vieira, J.; Fonseca, R. A.; Silva, L. O.

2007-06-01

The extraordinary ability of space-charge waves in plasmas to accelerate charged particles at gradients that are orders of magnitude greater than in current accelerators has been well documented. We develop a phenomenological framework for laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) in the 3D nonlinear regime, in which the plasma electrons are expelled by the radiation pressure of a short pulse laser, leading to nearly complete blowout. Our theory provides a recipe for designing a LWFA for given laser and plasma parameters and estimates the number and the energy of the accelerated electrons whether self-injected or externally injected. These formulas apply for self-guided as well as externally guided pulses (e.g. by plasma channels). We demonstrate our results by presenting a sample particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of a 30fs, 200 TW laser interacting with a 0.75 cm long plasma with density 1.5×1018cm-3 to produce an ultrashort (10 fs) monoenergetic bunch of self-injected electrons at 1.5 GeV with 0.3 nC of charge. For future higher-energy accelerator applications, we propose a parameter space, which is distinct from that described by Gordienko and Pukhov [Phys. Plasmas 12, 043109 (2005)PHPAEN1070-664X10.1063/1.1884126] in that it involves lower plasma densities and wider spot sizes while keeping the intensity relatively constant. We find that this helps increase the output electron beam energy while keeping the efficiency high.

Towards Attosecond High-Energy Electron Bunches: Controlling Self-Injection in Laser-Wakefield Accelerators Through Plasma-Density Modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tooley, M. P.; Ersfeld, B.; Yoffe, S. R.; Noble, A.; Brunetti, E.; Sheng, Z. M.; Islam, M. R.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

2017-07-01

Self-injection in a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator is usually achieved by increasing the laser intensity until the threshold for injection is exceeded. Alternatively, the velocity of the bubble accelerating structure can be controlled using plasma density ramps, reducing the electron velocity required for injection. We present a model describing self-injection in the short-bunch regime for arbitrary changes in the plasma density. We derive the threshold condition for injection due to a plasma density gradient, which is confirmed using particle-in-cell simulations that demonstrate injection of subfemtosecond bunches. It is shown that the bunch charge, bunch length, and separation of bunches in a bunch train can be controlled by tailoring the plasma density profile.

Compensating the electron beam energy spread by the natural transverse gradient of laser undulator in all-optical x-ray light sources.

PubMed

Zhang, Tong; Feng, Chao; Deng, Haixiao; Wang, Dong; Dai, Zhimin; Zhao, Zhentang

2014-06-02

All-optical ideas provide a potential to dramatically cut off the size and cost of x-ray light sources to the university-laboratory scale, with the combination of the laser-plasma accelerator and the laser undulator. However, the large longitudinal energy spread of the electron beam from laser-plasma accelerator may hinder the way to high brightness of these all-optical light sources. In this paper, the beam energy spread effect is proposed to be significantly compensated by the natural transverse gradient of a laser undulator when properly transverse-dispersing the electron beam. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations on conventional laser-Compton scattering sources and high-gain all-optical x-ray free-electron lasers with the electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators are presented.

GeV Electrons due to a Transition from Laser Wakefield Acceleration to Plasma Wakefield Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mo, M. Z.; Masson-Laborde, P.-E.; Ali, A.; Fourmaux, S.; Lassonde, P.; Kieffer, J.-C.; Rozmus, W.; Teychenné, D.; Fedosejevs, R.

2014-10-01

The Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) experiments performed with the 200 TW laser system located at the Canadian Advanced Laser Light Source facility at INRS, Varennes (Québec) observed at relatively high plasma densities (1 × 1019cm-3) electron bunches of GeV energy gain, more than double of the predicted energy using Lu's scaling law. This energy boost phenomena can be attributed to a transition from LWFA regime to a plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) regime. In the first stage, the acceleration mechanism is dominated by the bubble created by the laser in the regime of LWFA, leading to an injection of a large number of electrons. After propagation beyond the depletion length, where the laser pulse is depleted and it can no longer sustain the bubble anymore, the dense bunch of high energy electrons propagating inside the bubble will drive its own wakefield in the PWFA regime that can trap and accelerate a secondary population of electrons up to the GeV level. 3D particle-in-cell simulations support this analysis, and confirm the scenario.

Arc-driven rail accelerator research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Pradosh K.

1987-01-01

Arc-driven rail accelerator research is analyzed by considering wall ablation and viscous drag in the plasma. Plasma characteristics are evaluated through a simple fluid-mechanical analysis considering only wall ablation. By equating the energy dissipated in the plasma with the radiation heat loss, the average properties of the plasma are determined as a function of time and rate of ablation. Locations of two simultaneously accelerating arcs were determined by optical and magnetic probes and fron streak camera photographs. All three measurements provide consistent results.

GigaGauss solenoidal magnetic field inside bubbles excited in under-dense plasma

PubMed Central

Lécz, Zs.; Konoplev, I. V.; Seryi, A.; Andreev, A.

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a novel and effective method for generating GigaGauss level, solenoidal quasi-static magnetic fields in under-dense plasma using screw-shaped high intensity laser pulses. This method produces large solenoidal fields that move with the driving laser pulse and are collinear with the accelerated electrons. This is in contrast with already known techniques which rely on interactions with over-dense or solid targets and generates radial or toroidal magnetic field localized at the stationary target. The solenoidal field is quasi-stationary in the reference frame of the laser pulse and can be used for guiding electron beams. It can also provide synchrotron radiation beam emittance cooling for laser-plasma accelerated electron and positron beams, opening up novel opportunities for designs of the light sources, free electron lasers, and high energy colliders based on laser plasma acceleration. PMID:27796327

GigaGauss solenoidal magnetic field inside bubbles excited in under-dense plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lécz, Zs.; Konoplev, I. V.; Seryi, A.; Andreev, A.

2016-10-01

This paper proposes a novel and effective method for generating GigaGauss level, solenoidal quasi-static magnetic fields in under-dense plasma using screw-shaped high intensity laser pulses. This method produces large solenoidal fields that move with the driving laser pulse and are collinear with the accelerated electrons. This is in contrast with already known techniques which rely on interactions with over-dense or solid targets and generates radial or toroidal magnetic field localized at the stationary target. The solenoidal field is quasi-stationary in the reference frame of the laser pulse and can be used for guiding electron beams. It can also provide synchrotron radiation beam emittance cooling for laser-plasma accelerated electron and positron beams, opening up novel opportunities for designs of the light sources, free electron lasers, and high energy colliders based on laser plasma acceleration.

Helium-3 and helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bulanov, S. S.; Esarey, E.; Schroeder, C. B.

The laser driven acceleration of ions is considered a promising candidate for an ion source for hadron therapy of oncological diseases. Though proton and carbon ion sources are conventionally used for therapy, other light ions can also be utilized. Whereas carbon ions require 400 MeV per nucleon to reach the same penetration depth as 250 MeV protons, helium ions require only 250 MeV per nucleon, which is the lowest energy per nucleon among the light ions (heavier than protons). This fact along with the larger biological damage to cancer cells achieved by helium ions, than that by protons, makes thismore » species an interesting candidate for the laser driven ion source. Two mechanisms (magnetic vortex acceleration and hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration) of PW-class laser driven ion acceleration from liquid and gaseous helium targets are studied with the goal of producing 250 MeV per nucleon helium ion beams that meet the hadron therapy requirements. We show that He3 ions, having almost the same penetration depth as He4 with the same energy per nucleon, require less laser power to be accelerated to the required energy for the hadron therapy.« less

Helium-3 and helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy

DOE PAGES

Bulanov, S. S.; Esarey, E.; Schroeder, C. B.; ...

2015-06-24

The laser driven acceleration of ions is considered a promising candidate for an ion source for hadron therapy of oncological diseases. Though proton and carbon ion sources are conventionally used for therapy, other light ions can also be utilized. Whereas carbon ions require 400 MeV per nucleon to reach the same penetration depth as 250 MeV protons, helium ions require only 250 MeV per nucleon, which is the lowest energy per nucleon among the light ions (heavier than protons). This fact along with the larger biological damage to cancer cells achieved by helium ions, than that by protons, makes thismore » species an interesting candidate for the laser driven ion source. Two mechanisms (magnetic vortex acceleration and hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration) of PW-class laser driven ion acceleration from liquid and gaseous helium targets are studied with the goal of producing 250 MeV per nucleon helium ion beams that meet the hadron therapy requirements. We show that He3 ions, having almost the same penetration depth as He4 with the same energy per nucleon, require less laser power to be accelerated to the required energy for the hadron therapy.« less

Plasma channel undulator excited by high-order laser modes

DOE PAGES

Wang, J. W.; Schroeder, C. B.; Li, R.; ...

2017-12-04

The possibility of utilizing plasma undulators and plasma accelerators to produce compact ultraviolet and X-ray sources, has attracted considerable interest for a few decades. This interest has been driven by the great potential to decrease the threshold for accessing such sources, which are mainly provided by a few dedicated large-scale synchrotron or free-electron laser (FEL) facilities. However, the broad radiation bandwidth of such plasma devices limits the source brightness and makes it difficult for the FEL instability to develop. Here in this paper, using multi-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we demonstrate that a plasma undulator generated by the beating of amore » mixture of high-order laser modes propagating inside a plasma channel, leads to a few percent radiation bandwidth. The strength of the undulator can reach unity, the period can be less than a millimeter, and the number of undulator periods can be significantly increased by a phase locking technique based on the longitudinal tapering. Polarization control of such an undulator can be achieved by appropriately choosing the phase of the modes. According to our results, in the fully beam loaded regime, the electron current in the plasma undulator can reach 0.3 kA level, making such an undulator a potential candidate towards a table-Top FEL.« less

Plasma channel undulator excited by high-order laser modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, J. W.; Schroeder, C. B.; Li, R.

The possibility of utilizing plasma undulators and plasma accelerators to produce compact ultraviolet and X-ray sources, has attracted considerable interest for a few decades. This interest has been driven by the great potential to decrease the threshold for accessing such sources, which are mainly provided by a few dedicated large-scale synchrotron or free-electron laser (FEL) facilities. However, the broad radiation bandwidth of such plasma devices limits the source brightness and makes it difficult for the FEL instability to develop. Here in this paper, using multi-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we demonstrate that a plasma undulator generated by the beating of amore » mixture of high-order laser modes propagating inside a plasma channel, leads to a few percent radiation bandwidth. The strength of the undulator can reach unity, the period can be less than a millimeter, and the number of undulator periods can be significantly increased by a phase locking technique based on the longitudinal tapering. Polarization control of such an undulator can be achieved by appropriately choosing the phase of the modes. According to our results, in the fully beam loaded regime, the electron current in the plasma undulator can reach 0.3 kA level, making such an undulator a potential candidate towards a table-Top FEL.« less

80 A/cm2 electron beams from metal targets irradiated by KrCl and XeCl excimer lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beloglazov, A.; Martino, M.; Nassisi, V.

1996-05-01

Due to the growing demand for high-current and long-duration electron-beam devices, laser electron sources were investigated in our laboratory. Experiments on electron-beam generation and propagation from aluminium and copper targets illuminated by XeCl (308 nm) and KrCl (222 nm) excimer lasers, were carried out under plasma ignition due to laser irradiation. This plasma supplied a spontaneous accelerating electric field of about 370 kV/m without an external accelerating voltage. By applying the modified one-dimensional Poisson equation, we computed the expected current and we also estimated the plasma concentration during the accelerating process. At 40 kV of accelerating voltage, an output current pulse of about 80 A/cm2 was detected from an Al target irradiated by the shorter wavelength laser.

Particle acceleration in laser-driven magnetic reconnection

DOE PAGES

Totorica, S. R.; Abel, T.; Fiuza, F.

2017-04-03

Particle acceleration induced by magnetic reconnection is thought to be a promising candidate for producing the nonthermal emissions associated with explosive phenomena such as solar flares, pulsar wind nebulae, and jets from active galactic nuclei. Laboratory experiments can play an important role in the study of the detailed microphysics of magnetic reconnection and the dominant particle acceleration mechanisms. We have used two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations to study particle acceleration in high Lundquist number reconnection regimes associated with laser-driven plasma experiments. For current experimental conditions, we show that nonthermal electrons can be accelerated to energies more than an order ofmore » magnitude larger than the initial thermal energy. The nonthermal electrons gain their energy mainly from the reconnection electric field near the X points, and particle injection into the reconnection layer and escape from the finite system establish a distribution of energies that resembles a power-law spectrum. Energetic electrons can also become trapped inside the plasmoids that form in the current layer and gain additional energy from the electric field arising from the motion of the plasmoid. We compare simulations for finite and infinite periodic systems to demonstrate the importance of particle escape on the shape of the spectrum. Based on our findings, we provide an analytical estimate of the maximum electron energy and threshold condition for observing suprathermal electron acceleration in terms of experimentally tunable parameters. We also discuss experimental signatures, including the angular distribution of the accelerated particles, and construct synthetic detector spectra. Finally, these results open the way for novel experimental studies of particle acceleration induced by reconnection.« less

Laser driven plasmas based incoherent x-ray sources at PALS and ELI Beamlines (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlová, Michaela

2017-05-01

We will present data on a various X-ray production schemes from laser driven plasmas at the PALS Research Center and discuss the plan for the ELI Beamlines project. One of the approaches, how to generate ultrashort pulses of incoherent X-ray radiation, is based on interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with solid or liquid targets. So-called K-alpha source depending on used targets emits in hard X-ray region from micrometric source size. The source exhibits sufficient spatial coherence to observe phase contrast. Detailed characterization of various sources including the x-ray spectrum and the x-ray average yield along with phase contrast images of test objects will be presented. Other method, known as laser wakefield electron acceleration (LWFA), can produce up to GeV electron beams emitting radiation in collimated beam with a femtosecnond pulse duration. This approach was theoretically and experimentally examined at the PALS Center. The parameters of the PALS Ti:S laser interaction were studied by extensive particle-in-cell simulations with radiation post-processors in order to evaluate the capabilities of our system in this field. The extensions of those methods at the ELI Beamlines facility will enable to generate either higher X-ray energies or higher repetition rate. The architecture of such sources and their considered applications will be proposed.

Ion acceleration in electrostatic collisionless shock: on the optimal density profile for quasi-monoenergetic beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boella, E.; Fiúza, F.; Novo, A. Stockem

Here, a numerical study on ion acceleration in electrostatic shock waves is presented, with the aim of determining the best plasma configuration to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams in laser-driven systems. It was recently shown that tailored near-critical density plasmas characterized by a long-scale decreasing rear density profile lead to beams with low energy spread (Fiúza et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 215001). In this work, a detailed parameter scan investigating different plasma scale lengths is carried out. As result, the optimal plasma spatial scale length that allows for minimizing the energy spread while ensuring a significant reflection of ionsmore » by the shock is identified. Furthermore, a new configuration where the required profile has been obtained by coupling micro layers of different densities is proposed. Lastly, results show that this new engineered approach is a valid alternative, guaranteeing a low energy spread with a higher level of controllability.« less

Ion acceleration in electrostatic collisionless shock: on the optimal density profile for quasi-monoenergetic beams

DOE PAGES

Boella, E.; Fiúza, F.; Novo, A. Stockem; ...

2018-02-01

Here, a numerical study on ion acceleration in electrostatic shock waves is presented, with the aim of determining the best plasma configuration to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams in laser-driven systems. It was recently shown that tailored near-critical density plasmas characterized by a long-scale decreasing rear density profile lead to beams with low energy spread (Fiúza et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 215001). In this work, a detailed parameter scan investigating different plasma scale lengths is carried out. As result, the optimal plasma spatial scale length that allows for minimizing the energy spread while ensuring a significant reflection of ionsmore » by the shock is identified. Furthermore, a new configuration where the required profile has been obtained by coupling micro layers of different densities is proposed. Lastly, results show that this new engineered approach is a valid alternative, guaranteeing a low energy spread with a higher level of controllability.« less

Non-linear theory of a cavitated plasma wake in a plasma channel for special applications and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Johannes; Kostyukov, Igor Yu.; Pronold, Jari; Golovanov, Anton; Pukhov, Alexander

2016-05-01

We introduce a complete semi-analytical model for a cavitated electron wake driven by an electron beam in a radially inhomogeneous plasma. The electron response to the driver, dynamics of electrons in a thin sheath surrounding the cavity, as well as accelerating and focusing fields inside the cavity are calculated in the quasistatic approximation. Our theory holds for arbitrary radial density profiles and reduces to known models in the limit of a homogeneous plasma. A free-propagating blow-out in an evacuated channel experiences longitudinal squeezing, qualitatively the same as observed in particle-in-cell simulations for the laser pulse-driven case [Pukhov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 245003 (2014)]. Our model also permits qualitative interpretation of the earlier observed cancellation of the focusing gradient in the cavity [Pukhov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 245003 (2014)]. In this work, we show the underlying mechanism that causes the radial fields in the vacuum part of a channel to become defocussing.

Expansion of Non-Quasi-Neutral Limited Plasmas Driven by Two-Temperature Electron Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Masakatsu; Honrubia, Javier

2017-10-01

Fast heating of an isolated solid mass, under irradiation of ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulse, to averaged temperatures of order of keV is theoretically studied. Achievable maximum ion temperatures are determined as a consequence of the interplay of the electron-to-ion energy deposition and nonrelativistic plasma expansion, where fast ion emission plays an important role in the energy balance. To describe the plasma expansion, we develop a self-similar solution, in which the plasma is composed of three fluids, i.e., ions and two-temperature electrons. Under the condition of isothermal electron expansion in cylindrical geometry, such a fluid system, self-consistently incorporated with the Poisson equation, is fully solved. The charge separation and resultant accelerated ion population due to the induced electrostatic field are quantitatively presented. The analytical model is compared with two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to provide practical working windows for the target and laser parameters for the fast heating.

Current-driven plasma acceleration versus current-driven energy dissipation. I - Wave stability theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, A. J.; Jahn, R. G.; Choueiri, E. Y.

1990-01-01

The dominant unstable electrostatic wave modes of an electromagnetically accelerated plasma are investigated. The study is the first part of a three-phase program aimed at characterizing the current-driven turbulent dissipation degrading the efficiency of Lorentz force plasma accelerators such as the MPD thruster. The analysis uses a kinetic theory that includes magnetic and thermal effects as well as those of an electron current transverse to the magnetic field and collisions, thus combining all the features of previous models. Analytical and numerical solutions allow a detailed description of threshold criteria, finite growth behavior, destabilization mechanisms and maximized-growth characteristics of the dominant unstable modes. The lower hybrid current-driven instability is implicated as dominant and was found to preserve its character in the collisional plasma regime.

Transmutation prospect of long-lived nuclear waste induced by high-charge electron beam from laser plasma accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X. L.; Xu, Z. Y.; Luo, W.; Lu, H. Y.; Zhu, Z. C.; Yan, X. Q.

2017-09-01

Photo-transmutation of long-lived nuclear waste induced by a high-charge relativistic electron beam (e-beam) from a laser plasma accelerator is demonstrated. A collimated relativistic e-beam with a high charge of approximately 100 nC is produced from high-intensity laser interaction with near-critical-density (NCD) plasma. Such e-beam impinges on a high-Z convertor and then radiates energetic bremsstrahlung photons with flux approaching 1011 per laser shot. Taking a long-lived radionuclide 126Sn as an example, the resulting transmutation reaction yield is the order of 109 per laser shot, which is two orders of magnitude higher than obtained from previous studies. It is found that at lower densities, a tightly focused laser irradiating relatively longer NCD plasmas can effectively enhance the transmutation efficiency. Furthermore, the photo-transmutation is generalized by considering mixed-nuclide waste samples, which suggests that the laser-accelerated high-charge e-beam could be an efficient tool to transmute long-lived nuclear waste.

Multistage Coupling of Laser-Wakefield Accelerators with Curved Plasma Channel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luo, J.; Chen, M.; Wu, W. Y.

Multistage coupling of laser-wakefield accelerators is essential to overcome laser energy depletion for high-energy applications such as TeV level electron-positron colliders. Current staging schemes feed subsequent laser pulses into stages using plasma mirrors, while controlling electron beam focusing with plasma lenses. Here a more compact and efficient scheme is proposed to realize simultaneous coupling of the electron beam and the laser pulse into a second stage. Furthermore, a curved channel with transition segment is used to guide a fresh laser pulse into a subsequent straight channel, while allowing the electrons to propagate in a straight channel. This scheme then benefitsmore » from a shorter coupling distance and continuous guiding of the electrons in plasma, while suppressing transverse beam dispersion. Within moderate laser parameters, particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the electron beam from a previous stage can be efficiently injected into a subsequent stage for further acceleration, while maintaining high capture efficiency, stability, and beam quality.« less

Multistage Coupling of Laser-Wakefield Accelerators with Curved Plasma Channel

DOE PAGES

Luo, J.; Chen, M.; Wu, W. Y.; ...

2018-04-10

Multistage coupling of laser-wakefield accelerators is essential to overcome laser energy depletion for high-energy applications such as TeV level electron-positron colliders. Current staging schemes feed subsequent laser pulses into stages using plasma mirrors, while controlling electron beam focusing with plasma lenses. Here a more compact and efficient scheme is proposed to realize simultaneous coupling of the electron beam and the laser pulse into a second stage. Furthermore, a curved channel with transition segment is used to guide a fresh laser pulse into a subsequent straight channel, while allowing the electrons to propagate in a straight channel. This scheme then benefitsmore » from a shorter coupling distance and continuous guiding of the electrons in plasma, while suppressing transverse beam dispersion. Within moderate laser parameters, particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the electron beam from a previous stage can be efficiently injected into a subsequent stage for further acceleration, while maintaining high capture efficiency, stability, and beam quality.« less

Laser dynamics in transversely inhomogeneous plasma and its relevance to wakefield acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, V. B.; Vieira, J.; Silva, L. O.; Nam, Chang Hee

2018-05-01

We present full set of coupled equations describing the weakly relativistic dynamics of a laser in a plasma with transverse inhomogeneity. We apply variational principle approach to obtain these coupled equations governing laser spot-size, transverse wavenumber, curvature, transverse centroid, etc. We observe that such plasma inhomogeneity can lead to stronger self-focusing. We further discuss the guiding conditions of laser in parabolic plasma channels. With the help of multi-dimensional particle in cell simulations the study is extended to the blowout regime of laser wakefield acceleration to show laser as well as self-injected electron bunch steering in plasma to generate unconventional particle trajectories. Our simulation results demonstrate that such transverse inhomogeneities due to asymmetric self focusing lead to asymmetric bubble excitation, thus inducing off-axis self-injection.

Simulation Studies of the Dielectric Grating as an Accelerating and Focusing Structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soong, Ken; Peralta, E.A.; Byer, R.L.

A grating-based design is a promising candidate for a laser-driven dielectric accelerator. Through simulations, we show the merits of a readily fabricated grating structure as an accelerating component. Additionally, we show that with a small design perturbation, the accelerating component can be converted into a focusing structure. The understanding of these two components is critical in the successful development of any complete accelerator. The concept of accelerating electrons with the tremendous electric fields found in lasers has been proposed for decades. However, until recently the realization of such an accelerator was not technologically feasible. Recent advances in the semiconductor industry,more » as well as advances in laser technology, have now made laser-driven dielectric accelerators imminent. The grating-based accelerator is one proposed design for a dielectric laser-driven accelerator. This design, which was introduced by Plettner, consists of a pair of opposing transparent binary gratings, illustrated in Fig. 1. The teeth of the gratings serve as a phase mask, ensuring a phase synchronicity between the electromagnetic field and the moving particles. The current grating accelerator design has the drive laser incident perpendicular to the substrate, which poses a laser-structure alignment complication. The next iteration of grating structure fabrication seeks to monolithically create an array of grating structures by etching the grating's vacuum channel into a fused silica wafer. With this method it is possible to have the drive laser confined to the plane of the wafer, thus ensuring alignment of the laser-and-structure, the two grating halves, and subsequent accelerator components. There has been previous work using 2-dimensional finite difference time domain (2D-FDTD) calculations to evaluate the performance of the grating accelerator structure. However, this work approximates the grating as an infinite structure and does not accurately model a realizable structure. In this paper, we will present a 3-dimensional frequency-domain simulation of both the infinite and the finite grating accelerator structure. Additionally, we will present a new scheme for a focusing structure based on a perturbation of the accelerating structure. We will present simulations of this proposed focusing structure and quantify the quality of the focusing fields.« less

Double-pulse THz radiation bursts from laser-plasma acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bosch, R. A.

2006-11-15

A model is presented for coherent THz radiation produced when an electron bunch undergoes laser-plasma acceleration and then exits axially from a plasma column. Radiation produced when the bunch is accelerated is superimposed with transition radiation from the bunch exiting the plasma. Computations give a double-pulse burst of radiation comparable to recent observations. The duration of each pulse very nearly equals the electron bunch length, while the time separation between pulses is proportional to the distance between the points where the bunch is accelerated and where it exits the plasma. The relative magnitude of the two pulses depends upon bymore » the radius of the plasma column. Thus, the radiation bursts may be useful in diagnosing the electron bunch length, the location of the bunch's acceleration, and the plasma radius.« less

Formation and dynamics of a plasma in superstrong laser fields including radiative and quantum electrodynamics effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artemenko, I. I.; Golovanov, A. A.; Kostyukov, I. Yu.; Kukushkina, T. M.; Lebedev, V. S.; Nerush, E. N.; Samsonov, A. S.; Serebryakov, D. A.

2016-12-01

Studies of phenomena accompanying the interaction of superstrong electromagnetic fields with matter, in particular, the generation of an electron-positron plasma, acceleration of electrons and ions, and the generation of hard electromagnetic radiation are briefly reviewed. The possibility of using thin films to initiate quantum electrodynamics cascades in the field of converging laser pulses is analyzed. A model is developed to describe the formation of a plasma cavity behind a laser pulse in the transversely inhomogeneous plasma and the generation of betatron radiation by electrons accelerated in this cavity. Features of the generation of gamma radiation, as well as the effect of quantum electrodynamics effects on the acceleration of ions, at the interaction of intense laser pulses with solid targets are studied.

Efficient modeling of laser-plasma accelerator staging experiments using INF&RNO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, C.; Schroeder, C. B.; Geddes, C. G. R.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.

2017-03-01

The computational framework INF&RNO (INtegrated Fluid & paRticle simulatioN cOde) allows for fast and accurate modeling, in 2D cylindrical geometry, of several aspects of laser-plasma accelerator physics. In this paper, we present some of the new features of the code, including the quasistatic Particle-In-Cell (PIC)/fluid modality, and describe using different computational grids and time steps for the laser envelope and the plasma wake. These and other features allow for a speedup of several orders of magnitude compared to standard full 3D PIC simulations while still retaining physical fidelity. INF&RNO is used to support the experimental activity at the BELLA Center, and we will present an example of the application of the code to the laser-plasma accelerator staging experiment.

Kinetic and finite ion mass effects on the transition to relativistic self-induced transparency in laser-driven ion acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siminos, E.; Grech, M.; Svedung Wettervik, B.; Fülöp, T.

2017-12-01

We study kinetic effects responsible for the transition to relativistic self-induced transparency in the interaction of a circularly-polarized laser-pulse with an overdense plasma and their relation to hole-boring (HB) and ion acceleration. It is demonstrated using particle-in-cell simulations and an analysis of separatrices in single-electron phase-space, that ion motion can suppress fast electron escape to the vacuum, which would otherwise lead to transition to the relativistic transparency regime. A simple analytical estimate shows that for large laser pulse amplitude a 0 the time scale over which ion motion becomes important is much shorter than usually anticipated. As a result of enhanced ion mobility, the threshold density above which HB occurs decreases with the charge-to-mass ratio. Moreover, the transition threshold is seen to depend on the laser temporal profile, due to the effect that the latter has on electron heating. Finally, we report a new regime in which a transition from relativistic transparency to HB occurs dynamically during the course of the interaction. It is shown that, for a fixed laser intensity, this dynamic transition regime allows optimal ion acceleration in terms of both energy and energy spread.

A Stable High-Energy Electron Source from Laser Wakefield Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ping; Zhao, Baozhen; Liu, Cheng; Yan, Wenchao; Golovin, Grigory; Banerjee, Sudeep; Chen, Shouyuan; Haden, Daniel; Fruhling, Colton; Umstadter, Donald

2016-10-01

The stability of the electron source from laser wake-field acceleration (LWFA) is essential for applications, such as novel x-ray sources and fundamental experiments in high field physics. To obtain such a stable source, we used an optimal laser pulse and a novel gas nozzle. The high-power laser pulse on target was focused to a diffraction-limited spot by the use of adaptive wavefront correction and the pulse duration was transform limited by the use of spectral feedback control. An innovative design for the nozzle led to a stable, flat-top profile with diameters of 4 mm and 8 mm with a high Mach-number ( 6). In experiments to generate high-energy electron beams by LWFA, we were able to obtain reproducible results with beam energy of 800 MeV and charge >10 pC. Higher charge but broader energy spectrum resulted when the plasma density was increased. These developments have resulted in a laser-driven wakefield accelerator that is stable and robust. With this device, we show that narrowband high-energy x-rays beams can be generated by the inverse-Compton scattering process. This accelerator has also been used in recent experiments to study nonlinear effects in the interaction of high-energy electron beams with ultraintense laser pulses. This material is based upon work supported by NSF No. PHY-153700; US DOE, Office of Science, BES, # DE-FG02-05ER15663; AFOSR # FA9550-11-1-0157; and DHS DNDO # HSHQDC-13-C-B0036.

Laser-induced rocket force on a microparticle in a complex (dusty) plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nosenko, V.; Ivlev, A. V.; Morfill, G. E.

2010-12-15

The interaction of a focused powerful laser beam with micron-sized melamine formaldehyde (MF) particles was studied experimentally. The microspheres had a thin palladium coating on their surface and were suspended in a radio frequency argon plasma as a single layer (plasma crystal). A particle hit by the laser beam usually accelerated in the direction of the laser beam, consistent with the radiation pressure force mechanism. However, random-direction acceleration up to the speeds on the order 1 m/s was sometimes observed. Rocket-force mechanism is proposed to account for the random-direction acceleration. Similar, but much less pronounced, effect was also observed formore » MF particles without palladium coating.« less

Attosecond electron bunches from a nanofiber driven by Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulses.

PubMed

Hu, Li-Xiang; Yu, Tong-Pu; Sheng, Zheng-Ming; Vieira, Jorge; Zou, De-Bin; Yin, Yan; McKenna, Paul; Shao, Fu-Qiu

2018-05-08

Generation of attosecond bunches of energetic electrons offers significant potential from ultrafast physics to novel radiation sources. However, it is still a great challenge to stably produce such electron beams with lasers, since the typical subfemtosecond electron bunches from laser-plasma interactions either carry low beam charge, or propagate for only several tens of femtoseconds. Here we propose an all-optical scheme for generating dense attosecond electron bunches via the interaction of an intense Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) laser pulse with a nanofiber. The dense bunch train results from the unique field structure of a circularly polarized LG laser pulse, enabling each bunch to be phase-locked and accelerated forward with low divergence, high beam charge and large beam-angular-momentum. This paves the way for wide applications in various fields, e.g., ultrabrilliant attosecond x/γ-ray emission.

ICPP: Relativistic Plasma Physics with Ultra-Short High-Intensity Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer-Ter-Vehn, Juergen

2000-10-01

Recent progress in generating ultra-short high-intensity laser pulses has opened a new branch of relativistic plasma physics, which is discussed in this talk in terms of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. These pulses create small plasma volumes of high-density plasma with plasma fields above 10^12 V/m and 10^8 Gauss. At intensities beyond 10^18 W/cm^2, now available from table-top systems, they drive relativistic electron currents in self-focussing plasma channels. These currents are close to the Alfven limit and allow to study relativistic current filamentation. A most remarkable feature is the generation of well collimated relativistic electron beams emerging from the channels with energies up to GeV. In dense matter they trigger cascades of gamma-rays, e^+e^- pairs, and a host of nuclear and particle processes. One of the applications may be fast ignition of compressed inertial fusion targets. Above 10^23 W/cm^2, expected to be achieved in the future, solid-density matter becomes relativistically transparent for optical light, and the acceleration of protons to multi-GeV energies is predicted in plasma layers less than 1 mm thick. These results open completely new perspectives for plasma-based accelerator schemes. Three-dimensional PIC simulations turn out to be the superior tool to explore the relativistic plasma kinetics at such intensities. Results obtained with the VLPL code [1] are presented. Different mechanisms of particle acceleration are discussed. Both laser wakefield and direct laser acceleration in plasma channels (by a mechanism similar to inverse free electron lasers) have been identified. The latter describes recent MPQ experimental results. [1] A. Pukhov, J. Plasma Physics 61, 425 - 433 (1999): Three-dimensional electromagnetic relativistic particle-in-cell code VLPL (Virtual Laser Plasma Laboratory).

Physics through the 1990s: Plasmas and fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The volume contains recommendations for programs in, and government support of, plasma and fluid physics. Four broad areas are covered: the physics of fluids, general plasma physics, fusion, and space and astrophysical plasmas. In the first section, the accomplishments of fluid physics and a detailed review of its sub-fields, such as combustion, non-Newtonian fluids, turbulence, aerodynamics, and geophysical fluid dynamics, are described. The general plasma physics section deals with the wide scope of the theoretical concepts involved in plasma research, and with the machines; intense beam systems, collective and laser-driven accelerators, and the associated diagnostics. The section on the fusion plasma research program examines confinement and heating systems, such as Tokamaks, magnetic mirrors, and inertial-confinement systems, and several others. Finally, theory and experiment in space and astrophysical plasma research is detailed, ranging from the laboratory to the solar system and beyond. A glossary is included.

Dominance of hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration regime with thin ribbon of ionized solid hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Psikal, J.; Matys, M.

2018-04-01

Laser-driven proton acceleration from novel cryogenic hydrogen target of the thickness of tens of microns irradiated by multiPW laser pulse is investigated here for relevant laser parameters accessible in near future. It is demonstrated that the efficiency of proton acceleration from relatively thick hydrogen solid ribbon largely exceeds the acceleration efficiency for a thinner ionized plastic foil, which can be explained by enhanced hole boring (HB) driven by laser ponderomotive force in the case of light ions and lower target density. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of laser pulse interaction with relatively thick hydrogen target show larger energies of protons accelerated in the target interior during the HB phase and reduced energies of protons accelerated from the rear side of the target by quasistatic electric field compared with the results obtained from two-dimensional PIC calculations. Linearly and circularly polarized multiPW laser pulses of duration exceeding 100 fs show similar performance in terms of proton acceleration from both the target interior as well as from the rear side of the target. When ultrashort pulse (∼30 fs) is assumed, the number of accelerated protons from the target interior is substantially reduced.

Experimental Study of Proton Acceleration from Ultra Intense Laser Matter Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paudel, Yadab Kumar

This dissertation describes proton and ion acceleration measurements from high intensity (˜ 1019 Wcm-2) laser interactions with thin foil targets. Protons and ions accelerated from the back surface of a target driven by a high intensity laser are detected using solid-state nuclear track detector CR39. A simple digital imaging technique, with an adjustable halogen light source shined on CR39 and use of a digital camera with suitable f-number and exposure time, is used to detect particles tracks. This new technique improves the quality 2D image with vivid track patterns in CR39. Our technique allows us to quickly record and sort CR39 pieces for further analysis. This is followed by detailed quantitative information on the protons and ions. Protons and multicharged ions generated from high-intensity laser interactions with thin foil targets have been studied with a 100 TW laser system. Protons/ions with energies up to 10 MeV are accelerated either from the front or the rear surface of the target material. We have observed for the first time a self-radiograph of the target with a glass stalk holding the target itself in the stacked radiochromic films (RCF) placed behind the target. The self-radiography indicates that the fast ions accelerated backward, in a direction opposite to the laser propagation, are turning around in strong magnetic fields. This unique result is a signature of long-living (ns time scale) magnetic fields in the expanding plasma, which are important in energy transport during the intense laser irradiation and have never been considered in the previous studies. The magnetic fields induced by the main pulse near the absorption point expand rapidly with the backward accelerated protons in the pre-formed plasma. The protons are rotated by these magnetic fields and they are recorded in the RCF, making the self-radiography. Angular profiles of protons and multicharged ions accelerated from the target rear surface have been studied with the subpicosecond laser pulse produced by the 100 TW laser system. The protons/ions beam features recorded on CR39 show the hollow beam structure at the center of the beam pattern. This hollow structure in the proton/ion beam pattern associates to the electron transport inside the solid target, which affects the target's rear-surface emission or the electrostatic profile on the target rear-surface. The proton/ion beam filamentation has been seen clearly outside the hollow beam pattern in the CR39 images processed by the new digital imaging technique.

Relativistically induced transparency acceleration of light ions by an ultrashort laser pulse interacting with a heavy-ion-plasma density gradient.

PubMed

Sahai, Aakash A; Tsung, Frank S; Tableman, Adam R; Mori, Warren B; Katsouleas, Thomas C

2013-10-01

The relativistically induced transparency acceleration (RITA) scheme of proton and ion acceleration using laser-plasma interactions is introduced, modeled, and compared to the existing schemes. Protons are accelerated with femtosecond relativistic pulses to produce quasimonoenergetic bunches with controllable peak energy. The RITA scheme works by a relativistic laser inducing transparency [Akhiezer and Polovin, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz 30, 915 (1956); Kaw and Dawson, Phys. Fluids 13, 472 (1970); Max and Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 1342 (1971)] to densities higher than the cold-electron critical density, while the background heavy ions are stationary. The rising laser pulse creates a traveling acceleration structure at the relativistic critical density by ponderomotively [Lindl and Kaw, Phys. Fluids 14, 371 (1971); Silva et al., Phys. Rev. E 59, 2273 (1999)] driving a local electron density inflation, creating an electron snowplow and a co-propagating electrostatic potential. The snowplow advances with a velocity determined by the rate of the rise of the laser's intensity envelope and the heavy-ion-plasma density gradient scale length. The rising laser is incrementally rendered transparent to higher densities such that the relativistic-electron plasma frequency is resonant with the laser frequency. In the snowplow frame, trace density protons reflect off the electrostatic potential and get snowplowed, while the heavier background ions are relatively unperturbed. Quasimonoenergetic bunches of velocity equal to twice the snowplow velocity can be obtained and tuned by controlling the snowplow velocity using laser-plasma parameters. An analytical model for the proton energy as a function of laser intensity, rise time, and plasma density gradient is developed and compared to 1D and 2D PIC OSIRIS [Fonseca et al., Lect. Note Comput. Sci. 2331, 342 (2002)] simulations. We model the acceleration of protons to GeV energies with tens-of-femtoseconds laser pulses of a few petawatts. The scaling of proton energy with laser power compares favorably to other mechanisms for ultrashort pulses [Schreiber et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 045005 (2006); Esirkepov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 175003 (2004); Silva et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 015002 (2004); Fiuza et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 215001 (2012)].

Accurate modeling of plasma acceleration with arbitrary order pseudo-spectral particle-in-cell methods

DOE PAGES

Jalas, S.; Dornmair, I.; Lehe, R.; ...

2017-03-20

Particle in Cell (PIC) simulations are a widely used tool for the investigation of both laser- and beam-driven plasma acceleration. It is a known issue that the beam quality can be artificially degraded by numerical Cherenkov radiation (NCR) resulting primarily from an incorrectly modeled dispersion relation. Pseudo-spectral solvers featuring infinite order stencils can strongly reduce NCR - or even suppress it - and are therefore well suited to correctly model the beam properties. For efficient parallelization of the PIC algorithm, however, localized solvers are inevitable. Arbitrary order pseudo-spectral methods provide this needed locality. Yet, these methods can again be pronemore » to NCR. Here in this paper, we show that acceptably low solver orders are sufficient to correctly model the physics of interest, while allowing for parallel computation by domain decomposition.« less

Electron acceleration in combined intense laser fields and self-consistent quasistatic fields in plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Bin; He, X. T.; Zhu, Shao-ping; Zheng, C. Y.

2005-08-01

The acceleration of plasma electron in intense laser-plasma interaction is investigated analytically and numerically, where the conjunct effect of laser fields and self-consistent spontaneous fields (including quasistatic electric field Esl, azimuthal quasistatic magnetic field Bsθ and the axial one Bsz) is completely considered for the first time. An analytical relativistic electron fluid model using test-particle method has been developed to give an explicit analysis about the effects of each quasistatic fields. The ponderomotive accelerating and scattering effects on electrons are partly offset by Esl, furthermore, Bsθ pinches and Bsz collimates electrons along the laser axis. The dependences of energy gain and scattering angle of electron on its initial radial position, plasma density, and laser intensity are, respectively, studied. The qualities of the relativistic electron beam (REB), such as energy spread, beam divergence, and emitting (scattering) angle, generated by both circularly polarized (CP) and linearly polarized (LP) lasers are studied. Results show CP laser is of clear advantage comparing to LP laser for it can generate a better REB in collimation and stabilization.

Plasmon-driven acceleration in a photo-excited nanotube

DOE PAGES

Shin, Young -Min

2017-02-21

A plasmon-assisted channeling acceleration can be realized with a large channel, possibly at the nanometer scale. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the most typical example of nano-channels that can confine a large number of channeled particles in a photon-plasmon coupling condition. This paper presents a theoretical and numerical study on the concept of high-field charge acceleration driven by photo-excited Luttinger-liquid plasmons in a nanotube. An analytic description of the plasmon-assisted laser acceleration is detailed with practical acceleration parameters, in particular, with the specifications of a typical tabletop femtosecond laser system. Lastly, the maximally achievable acceleration gradients and energy gains within dephasingmore » lengths and CNT lengths are discussed with respect to laser-incident angles and CNT-filling ratios.« less

Time of Flight based diagnostics for high energy laser driven ion beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scuderi, V.; Milluzzo, G.; Alejo, A.; Amico, A. G.; Booth, N.; Cirrone, G. A. P.; Doria, D.; Green, J.; Kar, S.; Larosa, G.; Leanza, R.; Margarone, D.; McKenna, P.; Padda, H.; Petringa, G.; Pipek, J.; Romagnani, L.; Romano, F.; Schillaci, F.; Borghesi, M.; Cuttone, G.; Korn, G.

2017-03-01

Nowadays the innovative high power laser-based ion acceleration technique is one of the most interesting challenges in particle acceleration field, showing attractive characteristics for future multidisciplinary applications, including medical ones. Nevertheless, peculiarities of optically accelerated ion beams make mandatory the development of proper transport, selection and diagnostics devices in order to deliver stable and controlled ion beams for multidisciplinary applications. This is the main purpose of the ELIMAIA (ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser-Ion Acceleration) beamline that will be realized and installed within 2018 at the ELI-Beamlines research center in the Czech Republic, where laser driven high energy ions, up to 60 MeV/n, will be available for users. In particular, a crucial role will be played by the on-line diagnostics system, recently developed in collaboration with INFN-LNS (Italy), consisting of TOF detectors, placed along the beamline (at different detection distances) to provide online monitoring of key characteristics of delivered beams, such as energy, fluence and ion species. In this contribution an overview on the ELIMAIA available ion diagnostics will be briefly given along with the preliminary results obtained during a test performed with high energy laser-driven proton beams accelerated at the VULCAN PW-laser available at RAL facility (U.K.).

Analysis of radial and longitudinal field of plasma wakefield generated by a Laguerre-Gauss laser pulse

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Firouzjaei, Ali Shekari; Shokri, Babak

In the present paper, we study the wakes known as the donut wake which is generated by Laguerre-Gauss (LG) laser pulses. Effects of the special spatial profile of a LG pulse on the radial and longitudinal wakefields are presented via an analytical model in a weakly non-linear regime in two dimensions. Different aspects of the donut-shaped wakefields have been analyzed and compared with Gaussian-driven wakes. There is also some discussion about the accelerating-focusing phase of the donut wake. Variations of longitudinal and radial wakes with laser amplitude, pulse length, and pulse spot size have been presented and discussed. Finally, wemore » present the optimum pulse duration for such wakes.« less

An Optical Trap for Relativistic Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ping

2002-11-01

Optical traps have achieved remarkable success recently in confining ultra-cold matter.Traps capable of confining ultra-hot matter, or plasma, have also been built for applications such as basic plasma research and thermonuclear fusion. For instance, low-density plasmas with temperature less than 1 keV have been confined with static magnetic fields in Malmberg-Penning traps. Low-density 10-50 keV plasmas are confined in magnetic mirrors and tokamaks. High density plasmas have been trapped in optical traps with kinetic energies up to 10 keV [J. L. Chaloupka and D. D. Meyerhofer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4538 (1999)]. We present the results of experiment, theory and numerical simulation on an optical trap capable of confining relativistic plasma. A stationary interference grating with submicron spacing is created when two high-power (terawatt) laser pulses of equal wavelength (1-micron) are focused from orthogonal directions to the same point in space and time in high density underdense plasma. Light pressure gradients bunch electrons into sheets located at the minima of the interference pattern. The density of the bunched electrons is found to be up to ten times the background density, which is orders-of-magnitude above that previously reported for other optical traps or plasma waves. The amplitudes and frequencies of multiple satellites in the scattered spectrum also indicate the presence of a highly nonlinear ion wave and an electron temperature about 100 keV. Energy transfer from the stronger beam to the weaker beam is also observed. Potential applications include a test-bed for detailed studies of relativistic nonlinear scattering, a positron source and an electrostatic wiggler. This research is also relevant to fast igniter fusion or ion acceleration experiments, in which laser pulses with intensities comparable to those used in the experiment may also potentially beat [Y. Sentoku, et al., Appl. Phys. B 74, 207215 (2002)]. The details of a specific application, the injection of electrons into laser-driven plasma waves, will also be presented. With crossed beams, the energy of a laser-accelerated electron beam is increased and its emittance is decreased compared with a single beam, potentially paving the way towards an all-optical monoenergetic electron injector.

Ultra-low emittance electron beam generation using ionization injection in a plasma beatwave accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, Carl; Benedetti, Carlo; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2017-10-01

Ultra-low emittance beams can be generated using ionization injection of electrons into a wakefield excited by a plasma beatwave accelerator. This all-optical method of electron beam generation uses three laser pulses of different colors. Two long-wavelength laser pulses, with frequency difference equal to the plasma frequency, resonantly drive a plasma wave without fully ionizing a gas. A short-wavelength injection laser pulse (with a small ponderomotive force and large peak electric field), co-propagating and delayed with respect to the beating long-wavelength lasers, ionizes a fraction of the remaining bound electrons at a trapped wake phase, generating an electron beam that is accelerated in the wakefield. Using the beating of long-wavelength pulses to generate the wakefield enables atomically-bound electrons to remain at low ionization potentials, reducing the required amplitude of the ionization pulse, and, hence, the initial transverse momentum and emittance of the injected electrons. An example is presented using two lines of a CO2 laser to form a plasma beatwave accelerator to drive the wake and a frequency-doubled Ti:Al2O3 laser for ionization injection. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Frequency chirping for resonance-enhanced electron energy during laser acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gupta, D.N.; Suk, H.

2006-04-15

The model given by Singh-Tripathi [Phys. Plasmas 11, 743 (2004)] for laser electron acceleration in a magnetic wiggler is revisited by including the effect of laser frequency chirping. Laser frequency chirp helps to maintain the resonance condition longer, which increases the electron energy gain. A significant enhancement in electron energy gain during laser acceleration is observed.

Experimental observation of attosecond control over relativistic electron bunches with two-colour fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yeung, M.; Rykovanov, S.; Bierbach, J.

2016-12-05

Energy coupling during relativistically intense laser–matter interactions is encoded in the attosecond motion of strongly driven electrons at the pre-formed plasma–vacuum boundary. Studying and controlling this motion can reveal details about the microscopic processes that govern a vast array of light–matter interaction phenomena, including those at the forefront of extreme laser–plasma science such as laser-driven ion acceleration, bright attosecond pulse generation and efficient energy coupling for the generation and study of warm dense matter. Here in this paper, we experimentally demonstrate that by precisely adjusting the relative phase of an additional laser beam operating at the second harmonic of themore » driving laser it is possible to control the trajectories of relativistic electron bunches formed during the interaction with a solid target at the attosecond scale. Finally, we observe significant enhancements in the resulting high-harmonic yield, suggesting potential applications for sources of ultra-bright, extreme ultraviolet attosecond radiation to be used in atomic and molecular pump–probe experiments« less

Hollow screw-like drill in plasma using an intense Laguerre-Gaussian laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenpeng; Shen, Baifei; Zhang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Lingang; Shi, Yin; Xu, Zhizhan

2015-02-01

With the development of ultra-intense laser technology, MeV ions can be obtained from laser-foil interactions in the laboratory. These energetic ion beams can be applied in fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, medical therapy, and proton imaging. However, these ions are mainly accelerated in the laser propagation direction. Ion acceleration in an azimuthal orientation was scarcely studied. In this research, a doughnut Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) laser is used for the first time to examine laser-plasma interaction in the relativistic intensity regime in three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Studies have shown that a novel rotation of the plasma is produced from the hollow screw-like drill of an mode laser. The angular momentum of particles in the longitudinal direction produced by the LG laser is enhanced compared with that produced by the usual laser pulses, such as linearly and circularly polarized Gaussian pulses. Moreover, the particles (including electrons and ions) can be trapped and uniformly compressed in the dark central minimum of the doughnut LG pulse. The hollow-structured LG laser has potential applications in the generation of x-rays with orbital angular momentum, plasma accelerators, fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, and pulsars in the astrophysical environment.

Hollow screw-like drill in plasma using an intense Laguerre-Gaussian laser.

PubMed

Wang, Wenpeng; Shen, Baifei; Zhang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Lingang; Shi, Yin; Xu, Zhizhan

2015-02-05

With the development of ultra-intense laser technology, MeV ions can be obtained from laser-foil interactions in the laboratory. These energetic ion beams can be applied in fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, medical therapy, and proton imaging. However, these ions are mainly accelerated in the laser propagation direction. Ion acceleration in an azimuthal orientation was scarcely studied. In this research, a doughnut Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) laser is used for the first time to examine laser-plasma interaction in the relativistic intensity regime in three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Studies have shown that a novel rotation of the plasma is produced from the hollow screw-like drill of an mode laser. The angular momentum of particles in the longitudinal direction produced by the LG laser is enhanced compared with that produced by the usual laser pulses, such as linearly and circularly polarized Gaussian pulses. Moreover, the particles (including electrons and ions) can be trapped and uniformly compressed in the dark central minimum of the doughnut LG pulse. The hollow-structured LG laser has potential applications in the generation of x-rays with orbital angular momentum, plasma accelerators, fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, and pulsars in the astrophysical environment.

On-shot characterization of single plasma mirror temporal contrast improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obst, L.; Metzkes-Ng, J.; Bock, S.; Cochran, G. E.; Cowan, T. E.; Oksenhendler, T.; Poole, P. L.; Prencipe, I.; Rehwald, M.; Rödel, C.; Schlenvoigt, H.-P.; Schramm, U.; Schumacher, D. W.; Ziegler, T.; Zeil, K.

2018-05-01

We report on the setup and commissioning of a compact recollimating single plasma mirror (PM) for temporal contrast enhancement at the Draco 150 TW laser during laser-proton acceleration experiments. The temporal contrast with and without PM is characterized single-shot by means of self-referenced spectral interferometry with extended time excursion at unprecedented dynamic and temporal range. This allows for the first single-shot measurement of the PM trigger point, which is interesting for the quantitative investigation of the complex pre-plasma formation process at the surface of the target used for proton acceleration. As a demonstration of high contrast laser plasma interaction we present proton acceleration results with ultra-thin liquid crystal targets of ∼ 1 μm down to 10 nm thickness. Focus scans of different target thicknesses show that highest proton energies are reached for the thinnest targets at best focus. This indicates that the contrast enhancement is effective such that the acceleration process is not limited by target pre-expansion induced by laser light preceding the main laser pulse.

Novel target design for enhanced laser driven proton acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalui, Malay; Kundu, M.; Tata, Sheroy; Lad, Amit D.; Jha, J.; Ray, Krishanu; Krishnamurthy, M.

2017-09-01

We demonstrate a simple method of preparing structured target for enhanced laser-driven proton acceleration under target-normal-sheath-acceleration scheme. A few layers of genetically modified, clinically grown micron sized E. Coli bacteria cell coated on a thin metal foil has resulted in an increase in the maximum proton energy by about 1.5 times and the total proton yield is enhanced by approximately 25 times compared to an unstructured reference foil at a laser intensity of 1019 W/cm2. Particle-in-cell simulations on the system shows that the structures on the target-foil facilitates anharmonic resonance, contributing to enhanced hot electron production which leads to stronger accelerating field. The effect is observed to grow as the number of structures is increased in the focal area of the laser pulse.

The LILIA (laser induced light ions acceleration) experiment at LNF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agosteo, S.; Anania, M. P.; Caresana, M.; Cirrone, G. A. P.; De Martinis, C.; Delle Side, D.; Fazzi, A.; Gatti, G.; Giove, D.; Giulietti, D.; Gizzi, L. A.; Labate, L.; Londrillo, P.; Maggiore, M.; Nassisi, V.; Sinigardi, S.; Tramontana, A.; Schillaci, F.; Scuderi, V.; Turchetti, G.; Varoli, V.; Velardi, L.

2014-07-01

Laser-matter interaction at relativistic intensities opens up new research fields in the particle acceleration and related secondary sources, with immediate applications in medical diagnostics, biophysics, material science, inertial confinement fusion, up to laboratory astrophysics. In particular laser-driven ion acceleration is very promising for hadron therapy once the ion energy will attain a few hundred MeV. The limited value of the energy up to now obtained for the accelerated ions is the drawback of such innovative technique to the real applications. LILIA (laser induced light ions acceleration) is an experiment now running at LNF (Frascati) with the goal of producing a real proton beam able to be driven for significant distances (50-75 cm) away from the interaction point and which will act as a source for further accelerating structure. In this paper the description of the experimental setup, the preliminary results of solid target irradiation and start to end simulation for a post-accelerated beam up to 60 MeV are given.

High-efficiency acceleration in the laser wakefield by a linearly increasing plasma density

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, Kegong; Wu, Yuchi; Zhu, Bin

The acceleration length and the peak energy of the electron beam are limited by the dephasing effect in the laser wakefield acceleration with uniform plasma density. Based on 2D-3V particle in cell simulations, the effects of a linearly increasing plasma density on the electron acceleration are investigated broadly. Comparing with the uniform plasma density, because of the prolongation of the acceleration length and the gradually increasing accelerating field due to the increasing plasma density, the electron beam energy is twice higher in moderate nonlinear wakefield regime. Because of the lower plasma density, the linearly increasing plasma density can also avoidmore » the dark current caused by additional injection. At the optimal acceleration length, the electron energy can be increased from 350 MeV (uniform) to 760 MeV (linearly increasing) with the energy spread of 1.8%, the beam duration is 5 fs and the beam waist is 1.25 μm. This linearly increasing plasma density distribution can be achieved by a capillary with special gas-filled structure, and is much more suitable for experiment.« less

Enhanced proton acceleration in an applied longitudinal magnetic field

DOE PAGES

Arefiev, A.; Toncian, T.; Fiksel, G.

2016-10-31

Using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we examine how an externally applied strong magnetic field impacts proton acceleration in laser-irradiated solid-density targets. We find that a kT-level external magnetic field can sufficiently inhibit transverse transport of hot electrons in a flat laser-irradiated target. While the electron heating by the laser remains mostly unaffected, the reduced electron transport during proton acceleration leads to an enhancement of maximum proton energies and the overall number of energetic protons. The resulting proton beam is much better collimated compared to a beam generated without applying a kT-level magnetic field. A factor of three enhancement of the lasermore » energy conversion efficiency into multi-MeV protons is another effect of the magnetic field. The required kT-level magnetic fields are becoming feasible due to a significant progress that has been made in generating magnetic fields with laser-driven coils using ns-long laser pulses. The possibility of improving characteristics of laser-driven proton beams using such fields is a strong motivation for further development of laser-driven magnetic field capabilities.« less

Enhanced proton acceleration in an applied longitudinal magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arefiev, A.; Toncian, T.; Fiksel, G.

Using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we examine how an externally applied strong magnetic field impacts proton acceleration in laser-irradiated solid-density targets. We find that a kT-level external magnetic field can sufficiently inhibit transverse transport of hot electrons in a flat laser-irradiated target. While the electron heating by the laser remains mostly unaffected, the reduced electron transport during proton acceleration leads to an enhancement of maximum proton energies and the overall number of energetic protons. The resulting proton beam is much better collimated compared to a beam generated without applying a kT-level magnetic field. A factor of three enhancement of the lasermore » energy conversion efficiency into multi-MeV protons is another effect of the magnetic field. The required kT-level magnetic fields are becoming feasible due to a significant progress that has been made in generating magnetic fields with laser-driven coils using ns-long laser pulses. The possibility of improving characteristics of laser-driven proton beams using such fields is a strong motivation for further development of laser-driven magnetic field capabilities.« less

Three electron beams from a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator and the energy apportioning question

PubMed Central

Yang, X.; Brunetti, E.; Gil, D. Reboredo; Welsh, G. H.; Li, F. Y.; Cipiccia, S.; Ersfeld, B.; Grant, D. W.; Grant, P. A.; Islam, M. R.; Tooley, M. P.; Vieux, G.; Wiggins, S. M.; Sheng, Z. M.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

2017-01-01

Laser-wakefield accelerators are compact devices capable of delivering ultra-short electron bunches with pC-level charge and MeV-GeV energy by exploiting the ultra-high electric fields arising from the interaction of intense laser pulses with plasma. We show experimentally and through numerical simulations that a high-energy electron beam is produced simultaneously with two stable lower-energy beams that are ejected in oblique and counter-propagating directions, typically carrying off 5–10% of the initial laser energy. A MeV, 10s nC oblique beam is ejected in a 30°–60° hollow cone, which is filled with more energetic electrons determined by the injection dynamics. A nC-level, 100s keV backward-directed beam is mainly produced at the leading edge of the plasma column. We discuss the apportioning of absorbed laser energy amongst the three beams. Knowledge of the distribution of laser energy and electron beam charge, which determine the overall efficiency, is important for various applications of laser-wakefield accelerators, including the development of staged high-energy accelerators. PMID:28281679

Controlled Electron Injection into Plasma Accelerators and SpaceCharge Estimates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fubiani, Gwenael G.J.

2005-09-01

Plasma based accelerators are capable of producing electron sources which are ultra-compact (a few microns) and high energies (up to hundreds of MeVs) in much shorter distances than conventional accelerators. This is due to the large longitudinal electric field that can be excited without the limitation of breakdown as in RF structures.The characteristic scale length of the accelerating field is the plasma wavelength and for typical densities ranging from 10 18 - 10 19 cm -3, the accelerating fields and scale length can hence be on the order of 10-100GV/m and 10-40 μm, respectively. The production of quasimonoenergetic beams wasmore » recently obtained in a regime relying on self-trapping of background plasma electrons, using a single laser pulse for wakefield generation. In this dissertation, we study the controlled injection via the beating of two lasers (the pump laser pulse creating the plasma wave and a second beam being propagated in opposite direction) which induce a localized injection of background plasma electrons. The aim of this dissertation is to describe in detail the physics of optical injection using two lasers, the characteristics of the electron beams produced (the micrometer scale plasma wavelength can result in femtosecond and even attosecond bunches) as well as a concise estimate of the effects of space charge on the dynamics of an ultra-dense electron bunch with a large energy spread.« less

Enhanced target normal sheath acceleration based on the laser relativistic self-focusing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, D. B.; Zhuo, H. B.; Yang, X. H.; Shao, F. Q.; Ma, Y. Y.; Yu, T. P.; Wu, H. C.; Yin, Y.; Ge, Z. Y.; Li, X. H.

2014-06-01

The enhanced target normal sheath acceleration of ions in laser target interaction via the laser relativistic self-focusing effect is investigated by theoretical analysis and particle-in-cell simulations. The temperature of the hot electrons in the underdense plasma is greatly increased due to the occurrence of resonant absorption, while the electron-betatron-oscillation frequency is close to its witnessed laser frequency [Pukhov et al., Phys. Plasma 6, 2847 (1999)]. While these hot electrons penetrate through the backside solid target, a stronger sheath electric field at the rear surface of the target is induced, which can accelerate the protons to a higher energy. It is also shown that the optimum length of the underdense plasma is approximately equal to the self-focusing distance.

Indirect ignition of energetic materials with laser-driven flyer plates.

PubMed

Dean, Steven W; De Lucia, Frank C; Gottfried, Jennifer L

2017-01-20

The impact of laser-driven flyer plates on energetic materials CL-20, PETN, and TATB has been investigated. Flyer plates composed of 25 μm thick Al were impacted into the energetic materials at velocities up to 1.3 km/s. The flyer plates were accelerated by means of an Nd:YAG laser pulse. The laser pulse generates rapidly expanding plasma between the flyer plate foil and the substrate to which it is adhered. As the plasma grows, a section of the metal foil is ejected at high speed, forming the flyer plate. The velocity of the flyer plate was determined using VISAR, time of flight, and high-speed video. The response of the energetic material to impact was determined by light emission recorded by an infrared-sensitive photodiode. Following post-impact analysis of the impacted energetic material, it was hypothesized that the light emitted by the material after impact is not due to the impact of the flyer itself but rather is caused by the decomposition of energetic material ejected (via the shock of flyer plate impact) into a cloud of hot products generated during the launch of the flyer plate. This hypothesis was confirmed through schlieren imaging of a flyer plate launch, clearly showing the ejection of hot gases and particles from the region surrounding the flyer plate launch and the burning of the ejected energetic material particles.

Relativistically Induced Transparency Acceleration (RITA) - laser-plasma accelerated quasi-monoenergetic GeV ion-beams with existing lasers?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, Aakash A.

2013-10-01

Laser-plasma ion accelerators have the potential to produce beams with unprecedented characteristics of ultra-short bunch lengths (100s of fs) and high bunch-charge (1010 particles) over acceleration length of about 100 microns. However, creating and controlling mono-energetic bunches while accelerating to high-energies has been a challenge. If high-energy mono-energetic beams can be demonstrated with minimal post-processing, laser (ω0)-plasma (ωpe) ion accelerators may be used in a wide-range of applications such as cancer hadron-therapy, medical isotope production, neutron generation, radiography and high-energy density science. Here we demonstrate using analysis and simulations that using relativistic intensity laser-pulses and heavy-ion (Mi ×me) targets doped with a proton (or light-ion) species (mp ×me) of trace density (at least an order of magnitude below the cold critical density) we can scale up the energy of quasi-mono-energetically accelerated proton (or light-ion) beams while controlling their energy, charge and energy spectrum. This is achieved by controlling the laser propagation into an overdense (ω0 <ωpeγ = 1) increasing plasma density gradient by incrementally inducing relativistic electron quiver and thereby rendering them transparent to the laser while the heavy-ions are immobile. Ions do not directly interact with ultra-short laser that is much shorter in duration than their characteristic time-scale (τp <<√{mp} /ω0 <<√{Mi} /ω0). For a rising laser intensity envelope, increasing relativistic quiver controls laser propagation beyond the cold critical density. For increasing plasma density (ωpe2 (x)), laser penetrates into higher density and is shielded, stopped and reflected where ωpe2 (x) / γ (x , t) =ω02 . In addition to the laser quivering the electrons, it also ponderomotively drives (Fp 1/γ∇za2) them forward longitudinally, creating a constriction of snowplowed e-s. The resulting longitudinal e--displacement from laser's push is controlled by the electrostatic space-charge pull by the immobile background ions. In the rest-frame of the laser, the electrostatic-potential that the ions create to balance the ponderomotive force on e-s, scales as the effective vector potential, aplasma . This potential hill, due to snowplowed e-s, co-propagating with the rising laser can reflect protons and light-ions (Relativistically Induced Transparency Acceleration, RITA). Desired proton or light-ion energies can be achieved by controlling the velocity of the snowplow, which is shown to scale inversely with the rise-time of the laser (higher energies for shorter pulses) and directly with the scale-length of the plasma density gradient. Similar acceleration can be produced by controlling the increase of the laser frequency (Chirp Induced Transparency Acceleration, ChITA). Work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF- PHY-0936278. Also, NSF-PHY-0936266 and NSF-PHY-0903039; the US Department of Energy under DEFC02-07ER41500, DE- FG02-92ER40727 and DE-FG52-09NA29552.

Free electron lasers driven by linear induction accelerators: High power radiation sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orzechowski, T. J.

1989-01-01

The technology of Free Electron Lasers (FELs) and linear induction accelerators (LIAs) is addressed by outlining the following topics: fundamentals of FELs; basic concepts of linear induction accelerators; the Electron Laser Facility (a microwave FEL); PALADIN (an infrared FEL); magnetic switching; IMP; and future directions (relativistic klystrons). This presentation is represented by viewgraphs only.

Influence of Ionization and Beam Quality on Interaction of TW-Peak CO2 Laser with Hydrogen Plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Samulyak, Roman

3D numerical simulations of the interaction of a powerful CO2 laser with hydrogen jets demonstrating the role of ionization and laser beam quality are presented. Simulations are performed in support of the plasma wakefield accelerator experiments being conducted at the BNL Accelerator Test Facility (ATF). The CO2 laser at BNL ATF has several potential advantages for laser wakefield acceleration compared to widely used solid-state lasers. SPACE, a parallel relativistic Particle-in-Cell code, developed at SBU and BNL, has been used in these studies. A novelty of the code is its set of efficient atomic physics algorithms that compute ionization and recombinationmore » rates on the grid and transfer them to particles. The primary goal of the initial BNL experiments was to characterize the plasma density by measuring the sidebands in the spectrum of the probe laser. Simulations, that resolve hydrogen ionization and laser spectra, help explain several trends that were observed in the experiments.« less

Direct acceleration of electrons by a CO2 laser in a curved plasma waveguide

PubMed Central

Yi, Longqing; Pukhov, Alexander; Shen, Baifei

2016-01-01

Laser plasma interaction with micro-engineered targets at relativistic intensities has been greatly promoted by recent progress in the high contrast lasers and the manufacture of advanced micro- and nano-structures. This opens new possibilities for the physics of laser-matter interaction. Here we propose a novel approach that leverages the advantages of high-pressure CO2 laser, laser-waveguide interaction, as well as micro-engineered plasma structure to accelerate electrons to peak energy greater than 1 GeV with narrow slice energy spread (~1%) and high overall efficiency. The acceleration gradient is 26 GV/m for a 1.3 TW CO2 laser system. The micro-bunching of a long electron beam leads to the generation of a chain of ultrashort electron bunches with the duration roughly equal to half-laser-cycle. These results open a way for developing a compact and economic electron source for diverse applications. PMID:27320197

Relativistic Acceleration of Electrons Injected by a Plasma Mirror into a Radially Polarized Laser Beam.

PubMed

Zaïm, N; Thévenet, M; Lifschitz, A; Faure, J

2017-09-01

We propose a method to generate femtosecond, relativistic, and high-charge electron bunches using few-cycle and tightly focused radially polarized laser pulses. In this scheme, the incident laser pulse reflects off an overdense plasma that injects electrons into the reflected pulse. Particle-in-cell simulations show that the plasma injects electrons ideally, resulting in a dramatic increase of charge and energy of the accelerated electron bunch in comparison to previous methods. This method can be used to generate femtosecond pC bunches with energies in the 1-10 MeV range using realistic laser parameters corresponding to current kHz laser systems.

Plasma Radiation and Acceleration Effectiveness of CME-driven Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopalswamy, N.; Schmidt, J. M.

2008-05-01

CME-driven shocks are effective radio radiation generators and accelerators for Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). We present simulated 3 D time-dependent radio maps of second order plasma radiation generated by CME- driven shocks. The CME with its shock is simulated with the 3 D BATS-R-US CME model developed at the University of Michigan. The radiation is simulated using a kinetic plasma model that includes shock drift acceleration of electrons and stochastic growth theory of Langmuir waves. We find that in a realistic 3 D environment of magnetic field and solar wind outflow of the Sun the CME-driven shock shows a detailed spatial structure of the density, which is responsible for the fine structure of type II radio bursts. We also show realistic 3 D reconstructions of the magnetic cloud field of the CME, which is accelerated outward by magnetic buoyancy forces in the diverging magnetic field of the Sun. The CME-driven shock is reconstructed by tomography using the maximum jump in the gradient of the entropy. In the vicinity of the shock we determine the Alfven speed of the plasma. This speed profile controls how steep the shock can grow and how stable the shock remains while propagating away from the Sun. Only a steep shock can provide for an effective particle acceleration.

Plasma radiation and acceleration effectiveness of CME-driven shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Joachim

CME-driven shocks are effective radio radiation generators and accelerators for Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). We present simulated 3 D time-dependent radio maps of second order plasma radiation generated by CME-driven shocks. The CME with its shock is simulated with the 3 D BATS-R-US CME model developed at the University of Michigan. The radiation is simulated using a kinetic plasma model that includes shock drift acceleration of electrons and stochastic growth theory of Langmuir waves. We find that in a realistic 3 D environment of magnetic field and solar wind outflow of the Sun the CME-driven shock shows a detailed spatial structure of the density, which is responsible for the fine structure of type II radio bursts. We also show realistic 3 D reconstructions of the magnetic cloud field of the CME, which is accelerated outward by magnetic buoyancy forces in the diverging magnetic field of the Sun. The CME-driven shock is reconstructed by tomography using the maximum jump in the gradient of the entropy. In the vicinity of the shock we determine the Alfven speed of the plasma. This speed profile controls how steep the shock can grow and how stable the shock remains while propagating away from the Sun. Only a steep shock can provide for an effective particle acceleration.

Essay: Robert H. Siemann As Leader of the Advanced Accelerator Research Department

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colby, Eric R.; Hogan, Mark J.; /SLAC

Robert H. Siemann originally conceived of the Advanced Accelerator Research Department (AARD) as an academic, experimental group dedicated to probing the technical limitations of accelerators while providing excellent educational opportunities for young scientists. The early years of the Accelerator Research Department B, as it was then known, were dedicated to a wealth of mostly student-led experiments to examine the promise of advanced accelerator techniques. High-gradient techniques including millimeter-wave rf acceleration, beam-driven plasma acceleration, and direct laser acceleration were pursued, including tests of materials under rf pulsed heating and short-pulse laser radiation, to establish the ultimate limitations on gradient. As themore » department and program grew, so did the motivation to found an accelerator research center that brought experimentalists together in a test facility environment to conduct a broad range of experiments. The Final Focus Test Beam and later the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator provided unique experimental facilities for AARD staff and collaborators to carry out advanced accelerator experiments. Throughout the evolution of this dynamic program, Bob maintained a department atmosphere and culture more reminiscent of a university research group than a national laboratory department. His exceptional ability to balance multiple roles as scientist, professor, and administrator enabled the creation and preservation of an environment that fostered technical innovation and scholarship.« less

Plasma block acceleration based upon the interaction between double targets and an ultra-intense linearly polarized laser pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yanxia; Wang, Jiaxiang; Hora, Heinrich; Qi, Xin; Xing, Yifan; Yang, Lei; Zhu, Wenjun

2018-04-01

A new scheme of plasma block acceleration based upon the interaction between double targets and an ultra-intense linearly polarized laser pulse with intensity I ˜ 1022 W/cm2 is investigated via two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The targets are composed of a pre-target of low-density aluminium plasma and an overdense main-target of hydrogen plasma. Through intensive parameter optimization, we have observed highly efficient plasma block accelerations with a monochromatic proton beam peaked at GeVs. The underlying mechanism is attributed to the enhancement of the charge separation field due to the properly selected pre-target.

Efficient quasi-monoenergetic ion beams up to 18 MeV/nucleon via self-generated plasma fields in relativistic laser plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palaniyappan, Sasi; Huang, Chengkun; Gautier, Donald; Hamilton, Christopher; Santiago, Miguel; Kreuzer, Christian; Shah, Rahul; Fernandez, Juan; Los Alamos National Laboratory Team; Ludwig-Maximilian-University Team

2015-11-01

Table-top laser-plasma ion accelerators seldom achieve narrow energy spreads, and never without serious compromises in efficiency, particle yield, etc. Using massive computer simulations, we identify a self-organizing scheme that exploits persisting self-generated plasma electric (~ TV/m) and magnetic (~ 104 Tesla) fields to reduce the ion energy spread after the laser exits the plasma - separating the ion acceleration from the energy spread reduction. Consistent with the scheme, we experimentally demonstrate aluminum and carbon ion beams with narrow spectral peaks at energies up to 310 MeV (11.5 MeV/nucleon) and 220 MeV (18.3 MeV/nucleon), respectively, with high conversion efficiency (~ 5%, i.e., 4J out of 80J laser). This is achieved with 0.12 PW high-contrast Gaussian laser pulses irradiating planar foils with optimal thicknesses of up to 250 nm that scale with laser intensity. When increasing the focused laser intensity fourfold (by reducing the focusing optic f/number twofold), the spectral-peak energy increases twofold. These results pave the way for next generation compact accelerators suitable for applications. For example, 400 MeV (33.3 MeV/nucleon) carbon-ion beam with narrow energy spread required for ion fast ignition could be generated using PW-class lasers.

Progress Toward Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in a High-Energy-Density Plasma on the Nike Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, E. C.; Drake, R. P.; Aglitskiy, Y.; Dwarkadas, V. V.; Gillespie, R. S.; Grosskopf, M. J.; Huntington, C. M.; Gjeci, N.; Campbell, D. A.; Marion, D. C.

2007-11-01

In the realm of high-energy-density (HED) plasmas, there exist three primary hydrodynamic instabilities: Rayleigh-Taylor (RT), Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM), and Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH). Although the RT and the RM instabilities have been observed in the laboratory, no experiment to our knowledge has cleanly diagnosed the KH instability. While the RT instability results from the acceleration of a more dense fluid into a less dense fluid and the RM instability is due to shock deposited vorticity onto an interface, the KH instability is driven by a lifting force generated by velocity shear at a perturbed fluid interface. Understanding the KH instability mechanism in HED plasmas will provide essential insight into detailed RT-spike development, mass stripping, many astrophysical processes, as well as laying the groundwork for future transition to turbulence experiments. We present 2D simulations and data from our initial attempts to create a pure KH system using the Nike laser at the Naval Research Laboratory.

Quasi-static modeling of beam-plasma and laser-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chengkun

Plasma wave wakefields excited by either laser or particle beams can sustain acceleration gradients three orders of magnitude larger than conventional RF accelerators. They are promising for accelerating particles in short distances for applications such as future high-energy colliders, and medical and industrial accelerators. In a Plasma Wakefield Accelerator (PWFA) or a Laser Wakefield Accelerator (LWFA), an intense particle or laser beam drives a plasma wave and generates a strong wakefield which has a phase velocity equal to the velocity of the driver. This wakefield can then be used to accelerate part of the drive beam or a separate trailing beam. The interaction between the plasma and the driver is highly nonlinear and therefore a particle description is required for computer modeling. A highly efficient, fully parallelized, fully relativistic, three-dimensional particle-in-cell code called QuickPIC for simulating plasma and laser wakefield acceleration has been developed. The model is based on the quasi-static or frozen field approximation, which assumes that the drive beam and/or the laser does not evolve during the time it takes for it to pass a plasma particle. The electromagnetic fields of the plasma wake and its associated index of refraction are then used to evolve the driver using very large time steps. This algorithm reduces the computational time by at least 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. Comparison between the new algorithm and a fully explicit model (OSIRIS) are presented. The agreement is excellent for problems of interest. Direction for future work is also discussed. QuickPIC has been used to study the "afterburner" concept. In this concept a fraction of an existing high-energy beam is separated out and used as a trailing beam with the goal that the trailing beam acquires at least twice the energy of the drive beam. Several critical issues such as the efficient transfer of energy and the stable propagation of both the drive and trailing beams in the plasma are investigated. We have simulated a 100 GeV and a 1 TeV plasma "afterburner" stages for electron beams and the results are presented. QuickPIC also has enabled us to develop a new theory for understanding the hosing instability of the drive and trailing beams. The new theory is based on a perturbation to the ion column boundary which includes relativistic effects, axial motion and the full electromagnetic character of the wake. The new theory is verified by comparing it to the simulation results. In the adiabatic long beam limit it recovers the result of previous work from fluid models.

Particle-in-cell simulations of electron energization in laser-driven magnetic reconnection

DOE PAGES

Lu, San; Lu, Quanming; Guo, Fan; ...

2016-01-25

Electrons can be energized during laser-driven magnetic reconnection, and the energized electrons form three super-Alfvénic electron jets in the outflow region (Lu et al 2014 New J. Phys. 16 083021). In this paper, by performing two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we find that the electrons can also be significantly energized before magnetic reconnection occurs. When two plasma bubbles with toroidal magnetic fields expand and squeeze each other, the electrons in the magnetic ribbons are energized through betatron acceleration due to the enhancement of the magnetic field, and an electron temperature anisotropymore » $${T}_{{\\rm{e}}\\perp }\\gt {T}_{{\\rm{e}}| | }$$ develops. Meanwhile, some electrons are trapped and bounced repeatedly between the two expanding/approaching bubbles and get energized through a Fermi-like process. Furthermore, the energization before magnetic reconnection is more significant (or important) than that during magnetic reconnection.« less

Laser-plasma-based Space Radiation Reproduction in the Laboratory

PubMed Central

Hidding, B.; Karger, O.; Königstein, T.; Pretzler, G.; Manahan, G. G.; McKenna, P.; Gray, R.; Wilson, R.; Wiggins, S. M.; Welsh, G. H.; Beaton, A.; Delinikolas, P.; Jaroszynski, D. A.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Karmakar, A.; Ferlet-Cavrois, V.; Costantino, A.; Muschitiello, M.; Daly, E.

2017-01-01

Space radiation is a great danger to electronics and astronauts onboard space vessels. The spectral flux of space electrons, protons and ions for example in the radiation belts is inherently broadband, but this is a feature hard to mimic with conventional radiation sources. Using laser-plasma-accelerators, we reproduced relativistic, broadband radiation belt flux in the laboratory, and used this man-made space radiation to test the radiation hardness of space electronics. Such close mimicking of space radiation in the lab builds on the inherent ability of laser-plasma-accelerators to directly produce broadband Maxwellian-type particle flux, akin to conditions in space. In combination with the established sources, utilisation of the growing number of ever more potent laser-plasma-accelerator facilities worldwide as complementary space radiation sources can help alleviate the shortage of available beamtime and may allow for development of advanced test procedures, paving the way towards higher reliability of space missions. PMID:28176862

Fiber optic mounted laser driven flyer plates

DOEpatents

Paisley, Dennis L.

1991-01-01

A laser driven flyer plate where the flyer plate is deposited directly onto the squared end of an optical fiber. The plasma generated by a laser pulse drives the flyer plate toward a target. In another embodiment, a first metal layer is deposited onto the squared end of an optical fiber, followed by a layer of a dielectric material and a second metal layer. The laser pulse generates a plasma in the first metal layer, but the plasma is kept away from the second metal layer by the dielectric layer until the pressure reaches the point where shearing occurs.

EFFECTS OF LASER RADIATION ON MATTER. LASER PLASMA: Low-threshold generation of harmonics and hard x radiation in a laser plasma. 1. Single-peak generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apollonov, V. V.; Derzhavin, S. I.; Kazakov, K. Kh

1993-02-01

A source of hard x radiation based on a laser plasma has been studied under conditions such that parametric instabilities are driven in the plasma at low intensities of the pump radiation (below 10 GW/cm2). A qualitative interpretation of the observed effects is offered.

Laser ignition of an experimental combustion chamber with a multi-injector configuration at low pressure conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Börner, Michael; Manfletti, Chiara; Kroupa, Gerhard; Oschwald, Michael

2017-09-01

In search of reliable and light-weight ignition systems for re-ignitable upper stage engines, a laser ignition system was adapted and tested on an experimental combustion chamber for propellant injection into low combustion chamber pressures at 50-80 mbar. The injector head pattern consisted of five coaxial injector elements. Both, laser-ablation-driven ignition and laser-plasma-driven ignition were tested for the propellant combination liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen. The 122 test runs demonstrated the reliability of the ignition system for different ignition configurations and negligible degradation due to testing. For the laser-plasma-driven scheme, minimum laser pulse energies needed for 100% ignition probability were found to decrease when increasing the distance of the ignition location from the injector faceplate with a minimum of 2.6 mJ. For laser-ablation-driven ignition, the minimum pulse energy was found to be independent of the ablation material tested and was about 1.7 mJ. The ignition process was characterized using both high-speed Schlieren and OH* emission diagnostics. Based on these findings and on the increased fiber-based pulse transport capabilities recently published, new ignition system configurations for space propulsion systems relying on fiber-based pulse delivery are formulated. If the laser ignition system delivers enough pulse energy, the laser-plasma-driven configuration represents the more versatile configuration. If the laser ignition pulse power is limited, the application of laser-ablation-driven ignition is an option to realize ignition, but implies restrictions concerning the location of ignition.

Laser beam coupling with capillary discharge plasma for laser wakefield acceleration applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagdasarov, G. A.; Sasorov, P. V.; Gasilov, V. A.; Boldarev, A. S.; Olkhovskaya, O. G.; Benedetti, C.; Bulanov, S. S.; Gonsalves, A.; Mao, H.-S.; Schroeder, C. B.; van Tilborg, J.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.; Levato, T.; Margarone, D.; Korn, G.

2017-08-01

One of the most robust methods, demonstrated to date, of accelerating electron beams by laser-plasma sources is the utilization of plasma channels generated by the capillary discharges. Although the spatial structure of the installation is simple in principle, there may be some important effects caused by the open ends of the capillary, by the supplying channels etc., which require a detailed 3D modeling of the processes. In the present work, such simulations are performed using the code MARPLE. First, the process of capillary filling with cold hydrogen before the discharge is fired, through the side supply channels is simulated. Second, the simulation of the capillary discharge is performed with the goal to obtain a time-dependent spatial distribution of the electron density near the open ends of the capillary as well as inside the capillary. Finally, to evaluate the effectiveness of the beam coupling with the channeling plasma wave guide and of the electron acceleration, modeling of the laser-plasma interaction was performed with the code INF&RNO.

Optically controlled laser-plasma electron accelerator for compact gamma-ray sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalmykov, S. Y.; Davoine, X.; Ghebregziabher, I.; Shadwick, B. A.

2018-02-01

Generating quasi-monochromatic, femtosecond γ-ray pulses via Thomson scattering (TS) demands exceptional electron beam (e-beam) quality, such as percent-scale energy spread and five-dimensional brightness over 1016 A m-2. We show that near-GeV e-beams with these metrics can be accelerated in a cavity of electron density, driven with an incoherent stack of Joule-scale laser pulses through a mm-size, dense plasma (n 0 ˜ 1019 cm-3). Changing the time delay, frequency difference, and energy ratio of the stack components controls the e-beam phase space on the femtosecond scale, while the modest energy of the optical driver helps afford kHz-scale repetition rate at manageable average power. Blue-shifting one stack component by a considerable fraction of the carrier frequency makes the stack immune to self-compression. This, in turn, minimizes uncontrolled variation in the cavity shape, suppressing continuous injection of ambient plasma electrons, preserving a single, ultra-bright electron bunch. In addition, weak focusing of the trailing component of the stack induces periodic injection, generating, in a single shot, a train of bunches with controllable energy spacing and femtosecond synchronization. These designer e-beams, inaccessible to conventional acceleration methods, generate, via TS, gigawatt γ-ray pulses (or multi-color pulse trains) with the mean energy in the range of interest for nuclear photonics (4-16 MeV), containing over 106 photons within a microsteradian-scale observation cone.

Front surface structured targets for enhancing laser-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, Joseph; George, Kevin; Ji, Liangliang; Yalamanchili, Sasir; Simonoff, Ethan; Cochran, Ginevra; Daskalova, Rebecca; Poole, Patrick; Willis, Christopher; Lewis, Nathan; Schumacher, Douglass

2016-10-01

We present recent progress made using front surface structured interfaces for enhancing ultrashort, relativistic laser-plasma interactions. Structured targets can increase laser absorption and enhance ion acceleration through a number of mechanisms such as direct laser acceleration and laser guiding. We detail experimental results obtained at the Scarlet laser facility on hollow, micron-scale plasma channels for enhancing electron acceleration. These targets show a greater than three times enhancement in the electron cutoff energy as well as an increased slope temperature for the electron distribution when compared to a flat interface. Using three-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we have modeled the interaction to give insight into the physical processes responsible for the enhancement. Furthermore, we have used PIC simulations to design structures that are more advantageous for ion acceleration. Such targets necessitate advanced target fabrication methods and we describe techniques used to manufacture optimized structures, including vapor-liquid-solid growth, cryogenic etching, and 3D printing using two-photon-polymerization. This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Award Number FA9550-14-1-0085.

High-energy coherent terahertz radiation emitted by wide-angle electron beams from a laser-wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xue; Brunetti, Enrico; Jaroszynski, Dino A.

2018-04-01

High-charge electron beams produced by laser-wakefield accelerators are potentially novel, scalable sources of high-power terahertz radiation suitable for applications requiring high-intensity fields. When an intense laser pulse propagates in underdense plasma, it can generate femtosecond duration, self-injected picocoulomb electron bunches that accelerate on-axis to energies from 10s of MeV to several GeV, depending on laser intensity and plasma density. The process leading to the formation of the accelerating structure also generates non-injected, sub-picosecond duration, 1–2 MeV nanocoulomb electron beams emitted obliquely into a hollow cone around the laser propagation axis. These wide-angle beams are stable and depend weakly on laser and plasma parameters. Here we perform simulations to characterise the coherent transition radiation emitted by these beams if passed through a thin metal foil, or directly at the plasma–vacuum interface, showing that coherent terahertz radiation with 10s μJ to mJ-level energy can be produced with an optical to terahertz conversion efficiency up to 10‑4–10‑3.

3D printing of gas jet nozzles for laser-plasma accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Döpp, A.; Guillaume, E.; Thaury, C.

2016-07-15

Recent results on laser wakefield acceleration in tailored plasma channels have underlined the importance of controlling the density profile of the gas target. In particular, it was reported that the appropriate density tailoring can result in improved injection, acceleration, and collimation of laser-accelerated electron beams. To achieve such profiles, innovative target designs are required. For this purpose, we have reviewed the usage of additive layer manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, in order to produce gas jet nozzles. Notably we have compared the performance of two industry standard techniques, namely, selective laser sintering (SLS) and stereolithography (SLA). Furthermore we havemore » used the common fused deposition modeling to reproduce basic gas jet designs and used SLA and SLS for more sophisticated nozzle designs. The nozzles are characterized interferometrically and used for electron acceleration experiments with the SALLE JAUNE terawatt laser at Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée.« less

Non-linear theory of a cavitated plasma wake in a plasma channel for special applications and control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, Johannes, E-mail: thomas@tp1.uni-duesseldorf.de; Pronold, Jari; Pukhov, Alexander

2016-05-15

We introduce a complete semi-analytical model for a cavitated electron wake driven by an electron beam in a radially inhomogeneous plasma. The electron response to the driver, dynamics of electrons in a thin sheath surrounding the cavity, as well as accelerating and focusing fields inside the cavity are calculated in the quasistatic approximation. Our theory holds for arbitrary radial density profiles and reduces to known models in the limit of a homogeneous plasma. A free-propagating blow-out in an evacuated channel experiences longitudinal squeezing, qualitatively the same as observed in particle-in-cell simulations for the laser pulse-driven case [Pukhov et al., Phys.more » Rev. Lett. 113, 245003 (2014)]. Our model also permits qualitative interpretation of the earlier observed cancellation of the focusing gradient in the cavity [Pukhov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 245003 (2014)]. In this work, we show the underlying mechanism that causes the radial fields in the vacuum part of a channel to become defocussing.« less

Computational model of collisional-radiative nonequilibrium plasma in an air-driven type laser propulsion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ogino, Yousuke; Ohnishi, Naofumi

A thrust power of a gas-driven laser-propulsion system is obtained through interaction with a propellant gas heated by a laser energy. Therefore, understanding the nonequilibrium nature of laser-produced plasma is essential for increasing available thrust force and for improving energy conversion efficiency from a laser to a propellant gas. In this work, a time-dependent collisional-radiative model for air plasma has been developed to study the effects of nonequilibrium atomic and molecular processes on population densities for an air-driven type laser propulsion. Many elementary processes are considered in the number density range of 10{sup 12}/cm{sup 3}<=N<=10{sup 19}/cm{sup 3} and the temperaturemore » range of 300 K<=T<=40,000 K. We then compute the unsteady nature of pulsively heated air plasma. When the ionization relaxation time is the same order as the time scale of a heating pulse, the effects of unsteady ionization are important for estimating air plasma states. From parametric computations, we determine the appropriate conditions for the collisional-radiative steady state, local thermodynamic equilibrium, and corona equilibrium models in that density and temperature range.« less

Intense laser pulse propagation in capillary discharge plasma channels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hubbard, R. F.; Moore, C. I.; Sprangle, P.

Optical guiding of intense laser pulses is required for plasma-based accelerator concepts such as the laser wakefield accelerator. Reported experiments have successfully transported intense laser pulses in the hollow plasma column produced by a capillary discharge. The hollow plasma has an index of refraction which peaks on-axis, thus providing optical guiding which overcomes beam expansion due to diffraction. In more recent experiments at Hebrew University, 800 nm wavelength, 0.1 mJ, 100 fs pulses have been guided in {approx}300 micron radius capillaries over distances as long as 6.6 cm. Simulations of these experiments using a 2-D nonlinear laser propagation model producemore » the expected optical guiding, with the laser pulse radius r{sub L} exhibiting oscillations about the equilibrium value predicted by an analytical envelope equation model. The oscillations are damped at the front of the pulse and grow in amplitude in the back of the pulse. This growth and damping is attributed to finite pulse length effects. Simulations also show that further ionization of the discharge plasma by the laser pulse may hollow the laser pulse and introduce modulations in the spot size. This ionization-defocusing effect is expected to be significant at the high intensities required for accelerator application. Capillary discharge experiments at much higher intensities are in progress on the Naval Research Laboratory T{sup 3} laser, and preliminary results are reported.« less

High energy electron acceleration with PW-class laser system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanii, N.; Kondo, K.; Mori, Y.; Miura, E.; Yabuuchi, T.; Tsuji, K.; Suzuki, S.; Asaka, T.; Yanagida, K.; Hanaki, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Makino, K.; Yamane, T.; Miyamoto, S.; Horikawa, K.; Kimura, K.; Takeda, K.; Fukumochi, S.; Kashihara, M.; Tanimoto, T.; Nakamura, H.; Ishikura, T.; Tampo, M.; Kodama, R.; Kitagawa, Y.; Mima, K.; Tanaka, K. A.

2008-06-01

We performed electron acceleration experiment with PW-class laser and a plasma tube, which was created by imploding a hollow polystyrene cylinder. In this experiment, electron energies in excess of 600 MeV have been observed. Moreover, the spectra of a comparatively high-density plasma ˜1019 cm-3 had a bump around 10 MeV. Additionally, we performed the absolute sensitivity calibration of imaging plate for 1 GeV electrons from the injector Linac of Spring-8 in order to evaluate absolute number of GeV-class electrons in the laser acceleration experiment.

Experimental, Theoretical and Computational Studies of Plasma-Based Concepts for Future High Energy Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joshi, Chan; Mori, W.

2013-10-21

This is the final report on the DOE grant number DE-FG02-92ER40727 titled, “Experimental, Theoretical and Computational Studies of Plasma-Based Concepts for Future High Energy Accelerators.” During this grant period the UCLA program on Advanced Plasma Based Accelerators, headed by Professor C. Joshi has made many key scientific advances and trained a generation of students, many of whom have stayed in this research field and even started research programs of their own. In this final report however, we will focus on the last three years of the grant and report on the scientific progress made in each of the four tasksmore » listed under this grant. Four tasks are focused on: Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Research at FACET, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, In House Research at UCLA’s Neptune and 20 TW Laser Laboratories, Laser-Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) in Self Guided Regime: Experiments at the Callisto Laser at LLNL, and Theory and Simulations. Major scientific results have been obtained in each of the four tasks described in this report. These have led to publications in the prestigious scientific journals, graduation and continued training of high quality Ph.D. level students and have kept the U.S. at the forefront of plasma-based accelerators research field.« less

Application of laser driven fast high density plasma blocks for ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sari, Amir H.; Osman, F.; Doolan, K. R.; Ghoranneviss, M.; Hora, H.; Höpfl, R.; Benstetter, G.; Hantehzadeh, M. H.

2005-10-01

The measurement of very narrow high density plasma blocks of high ion energy from targets irradiated with ps-TW laser pulses based on a new skin depth interaction process is an ideal tool for application of ion implantation in materials, especially of silicon, GaAs, or conducting polymers, for micro-electronics as well as for low cost solar cells. A further application is for ion sources in accelerators with most specifications of many orders of magnitudes advances against classical ion sources. We report on near band gap generation of defects by implantation of ions as measured by optical absorption spectra. A further connection is given for studying the particle beam transforming of n-type semiconductors into p-type and vice versa as known from sub-threshold particle beams. The advantage consists in the use of avoiding aggressive or rare chemical materials when using the beam techniques for industrial applications.

Electron acceleration in quantum plasma with spin-up and spin-down exchange interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Punit; Singh, Shiv; Ahmad, Nafees

2018-05-01

Electron acceleration by ponderomotive force of an intense circularly polarized laser pulse in high density magnetized quantum plasma with two different spin states embedded in external static magnetic field. The basic mechanism involves electron acceleration by axial gradient in the ponderomotive potential of laser. The effects of Bohm potential, fermi pressure and intrinsic spin of electron have been taken into account. A simple solution for ponderomotive electron acceleration has been established and effect of spin polarization is analyzed.

Staging of laser-plasma accelerators

DOE PAGES

Steinke, S.; van Tilborg, J.; Benedetti, C.; ...

2016-05-02

We present results of an experiment where two laser-plasma-accelerator stages are coupled at a short distance by a plasma mirror. Stable electron beams from the first stage were used to longitudinally probe the dark-current-free, quasi-linear wakefield excited by the laser of the second stage. Changing the arrival time of the electron beam with respect to the second stage laser pulse allowed reconstruction of the temporal wakefield structure, determination of the plasma density, and inference of the length of the electron beam. The first stage electron beam could be focused by an active plasma lens to a spot size smaller thanmore » the transverse wake size at the entrance of the second stage. Furthermore, this permitted electron beam trapping, verified by a 100 MeV energy gain.« less

An analytical reconstruction model of the spread-out Bragg peak using laser-accelerated proton beams.

PubMed

Tao, Li; Zhu, Kun; Zhu, Jungao; Xu, Xiaohan; Lin, Chen; Ma, Wenjun; Lu, Haiyang; Zhao, Yanying; Lu, Yuanrong; Chen, Jia-Er; Yan, Xueqing

2017-07-07

With the development of laser technology, laser-driven proton acceleration provides a new method for proton tumor therapy. However, it has not been applied in practice because of the wide and decreasing energy spectrum of laser-accelerated proton beams. In this paper, we propose an analytical model to reconstruct the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) using laser-accelerated proton beams. Firstly, we present a modified weighting formula for protons of different energies. Secondly, a theoretical model for the reconstruction of SOBPs with laser-accelerated proton beams has been built. It can quickly calculate the number of laser shots needed for each energy interval of the laser-accelerated protons. Finally, we show the 2D reconstruction results of SOBPs for laser-accelerated proton beams and the ideal situation. The final results show that our analytical model can give an SOBP reconstruction scheme that can be used for actual tumor therapy.

Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masson-Laborde, P. E.; Mo, M. Z.; Ali, A.; Fourmaux, S.; Lassonde, P.; Kieffer, J. C.; Rozmus, W.; Teychenné, D.; Fedosejevs, R.

2014-12-01

We show through experiments that a transition from laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) regime to a plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) regime can drive electrons up to energies close to the GeV level. Initially, the acceleration mechanism is dominated by the bubble created by the laser in the nonlinear regime of LWFA, leading to an injection of a large number of electrons. After propagation beyond the depletion length, leading to a depletion of the laser pulse, whose transverse ponderomotive force is not able to sustain the bubble anymore, the high energy dense bunch of electrons propagating inside bubble will drive its own wakefield by a PWFA regime. This wakefield will be able to trap and accelerate a population of electrons up to the GeV level during this second stage. Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support this analysis and confirm the scenario.

Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masson-Laborde, P. E., E-mail: paul-edouard.masson-laborde@cea.fr; Teychenné, D.; Mo, M. Z.

2014-12-15

We show through experiments that a transition from laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) regime to a plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) regime can drive electrons up to energies close to the GeV level. Initially, the acceleration mechanism is dominated by the bubble created by the laser in the nonlinear regime of LWFA, leading to an injection of a large number of electrons. After propagation beyond the depletion length, leading to a depletion of the laser pulse, whose transverse ponderomotive force is not able to sustain the bubble anymore, the high energy dense bunch of electrons propagating inside bubble will drive its ownmore » wakefield by a PWFA regime. This wakefield will be able to trap and accelerate a population of electrons up to the GeV level during this second stage. Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support this analysis and confirm the scenario.« less

The beat in laser-accelerated ion beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnürer, M.; Andreev, A. A.; Abicht, F.; Bränzel, J.; Koschitzki, Ch.; Platonov, K. Yu.; Priebe, G.; Sandner, W.

2013-10-01

Regular modulation in the ion velocity distribution becomes detectable if intense femtosecond laser pulses with very high temporal contrast are used for target normal sheath acceleration of ions. Analytical and numerical analysis of the experimental observation associates the modulation with the half-cycle of the driving laser field period. In processes like ion acceleration, the collective and laser-frequency determined electron dynamics creates strong fields in plasma to accelerate the ions. Even the oscillatory motion of electrons and its influence on the acceleration field can dominate over smoothing effects in plasma if a high temporal contrast of the driving laser pulse is given. Acceleration parameters can be directly concluded out of the experimentally observed modulation period in ion velocity spectra. The appearance of the phenomenon at a temporal contrast of ten orders between the intensity of the pulse peak and the spontaneous amplified emission background as well as remaining intensity wings at picosecond time-scale might trigger further parameter studies with even higher contrast.

Foundations of a laser-accelerated plasma diagnostics and beam stabilization with miniaturized Rogowski coils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruenwald, J.; Kocoń, D.; Khikhlukha, D.

2018-03-01

In order to introduce spatially resolved measurements of the plasma density in a plasma accelerated by a laser, a novel concept is proposed in this work. We suggest the usage of an array of miniaturized Rogowski coils to measure the current contributions parallel to the laser beam with a spatial resolution in the sub-mm range. The principle of the experimental setup will be shown in 3-D CAD models. The coils are coaxial to the plasma channel (e.g. a hydrogen filled capillary, which is frequently used in laser-plasma acceleration experiments). This plasma diagnostics method is simple, robust and it is a passive measurement technique, which does not disturb the plasma itself. As such coils rely on a Biot-Savart inductivity, they allow to separate the contributions of the parallel from perpendicular currents (with respect to the laser beam). Rogowski coils do not have a ferromagnetic core. Hence, non-linear effects resulting from such a core are to be neglected, which increases the reliability of the obtained data. They also allow the diagnosis of transient signals that carry high currents (up to several hundred kA) on very short timescales. Within this paper some predictions about the time resolution of such coils will be presented along with simple theoretical considerations.

Radiation Generation from Ultra Intense Laser Plasma Interactions with Solid Density Plasmas for Active Interrogation of Nuclear Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulick, Calvin Andrew

The development of short pulse high power lasers has led to interest in laser based particle accelerators. Laser produced plasmas have been shown to support quasi-static TeV/m acceleration gradients which are more than four orders of magnitude stronger than conventional accelerators. These high gradients have the potential to allow compact particle accelerators for active interrogation of nuclear material. In order to better understand this application, several experiments have been conducted at the HERCULES and Lambda Cubed lasers as the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science at the University of Michigan. Electron acceleration and bremsstrahlung generation were studied on the Lambda Cubed laser. The scaling of the intensity, angular, and material dependence of bremsstrahlung radiation from an intense (I > 10 18 W/cm2 ) laser-solid interaction has been characterized at energies between 100 keV and 1 MeV. These were the first high resolution (lambda / d lambda > 100) measurements of bremsstrahlung photons from a relativistic laser plasma interaction. The electron populations and bremsstrahlung temperatures were modeled in the particle-in-cell code OSIRIS and the Monte Carlo code MCNPX and were in good agreement with the experimental results. Proton acceleration was studied on the HERCULES laser. The effect of three dimensional perturbations of electron sheaths on proton acceleration was investigated through the use of foil, grid, and wire targets. Hot electron density, as measured with an imaging Cu Kalpha crystal, increased as the target surface area was reduced and was correlated to an increase in the temperature of the accelerated proton beam. Additionally, experiments at the HERCULES laser facility have produced directional neutron beams with energies up to 16.8 (+/-0.3) MeV using (d,n) and (p,n) reactions. Efficient (d,n) reactions required the selective acceleration of deuterons through the introduction of a deuterated plastic or cryogenically frozen D2O layer on the surface of a thin film target. The measured neutron yield was up to 1.0 (+/-0.5) x 107 neutrons/sr with a flux 6.2 (+/-3.7) times higher in the forward direction than at 90 degrees . This demonstrated that femtosecond lasers are capable of providing a time averaged neutron flux equivalent to commercial DD generators with the advantage of a directional beam with picosecond bunch duration.

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration.

PubMed

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-14

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Computational study of hot electron generation and energy transport in intense laser produced hot dense matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Rohini

Present ultra high power lasers are capable of producing high energy density (HED) plasmas, in controlled way, with a density greater than solid density and at a high temperature of keV (1 keV ˜ 11,000,000° K). Matter in such extreme states is particularly interesting for (HED) physics such as laboratory studies of planetary and stellar astrophysics, laser fusion research, pulsed neutron source etc. To date however, the physics in HED plasma, especially, the energy transport, which is crucial to realize applications, has not been understood well. Intense laser produced plasmas are complex systems involving two widely distinct temperature distributions and are difficult to model by a single approach. Both kinetic and collisional process are equally important to understand an entire process of laser-solid interaction. By implementing atomic physics models, such as collision, ionization, and radiation damping, self consistently, in state-of-the-art particle-in-cell code (PICLS) has enabled to explore the physics involved in the HED plasmas. Laser absorption, hot electron transport, and isochoric heating physics in laser produced hot dense plasmas are studied with a help of PICLS simulations. In particular, a novel mode of electron acceleration, namely DC-ponderomotive acceleration, is identified in the super intense laser regime which plays an important role in the coupling of laser energy to a dense plasma. Geometric effects on hot electron transport and target heating processes are examined in the reduced mass target experiments. Further, pertinent to fast ignition, laser accelerated fast electron divergence and transport in the experiments using warm dense matter (low temperature plasma) is characterized and explained.

Note: A pulsed laser ion source for linear induction accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H.; Zhang, K.; Shen, Y.; Jiang, X.; Dong, P.; Liu, Y.; Wang, Y.; Chen, D.; Pan, H.; Wang, W.; Jiang, W.; Long, J.; Xia, L.; Shi, J.; Zhang, L.; Deng, J.

2015-01-01

We have developed a high-current laser ion source for induction accelerators. A copper target was irradiated by a frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser (266 nm) with relatively low intensities of 108 W/cm2. The laser-produced plasma supplied a large number of Cu+ ions (˜1012 ions/pulse) during several microseconds. Emission spectra of the plasma were observed and the calculated electron temperature was about 1 eV. An induction voltage adder extracted high-current ion beams over 0.5 A/cm2 from a plasma-prefilled gap. The normalized beam emittance measured by a pepper-pot method was smaller than 1 π mm mrad.

Dynamics of High Temperature Plasmas.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-10-01

25 VI. > LASER BEAT WAVE PARTICLE ACCELERATION-.. ..... .. 27 ,, VII. ORBITRON MASER DESIGN .. ..... ............. 30 0 VIIM> ELECTRON BEAM STABILITY...IN THE MODIFIED BETATRON .... ............ 32 IX. * RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON BEAM DIODE DESIGN . . . . 35 X. FREE ELECTRON LASER APPLICATION TO XUV...Accelerators (B), VI. Laser Beat Wave Particle Acceleration, VII. Orbitron Maser Design , VIII. Electron Beam Stability in the Modified Betatron, IX

Laser-driven proton acceleration with nanostructured targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallières, Simon; Morabito, Antonia; Veltri, Simona; Scisciò, Massimiliano; Barberio, Marianna; Antici, Patrizio

2017-05-01

Laser-driven particle acceleration has become a growing field of research, in particular for its numerous interesting applications. One of the most common proton acceleration mechanism that is obtained on typically available multi-hundred TW laser systems is based on the irradiation of thin solid metal foils by the intense laser, generating the proton acceleration on its rear target surface. The efficiency of this acceleration scheme strongly depends on the type of target used. Improving the acceleration mechanism, i.e. enhancing parameters such as maximum proton energy, laminarity, efficiency, monocromaticy, and number of accelerated particles, is heavily depending on the laser-to-target absorption, where obviously cheap and easy to implement targets are best candidates. In this work, we present nanostructured targets that are able to increase the absorption of light compared to what can be achieved with a classical solid (non-nanostructured) target and are produced with a method that is much simpler and cheaper than conventional lithographic processes. Several layers of gold nanoparticles were deposited on solid targets (aluminum, Mylar and multiwalled carbon nanotube buckypaper) and allow for an increased photon absorption. This ultimately permits to increase the laser-to-particle energy transfer, and thus to enhance the yield in proton production. Experimental characterization results on the nanostructured films are presented (UV-Vis spectroscopy and AFM), along with preliminary experimental proton spectra obtained at the JLF-TITAN laser facility at LLNL.

Ponderomotive ion acceleration in dense magnetized laser-irradiated thick target plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinha, Ujjwal; Kaw, Predhiman

2012-03-01

When a circularly polarized laser pulse falls on an overdense plasma, it displaces the electrons via ponderomotive force creating a double layer. The double layer constitutes of an ion and electron sheath with in which the electrostatic field present is responsible for ion acceleration. In this paper, we have analyzed the effect a static longitudinal magnetic field has over the ion acceleration mechanism. The longitudinal magnetic field changes the plasma dielectric constant due to cyclotron effects which in turn enhances or reduces the ponderomotive force exerted by the laser depending on whether the laser is left or right circularly polarized. Also, the analysis of the ion space charge region present behind the ion sheath of the laser piston that undergoes coulomb explosion has been explored for the first time. We have studied the interaction of an incoming ion beam with the laser piston and the ion space charge. It has been found that the exploding ion space charge has the ability to act as an energy amplifier for incoming ion beams.

Short-pulse, high-energy radiation generation from laser-wakefield accelerated electron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumaker, Will

2013-10-01

Recent experimental results of laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) of ~GeV electrons driven by the 200TW HERCULES and the 400TW ASTRA-GEMINI laser systems and their subsequent generation of photons, positrons, and neutrons are presented. In LWFA, high-intensity (I >1019 W /cm2), ultra-short (τL < 1 / (2 πωpe)) laser pulses drive highly nonlinear plasma waves which can trap ~ nC of electrons and accelerate them to ~GeV energies over ~cm lengths. These electron beams can then be converted by a high-Z target via bremsstrahlung into low-divergence (< 20 mrad) beams of high-energy (<600 MeV) photons and subsequently into positrons via the Bethe-Heitler process. By increasing the material thickness and Z, the resulting Ne+ /Ne- ratio can approach unity, resulting in a near neutral density plasma jet. These quasi-neutral beams are presumed to retain the short-pulse (τL < 40 fs) characteristic of the electron beam, resulting in a high peak density of ne- /e+ ~ 1016 cm-3 , making the source an excellent candidate for laboratory study of astrophysical leptonic jets. Alternatively, the electron beam can be interacted with a counter-propagating, ultra-high intensity (I >1021 W /cm2) laser pulse to undergo inverse Compton scattering and emit a high-peak brightness beam of high-energy photons. Preliminary results and experimental sensitivities of the electron-laser beam overlap are presented. The high-energy photon beams can be spectrally resolved using a forward Compton scattering spectrometer. Moreover, the photon flux can be characterized by a pixelated scintillator array and by nuclear activation and (γ,n) neutron measurements from the photons interacting with a secondary solid target. Monte-Carlo simulations were performed using FLUKA to support the yield estimates. This research was supported by DOE/NSF-PHY 0810979, NSF CAREER 1054164, DARPA AXiS N66001-11-1-4208, SF/DNDO F021166, and the Leverhulme Trust ECF-2011-383.

Investigation of Singly Ionized Iodine Spectroscopy in Support of Electrostatic Propulsion Diagnostics Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-02

from complex user interactions due to the use of liquid lasing medium with finite lifetime. Solid state lasers such as titanium sapphire (Ti:Sapphire...transitions for laser -induced fluorescence of an accelerated atomic iodine singly charged ion (I+). While the second spectrum of iodine has been analyzed...diagnostics tools, such as laser -induced fluorescence (LIF), to examine the plasma acceleration within an electro-static plasma propulsion thruster. While

Distribution uniformity of laser-accelerated proton beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jun-Gao; Zhu, Kun; Tao, Li; Xu, Xiao-Han; Lin, Chen; Ma, Wen-Jun; Lu, Hai-Yang; Zhao, Yan-Ying; Lu, Yuan-Rong; Chen, Jia-Er; Yan, Xue-Qing

2017-09-01

Compared with conventional accelerators, laser plasma accelerators can generate high energy ions at a greatly reduced scale, due to their TV/m acceleration gradient. A compact laser plasma accelerator (CLAPA) has been built at the Institute of Heavy Ion Physics at Peking University. It will be used for applied research like biological irradiation, astrophysics simulations, etc. A beamline system with multiple quadrupoles and an analyzing magnet for laser-accelerated ions is proposed here. Since laser-accelerated ion beams have broad energy spectra and large angular divergence, the parameters (beam waist position in the Y direction, beam line layout, drift distance, magnet angles etc.) of the beamline system are carefully designed and optimised to obtain a radially symmetric proton distribution at the irradiation platform. Requirements of energy selection and differences in focusing or defocusing in application systems greatly influence the evolution of proton distributions. With optimal parameters, radially symmetric proton distributions can be achieved and protons with different energy spread within ±5% have similar transverse areas at the experiment target. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11575011, 61631001) and National Grand Instrument Project (2012YQ030142)

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

PubMed Central

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-01-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser–plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck. PMID:28290479

Laser-driven magnetic reconnection in the multi-plasmoid regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Totorica, Samuel; Abel, Tom; Fiuza, Frederico

2017-10-01

Magnetic reconnection is a promising candidate mechanism for accelerating the nonthermal particles associated with explosive astrophysical phenomena. Laboratory experiments are starting to probe multi-plasmoid regimes of relevance for particle acceleration. We have performed two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to explore particle acceleration for parameters relevant to laser-driven reconnection experiments. We have extended our previous work to explore particle acceleration in larger system sizes. Our results show the transition to plasmoid-dominated acceleration associated with the merging and contraction of plasmoids that further extend the maximum energy of the power-law tail of the particle distribution. Furthermore, we have modeled Coulomb collisions and will discuss the influence of collisionality on the plasmoid formation, dynamics, and particle acceleration.

All-Optical Electron Injector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umstadter, Donald

2002-04-01

Conventional electron acceleration at a place like SLAC needs miles to boost particles up to 50 GeV energies by feeding microwaves into a succession of cavities. In recent years we have been developing alternative acceleration concepts, based on lasers focused into plasmas, that might someday do the job in a much smaller space without the use of cavities. Our near term goal is to produce a first stage accelerator that outputs electron beams with lower energy but with properties that are more suitable for x-ray sources, such as those based on Compton scattering or the proposed linear synchrotrons at SLAC and DESY. In the plasma wakefield approach, for example, a terawatt laser beam is focused onto a gas jet, ionizing it and driving plasma waves that move at relativistic speeds. If timed just right, electrons in the plasma can surf the plasma waves to high speeds, as high as 100 MeV in the space of only a millimeter. NanoCoulombs of charge have been accelerated in well-collimated beams (1-degree divergence angle). One problem with this concept is the mismatch between the electron source (sometimes an external photocathode, sometimes an uncontrolled cloud of electrons from the plasma itself) and the incoming laser pulse. We will be reporting methods for generating electrons in a controllable way, namely the use of a pair of crossed laser beams which position, heat, and synchronize the insertion of electrons into the plasma wave. We show that this "all-optical injection" increases the number and energy of energetic electrons as compared with use of only one laser beam. It has been shown theoretically that this approach can ultimately be used to reduce the electron energy spread to a few percent. Besides potential applications to particle physics and x-ray lasers, high gradient acceleration schemes are also expected to benefit the production of medical radioisotopes and the ignition of thermonuclear fusion reactions.

Hollow screw-like drill in plasma using an intense Laguerre–Gaussian laser

PubMed Central

Wang, Wenpeng; Shen, Baifei; Zhang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Lingang; Shi, Yin; Xu, Zhizhan

2015-01-01

With the development of ultra-intense laser technology, MeV ions can be obtained from laser–foil interactions in the laboratory. These energetic ion beams can be applied in fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, medical therapy, and proton imaging. However, these ions are mainly accelerated in the laser propagation direction. Ion acceleration in an azimuthal orientation was scarcely studied. In this research, a doughnut Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) laser is used for the first time to examine laser–plasma interaction in the relativistic intensity regime in three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Studies have shown that a novel rotation of the plasma is produced from the hollow screw-like drill of an mode laser. The angular momentum of particles in the longitudinal direction produced by the LG laser is enhanced compared with that produced by the usual laser pulses, such as linearly and circularly polarized Gaussian pulses. Moreover, the particles (including electrons and ions) can be trapped and uniformly compressed in the dark central minimum of the doughnut LG pulse. The hollow-structured LG laser has potential applications in the generation of x-rays with orbital angular momentum, plasma accelerators, fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, and pulsars in the astrophysical environment. PMID:25651780

Concerted manipulation of laser plasma dynamics with two laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braenzel, J.; Andreev, A. A.; Ehrentraut, L.; Sommer, D.; Schnürer, M.

2017-05-01

In this article we present experimental results from a counter-propagating two laser pulse experiment at high intensity and using ultrathin gold and plastic foil targets. We applied one laser pulse as a pre-pulse with an intensity of up to 1x1018 W/cm2. By this method we manipulated the pre-plasma of the foil target with which the stronger laser pulse with an intensity of 6x1019W/cm2 interacts. This alters significantly subsequent processes from the laser plasma interaction which we show the ion acceleration and high harmonic generation. On the one hand, the maximum kinetic ion energy and the maximum charge state for gold ions decline due to the pre-heating of the target in the time range of few ps, on the other hand the number of accelerated ions is increased. For the same parameter range we detected a significant raise of the high harmonic emission. Moreover, we present first experimental observations, that when the second laser pulse is applied as a counter-propagating post-pulse the energy distribution of accelerated carbon ions is charge selective altered. Our findings indicate that using this method a parametric optimization can be achieved, which promises new insights about the concurrent processes of the laser plasma dynamics.

Laser-driven dielectric electron accelerator for radiobiology researches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koyama, Kazuyoshi; Matsumura, Yosuke; Uesaka, Mitsuru; Yoshida, Mitsuhiro; Natsui, Takuya; Aimierding, Aimidula

2013-05-01

In order to estimate the health risk associated with a low dose radiation, the fundamental process of the radiation effects in a living cell must be understood. It is desired that an electron bunch or photon pulse precisely knock a cell nucleus and DNA. The required electron energy and electronic charge of the bunch are several tens keV to 1 MeV and 0.1 fC to 1 fC, respectively. The smaller beam size than micron is better for the precise observation. Since the laser-driven dielectric electron accelerator seems to suite for the compact micro-beam source, a phase-modulation-masked-type laser-driven dielectric accelerator was studied. Although the preliminary analysis made a conclusion that a grating period and an electron speed must satisfy the matching condition of LG/λ = v/c, a deformation of a wavefront in a pillar of the grating relaxed the matching condition and enabled the slow electron to be accelerated. The simulation results by using the free FDTD code, Meep, showed that the low energy electron of 20 keV felt the acceleration field strength of 20 MV/m and gradually felt higher field as the speed was increased. Finally the ultra relativistic electron felt the field strength of 600 MV/m. The Meep code also showed that a length of the accelerator to get energy of 1 MeV was 3.8 mm, the required laser power and energy were 11 GW and 350 mJ, respectively. Restrictions on the laser was eased by adopting sequential laser pulses. If the accelerator is illuminated by sequential N pulses, the pulse power, pulse width and the pulse energy are reduced to 1/N, 1/N and 1/N2, respectively. The required laser power per pulse is estimated to be 2.2 GW when ten pairs of sequential laser pulse is irradiated.

Ion acceleration from thin foil and extended plasma targets by slow electromagnetic wave and related ion-ion beam instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bulanov, S. V.; A. M. Prokhorov Institute of General Physics RAS, Moscow, 119991; Esirkepov, T. Zh.

When ions are accelerated by the radiation pressure of a laser pulse, their velocity cannot exceed the pulse group velocity which can be considerably smaller than the speed of light in vacuum. This is demonstrated in two cases corresponding to a thin foil target irradiated by high intensity laser light and to the hole boring produced in an extended plasma by the laser pulse. It is found that the beams of accelerated ions are unstable against Buneman-like and Weibel-like instabilities which results in the broadening of the ion energy spectrum.

Quasi-monoenergetic protons accelerated by laser radiation pressure and shocks in thin gaseous targets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He Minqing; Shao Xi; Liu Chuansheng

Recent experiments and simulations have demonstrated effective CO{sub 2} laser acceleration of quasi-monoenergetic protons from thick gaseous hydrogen target (of thickness tens of laser wavelengths) via hole boring and shock accelerations. We present here an alternative novel acceleration scheme by combining laser radiation pressure acceleration with shock acceleration of protons in a thin gaseous target of thickness several laser wavelengths. The laser pushes the thin gaseous plasma forward while compressing it with protons trapped in it. We demonstrated the combined acceleration with two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation and obtained quasi-monoenergetic protons {approx}44 MeV in a gas target of thickness twice of themore » laser wavelength irradiated by circularly polarized CO{sub 2} laser with normalized laser amplitude a{sub 0}=10.« less

Magnetic reconnection driven by Gekko XII lasers with a Helmholtz capacitor-coil target

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pei, X. X.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049; Zhong, J. Y., E-mail: jyzhong@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: gzhao@bao.ac.cn

2016-03-15

We demonstrate a novel plasma device for magnetic reconnection, driven by Gekko XII lasers irradiating a double-turn Helmholtz capacitor-coil target. Optical probing revealed an accumulated plasma plume near the magnetic reconnection outflow. The background electron density and magnetic field were measured to be approximately 10{sup 18 }cm{sup −3} and 60 T by using Nomarski interferometry and the Faraday effect, respectively. In contrast with experiments on magnetic reconnection constructed by the Biermann battery effect, which produced high beta values, our beta value was much lower than one, which greatly extends the parameter regime of laser-driven magnetic reconnection and reveals its potential in astrophysicalmore » plasma applications.« less

Comparison of measured with calculated dose distribution from a 120-MeV electron beam from a laser-plasma accelerator.

PubMed

Lundh, O; Rechatin, C; Faure, J; Ben-Ismaïl, A; Lim, J; De Wagter, C; De Neve, W; Malka, V

2012-06-01

To evaluate the dose distribution of a 120-MeV laser-plasma accelerated electron beam which may be of potential interest for high-energy electron radiation therapy. In the interaction between an intense laser pulse and a helium gas jet, a well collimated electron beam with very high energy is produced. A secondary laser beam is used to optically control and to tune the electron beam energy and charge. The potential use of this beam for radiation treatment is evaluated experimentally by measurements of dose deposition in a polystyrene phantom. The results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations using the geant4 code. It has been shown that the laser-plasma accelerated electron beam can deliver a peak dose of more than 1 Gy at the entrance of the phantom in a single laser shot by direct irradiation, without the use of intermediate magnetic transport or focusing. The dose distribution is peaked on axis, with narrow lateral penumbra. Monte Carlo simulations of electron beam propagation and dose deposition indicate that the propagation of the intense electron beam (with large self-fields) can be described by standard models that exclude collective effects in the response of the material. The measurements show that the high-energy electron beams produced by an optically injected laser-plasma accelerator can deliver high enough dose at penetration depths of interest for electron beam radiotherapy of deep-seated tumors. Many engineering issues must be resolved before laser-accelerated electrons can be used for cancer therapy, but they also represent exciting challenges for future research. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Intense laser pulse propagation in capillary discharge plasma channels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hubbard, R.F.; Moore, C.I.; Sprangle, P.

Optical guiding of intense laser pulses is required for plasma-based accelerator concepts such as the laser wakefield accelerator. Reported experiments have successfully transported intense laser pulses in the hollow plasma column produced by a capillary discharge. The hollow plasma has an index of refraction which peaks on-axis, thus providing optical guiding which overcomes beam expansion due to diffraction. In more recent experiments at Hebrew University, 800 nm wavelength, 0.1 mJ, 100 fs pulses have been guided in {approximately}300 micron radius capillaries over distances as long as 6.6 cm. Simulations of these experiments using a 2-D nonlinear laser propagation model producemore » the expected optical guiding, with the laser pulse radius r{sub L} exhibiting oscillations about the equilibrium value predicted by an analytical envelope equation model. The oscillations are damped at the front of the pulse and grow in amplitude in the back of the pulse. This growth and damping is attributed to finite pulse length effects. Simulations also show that further ionization of the discharge plasma by the laser pulse may hollow the laser pulse and introduce modulations in the spot size. This ionization-defocusing effect is expected to be significant at the high intensities required for accelerator application. Capillary discharge experiments at much higher intensities are in progress on the Naval Research Laboratory T{sup 3} laser, and preliminary results are reported. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}« less

On the generation of magnetized collisionless shocks in the large plasma device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaeffer, D. B.; Winske, D.; Larson, D. J.; Cowee, M. M.; Constantin, C. G.; Bondarenko, A. S.; Clark, S. E.; Niemann, C.

2017-04-01

Collisionless shocks are common phenomena in space and astrophysical systems, and in many cases, the shocks can be modeled as the result of the expansion of a magnetic piston though a magnetized ambient plasma. Only recently, however, have laser facilities and diagnostic capabilities evolved sufficiently to allow the detailed study in the laboratory of the microphysics of piston-driven shocks. We review experiments on collisionless shocks driven by a laser-produced magnetic piston undertaken with the Phoenix laser laboratory and the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. The experiments span a large parameter space in laser energy, background magnetic field, and ambient plasma properties that allow us to probe the physics of piston-ambient energy coupling, the launching of magnetosonic solitons, and the formation of subcritical shocks. The results indicate that piston-driven magnetized collisionless shocks in the laboratory can be characterized with a small set of dimensionless formation parameters that place the formation process in an organized and predictive framework.

On the generation of magnetized collisionless shocks in the large plasma device

DOE PAGES

Schaeffer, D. B.; Winske, D.; Larson, D. J.; ...

2017-03-22

Collisionless shocks are common phenomena in space and astrophysical systems, and in many cases, the shocks can be modeled as the result of the expansion of a magnetic piston though a magnetized ambient plasma. Only recently, however, have laser facilities and diagnostic capabilities evolved sufficiently to allow the detailed study in the laboratory of the microphysics of piston-driven shocks. We review experiments on collisionless shocks driven by a laser-produced magnetic piston undertaken with the Phoenix laser laboratory and the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. The experiments span a large parameter space in laser energy, backgroundmore » magnetic field, and ambient plasma properties that allow us to probe the physics of piston-ambient energy coupling, the launching of magnetosonic solitons, and the formation of subcritical shocks. Here, the results indicate that piston-driven magnetized collisionless shocks in the laboratory can be characterized with a small set of dimensionless formation parameters that place the formation process in an organized and predictive framework.« less

Plasma and Shock Generation by Indirect Laser Pulse Action

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kasperczuk, A.; Borodziuk, S.; Pisarczyk, T.

2006-01-15

In the paper the results of our experiment with flyer disks, accelerated to high velocities by the PALS iodine laser and subsequently creating craters when hitting massive targets , are presented. We have carried out experiments with the double targets consisted of a disk placed in front of a massive target part at distances of either 200 or 500 {mu}m. Both elements of the targets were made of Al. The following disk irradiation conditions were used: laser energy of 130 J, laser wavelength of 1.315 {mu}m, pulse duration of 0.4 ns, and laser spot diameter of 250 {mu}m. To measuremore » some plasma parameters and accelerated disk velocity a three frame interferometric system was used. Efficiency of crater creation by a disk impact was determined from the crater parameters, which were obtained by means of a crater replica technique. The experimental results concern two main stages: (a) ablative plasma generation and disk acceleration and (b) disk impact and crater creation. Spatial density distributions at different moments of plasma generation and expansion are shown. Discussion of the experimental results on the basis of a 2-D theoretical model of the laser -- solid target interaction is carried out.« less

Transport and Non-Invasive Position Detection of Electron Beams from Laser-Plasma Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osterhoff, J.; Nakamura, K.; Bakeman, M.

The controlled imaging and transport of ultra-relativistic electrons from laser-plasma accelerators is of crucial importance to further use of these beams, e.g. in high peak-brightness light sources. We present our plans to realize beam transport with miniature permanent quadrupole magnets from the electron source through our THUNDER undulator. Simulation results demonstrate the importance of beam imaging by investigating the generated XUV-photon flux. In addition, first experimental findings of utilizing cavity-based monitors for non-invasive beam-position measurements in a noisy electromagnetic laser-plasma environment are discussed.

Shock-wave proton acceleration from a hydrogen gas jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Nathan; Pogorelsky, Igor; Polyanskiy, Mikhail; Babzien, Marcus; Tresca, Olivier; Maharjan, Chakra; Shkolnikov, Peter; Yakimenko, Vitaly

2013-04-01

Typical laser acceleration experiments probe the interaction of intense linearly-polarized solid state laser pulses with dense metal targets. This interaction generates strong electric fields via Transverse Normal Sheath Acceleration and can accelerate protons to high peak energies but with a large thermal spectrum. Recently, the advancement of high pressure amplified CO2 laser technology has allowed for the creation of intense (10^16 Wcm^2) pulses at λ˜10 μm. These pulses may interact with reproducible, high rep. rate gas jet targets and still produce plasmas of critical density (nc˜10^19 cm-3), leading to the transference of laser energy via radiation pressure. This acceleration mode has the advantage of producing narrow energy spectra while scaling well with pulse intensity. We observe the interaction of an intense CO2 laser pulse with an overdense hydrogen gas jet. Using two pulse optical probing in conjunction with interferometry, we are able to obtain density profiles of the plasma. Proton energy spectra are obtained using a magnetic spectrometer and scintillating screen.

DOE-HEP Final Report for 2013-2016: Studies of plasma wakefields for high repetition-rate plasma collider, and Theoretical study of laser-plasma proton and ion acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katsouleas, Thomas C.; Sahai, Aakash A.

2016-08-08

There were two goals for this funded project: 1. Studies of plasma wakefields for high repetition-rate plasma collider, and 2. Theoretical study of laser-plasma proton and ion acceleration. For goal 1, an analytical model was developed to determine the ion-motion resulting from the interaction of non-linear “blow-out” wakefields excited by beam-plasma and laser-plasma interactions. This is key to understanding the state of the plasma at timescales of 1 picosecond to a few 10s of picoseconds behind the driver-energy pulse. More information can be found in the document. For goal 2, we analytically and computationally analyzed the longitudinal instabilities of themore » laser-plasma interactions at the critical layer. Specifically, the process of “Doppler-shifted Ponderomotive bunching” is significant to eliminate the very high-energy spread and understand the importance of chirping the laser pulse frequency. We intend to publish the results of the mixing process in 2-D. We intend to publish Chirp-induced transparency. More information can be found in the document.« less

Note: A pulsed laser ion source for linear induction accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, H., E-mail: bamboobbu@hotmail.com; School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871; Zhang, K.

2015-01-15

We have developed a high-current laser ion source for induction accelerators. A copper target was irradiated by a frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser (266 nm) with relatively low intensities of 10{sup 8} W/cm{sup 2}. The laser-produced plasma supplied a large number of Cu{sup +} ions (∼10{sup 12} ions/pulse) during several microseconds. Emission spectra of the plasma were observed and the calculated electron temperature was about 1 eV. An induction voltage adder extracted high-current ion beams over 0.5 A/cm{sup 2} from a plasma-prefilled gap. The normalized beam emittance measured by a pepper-pot method was smaller than 1 π mm mrad.

Relativistically induced transparency acceleration of light ions by an ultrashort laser pulse interacting with a heavy-ion-plasma density gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, Aakash A.; Tsung, Frank S.; Tableman, Adam R.; Mori, Warren B.; Katsouleas, Thomas C.

2013-10-01

The relativistically induced transparency acceleration (RITA) scheme of proton and ion acceleration using laser-plasma interactions is introduced, modeled, and compared to the existing schemes. Protons are accelerated with femtosecond relativistic pulses to produce quasimonoenergetic bunches with controllable peak energy. The RITA scheme works by a relativistic laser inducing transparency [Akhiezer and Polovin, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz 30, 915 (1956); Kaw and Dawson, Phys. FluidsPFLDAS0031-917110.1063/1.1692942 13, 472 (1970); Max and Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.27.1342 27, 1342 (1971)] to densities higher than the cold-electron critical density, while the background heavy ions are stationary. The rising laser pulse creates a traveling acceleration structure at the relativistic critical density by ponderomotively [Lindl and Kaw, Phys. FluidsPFLDAS0031-917110.1063/1.1693437 14, 371 (1971); Silva , Phys. Rev. E1063-651X10.1103/PhysRevE.59.2273 59, 2273 (1999)] driving a local electron density inflation, creating an electron snowplow and a co-propagating electrostatic potential. The snowplow advances with a velocity determined by the rate of the rise of the laser's intensity envelope and the heavy-ion-plasma density gradient scale length. The rising laser is incrementally rendered transparent to higher densities such that the relativistic-electron plasma frequency is resonant with the laser frequency. In the snowplow frame, trace density protons reflect off the electrostatic potential and get snowplowed, while the heavier background ions are relatively unperturbed. Quasimonoenergetic bunches of velocity equal to twice the snowplow velocity can be obtained and tuned by controlling the snowplow velocity using laser-plasma parameters. An analytical model for the proton energy as a function of laser intensity, rise time, and plasma density gradient is developed and compared to 1D and 2D PIC OSIRIS [Fonseca , Lect. Note Comput. Sci.9783-540410.1007/3-540-47789-6_36 2331, 342 (2002)] simulations. We model the acceleration of protons to GeV energies with tens-of-femtoseconds laser pulses of a few petawatts. The scaling of proton energy with laser power compares favorably to other mechanisms for ultrashort pulses [Schreiber , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.97.045005 97, 045005 (2006); Esirkepov , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.92.175003 92, 175003 (2004); Silva , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.92.015002 92, 015002 (2004); Fiuza , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.109.215001 109, 215001 (2012)].

Controlled injection using a channel pinch in a plasma-channel-guided laser wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiaqi; Zhang, Zhijun; Liu, Jiansheng; Li, Wentao; Wang, Wentao; Yu, Changhai; Qi, Rong; Qin, Zhiyong; Fang, Ming; Wu, Ying; Feng, Ke; Ke, Lintong; Wang, Cheng; Li, Ruxin

2018-06-01

Plasma-channel-guided laser plasma accelerators make it possible to drive high-brilliance compact radiation sources and have high-energy physics applications. Achieving tunable internal injection of the electron beam (e beam) inside the plasma channel, which realizes a tunable radiation source, is a challenging method to extend such applications. In this paper, we propose the use of a channel pinch, which is designed as an initial reduction followed by an expansion of the channel radius along the plasma channel, to achieve internal controlled off-axis e beam injection in a channel-guided laser plasma accelerator. The off-axis injection is triggered by bubble deformation in the expansion region. The dynamics of the plasma wake is explored, and the trapping threshold is found to be reduced radially in the channel pinch. Simulation results show that the channel pinch not only triggers injection process localized at the pinch but also modulates the parameters of the e beam by adjusting its density profile, which can additionally accommodate a tunable radiation source via betatron oscillation.

Laser-pulse shape effects on magnetic field generation in underdense plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopal, Krishna; Raja, Md. Ali; Gupta, Devki Nandan; Avinash, K.; Sharma, Suresh C.

2018-07-01

Laser pulse shape effect has been considered to estimate the self-generated magnetic field in laser-plasma interaction. A ponderomotive force based physical mechanism has been proposed to investigate the self-generated magnetic field for different spatial profiles of the laser pulse in inhomogeneous plasmas. The spatially inhomogeneous electric field of a laser pulse imparts a stronger ponderomotive force on plasma electrons. Thus, the stronger ponderomotive force associated with the asymmetric laser pulse generates a stronger magnetic field in comparison to the case of a symmetric laser pulse. Scaling laws for magnetic field strength with the laser and plasma parameters for different shape of the pulse have been suggested. Present study might be helpful to understand the plasma dynamics relevant to the particle trapping and injection in laser-plasma accelerators.

Active Plasma Lensing for Relativistic Laser-Plasma-Accelerated Electron Beams

DOE PAGES

van Tilborg, J.; Steinke, S.; Geddes, C. G. R.; ...

2015-10-28

The compact, tunable, radially symmetric focusing of electrons is critical to laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) applications. Experiments are presented demonstrating the use of a discharge-capillary active plasma lens to focus 100-MeV-level LPA beams. The lens can provide tunable field gradients in excess of 3000 T/m, enabling cm-scale focal lengths for GeV-level beam energies and allowing LPA-based electron beams and light sources to maintain their compact footprint. For a range of lens strengths, excellent agreement with simulation was obtained.

Laser acceleration of protons using multi-ion plasma gaseous targets

DOE PAGES

Liu, Tung -Chang; Shao, Xi; Liu, Chuan -Sheng; ...

2015-02-01

We present a theoretical and numerical study of a novel acceleration scheme by applying a combination of laser radiation pressure and shielded Coulomb repulsion in laser acceleration of protons in multi-species gaseous targets. By using a circularly polarized CO₂ laser pulse with a wavelength of 10 μm—much greater than that of a Ti: Sapphire laser—the critical density is significantly reduced, and a high-pressure gaseous target can be used to achieve an overdense plasma. This gives us a larger degree of freedom in selecting the target compounds or mixtures, as well as their density and thickness profiles. By impinging such amore » laser beam on a carbon–hydrogen target, the gaseous target is first compressed and accelerated by radiation pressure until the electron layer disrupts, after which the protons are further accelerated by the electron-shielded carbon ion layer. An 80 MeV quasi-monoenergetic proton beam can be generated using a half-sine shaped laser beam with a peak power of 70 TW and a pulse duration of 150 wave periods.« less

Threshold for electron self-injection in a nonlinear laser-plasma accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, Carlo; Schroeder, Carl; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2012-10-01

The process of electron self-injection in the nonlinear bubble-wake generated by a short and intense laser pulse propagating in an uniform underdense plasma is investigated. A detailed analysis of particle orbit in the wakefield is performed by using reduced analytical models and numerical simulations carried out with the 2D cylindrical, envelope, ponderomotive, hybrid PIC/fluid code INF&RNO. In particular, we consider a wake generated by a frozen (non-evolving) laser driver traveling with a prescribed velocity, which then sets the properties of the wake, so the injection dynamics is decoupled from driver evolution but a realistic structure for the wakefield is retained. We investigate the dependence of the injection threshold on laser intensity, plasma temperature and wake velocity for a range of parameters of interest for current and future laser plasma accelerators. The phase-space properties of the injected particle bunch will also be discussed.

Modeling target normal sheath acceleration using handoffs between multiple simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahon, Matthew; Willis, Christopher; Mitchell, Robert; King, Frank; Schumacher, Douglass; Akli, Kramer; Freeman, Richard

2013-10-01

We present a technique to model the target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) process using full-scale LSP PIC simulations. The technique allows for a realistic laser, full size target and pre-plasma, and sufficient propagation length for the accelerated ions and electrons. A first simulation using a 2D Cartesian grid models the laser-plasma interaction (LPI) self-consistently and includes field ionization. Electrons accelerated by the laser are imported into a second simulation using a 2D cylindrical grid optimized for the initial TNSA process and incorporating an equation of state. Finally, all of the particles are imported to a third simulation optimized for the propagation of the accelerated ions and utilizing a static field solver for initialization. We also show use of 3D LPI simulations. Simulation results are compared to recent ion acceleration experiments using SCARLET laser at The Ohio State University. This work was performed with support from ASOFR under contract # FA9550-12-1-0341, DARPA, and allocations of computing time from the Ohio Supercomputing Center.

Highly intensified emission of laser-accelerated electrons from a foil target through an additional rear laser plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Shunsuke; Nakamiya, Yoshihide; Teramoto, Kensuke; Hashida, Masaki; Sakabe, Shuji

2018-04-01

Intensification of electrons escaping from an intense laser-produced plasma is demonstrated by using double femtosecond laser pulses. The electron density distribution at the rear surface of a laser-irradiated foil target is controlled by preirradiation to suppress sheath field growth and to expand the plasma into which the fast electrons are released. Consequently, the number of electrons escaping from the plasma that have an energy of 380 keV increases by a factor of 7. The experimental results are well explained by numerical simulations of a foil plasma with a preformed plasma and analytical evaluations considering the plasma expansion.

Rail accelerators for space transportation: An experimental investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zana, L. M.; Kerslake, W. R.; Sturman, J. L.

1986-01-01

An experimental program was conducted at the Lewis Research Center with the objective of investigating the technical feasibility of rail accelerators for propulsion applications. Single-stage, plasma driven rail accelerators of small (4 by 6 mm) and medium (12.5 by 12.5 mm) bores were tested at peak accelerating currents of 50 to 450 kA. Streak-camera photography was used to provide a qualitative description of plasma armature acceleration. The effects of plasma blowby and varying bore pressure on the behavior of plasma armatures were studied.

Vlasov Simulation of Ion Acceleration in the Field of an Intense Laser Incident on an Overdense Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoucri, Magdi; Charbonneau-Lefort, Mathieu; Afeyan, Bedros

2008-11-01

We study the interaction of a high intensity laser with an overdense plasma. When the intensity of the laser is sufficiently high to make the electrons relativistic, unusual interactions between the EM wave and the surface of the plasma take place. We use an Eulerian Vlasov code for the numerical solution of the one-dimensional two-species relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell equations [1]. The results show that the incident laser steepens the density profile significantly. There is a large build-up of electron density at the plasma edge, and as a consequence a large charge separation that is induced under the action of the intense laser field. This results in an intense quasistatic longitudinal electric field generated at the surface of the plasma which accelerates ions in the forward direction. We will show the details of the formation of the longitudinal edge electric field and of electron and ion phase-space structures. [1] M. Charbonneau-Lefort, M. Shoucri, B. Afeyan , Proc. of the EPS Conference, Greece (2008).

Filtering higher-order laser modes using leaky plasma channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djordjević, B. Z.; Benedetti, C.; Schroeder, C. B.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.

2018-01-01

Plasma structures based on leaky channels are proposed to filter higher-order laser mode content. The evolution and propagation of non-Gaussian laser pulses in leaky channels are studied, and it is shown that, for appropriate laser-plasma parameters, the higher-order laser mode content of the pulse may be removed while the fundamental mode remains well-guided. The behavior of multi-mode laser pulses is described analytically and numerically using envelope equations, including the derivation of the leakage coefficients, and compared to particle-in-cell simulations. Laser pulse propagation, with reduced higher-order mode content, improves guiding in parabolic plasma channels, enabling extended interaction lengths for laser-plasma accelerator applications.

Cross-Beam Energy Transfer Driven by Incoherent Laser Beams with Frequency Detuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maximov, A.; Myatt, J. F.; Short, R. W.; Igumenshchev, I. V.; Seka, W.

2015-11-01

In the direct-drive method of the inertial confinement fusion (ICF), the coupling of laser energy to target plasmas is strongly influenced by the effect of cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) between multiple driving laser beams. The laser -plasma interaction (LPI) model of CBET is based on the nonparaxial laser light propagation coupled with the low-frequency ion-acoustic-domain plasma response. Common ion waves driven by multiple laser beams play a very important role in CBET. The effect of the frequency detuning (colors) in the driving laser beams is studied and it is shown to significantly reduce the level of common ion waves and therefore the level of CBET. The differences between the LPI-based CBET model and the ray-based CBET model used in hydrocodes are discussed. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

Hot spots and dark current in advanced plasma wakefield accelerators

DOE PAGES

Manahan, G. G.; Deng, A.; Karger, O.; ...

2016-01-29

Dark current can spoil witness bunch beam quality and acceleration efficiency in particle beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerators. In advanced schemes, hot spots generated by the drive beam or the wakefield can release electrons from higher ionization threshold levels in the plasma media. Likewise, these electrons may be trapped inside the plasma wake and will then accumulate dark current, which is generally detrimental for a clear and unspoiled plasma acceleration process. The strategies for generating clean and robust, dark current free plasma wake cavities are devised and analyzed, and crucial aspects for experimental realization of such optimized scenarios are discussed.

Laser-plasma accelerator and femtosecond photon sources-based ultrafast radiation chemistry and biophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauduel, Y. A.

2017-02-01

The initial distribution of energy deposition triggered by the interaction of ionizing radiations (far UV and X rays, electron, proton and accelerated ions) with molecular targets or integrated biological systems is often decisive for the spatio-temporal behavior of radiation effects that take place on several orders of magnitude. This contribution deals with an interdisciplinary approach that concerns cutting-edge advances on primary radiation events, considering the potentialities of innovating strategies based on ultrafast laser science, from femtosecond photon sources to laser-driven relativistic particles acceleration. Recent advances of powerful TW laser sources (~ 1019 Wcm-2) and laser-plasma interactions providing ultrashort relativistic particle beams in the energy domain 2.5-150 MeV open exciting opportunities for the development of high-energy radiation femtochemistry (HERF). Early radiation damages being dependent on the survival probability of secondary electrons and radial distribution of short-lived radicals inside ionization clusters, a thorough knowledge of these processes involves the real-time probing of primary events in the temporal range 10-14-10-11 s. In the framework of a closed synergy between low-energy radiation femtochemistry (LERF) and the emerging domain of HERF, the paper focuses on early phenomena that occur in the prethermal regime of low-energy secondary electrons, considering very short-lived quantum effects in aqueous environments. A high dose-rate delivered by femtosecond electron beam (~ 1011-1013 Gy s-1) can be used to investigate early radiation processes in native ionization tracks, down to 10-12 s and 10-9 m. We explain how this breakthrough favours the innovating development of real-time nanodosimetry in biologically relevant environments and open new perspectives for spatio-temporal radiation biophysics. The emerging domain of HERF would provide guidance for understanding the specific bioeffects of ultrashort particle bunches. This domain represents also a prerequisite for the control of in vitro and in vivo irradiation at ultrahigh dose-rates or the investigation of ultrafast dose-fractionating phenomena.

Detailed Experimental Study of Ion Acceleration by Interaction of an Ultra-Short Intense Laser with an Underdense Plasma

PubMed Central

Kahaly, S.; Sylla, F.; Lifschitz, A.; Flacco, A.; Veltcheva, M.; Malka, V.

2016-01-01

Ion acceleration from intense (Iλ2 > 1018 Wcm−2 μm2) laser-plasma interaction is experimentally studied within a wide range of He gas densities. Focusing an ultrashort pulse (duration  ion plasma period) on a newly designed submillimetric gas jet system, enabled us to inhibit total evacuation of electrons from the central propagation channel reducing the radial ion acceleration associated with ponderomotive Coulomb explosion, a mechanism predominant in the long pulse scenario. New ion acceleration mechanism have been unveiled in this regime leading to non-Maxwellian quasi monoenergetic features in the ion energy spectra. The emitted nonthermal ion bunches show a new scaling of the ion peak energy with plasma density. The scaling identified in this new regime differs from previously reported studies. PMID:27531755

Sharp plasma pinnacle structure based on shockwave for an improved laser wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Ming; Zhang, Zhijun; Wang, Wentao; Liu, Jiansheng; Li, Ruxin

2018-07-01

We created a sharp plasma pinnacle structure for localized electron injection and controlled acceleration in a laser wakefield accelerator. The formation of this shockwave-based pinnacle structure was investigated using aerodynamic theory. Details and scaling laws for the shockwave angle, shock position, shock width, and density ratio were experimentally and theoretically presented. Such work is crucial to yielding an expected plasma density distribution in a laser–plasma experiment but has had little discussion in the literature. Compared with the commonly used shock downramp structure, the particle-in-cell simulations demonstrated that the e beam injected in the created pinnacle structure could be accelerated to higher energy with much smaller root-mean-square relative energy spread. Moreover, this study indicated that the beam charge and transverse emittance can be tuned by the shock angle.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brady, P.; Ditmire, T.; Horton, W.

Magnetosphere-solar wind interactions are simulated in a laboratory setting with a small permanent magnet driven by two types of supersonic plasma wind sources. The first higher speed, shorter duration plasma wind is from a laser blow-off plasma while the second longer duration, lower speed plasma wind is produced with a capacitor discharge driven coaxial electrode creating plasma jets. The stand off distance of the solar wind from the magnetosphere was measured to be 1.7{+-}0.3 cm for the laser-produced plasma experiment and 0.87{+-}0.03 cm for the coaxial electrode plasma experiment. The stand off distance of the plasma was calculated using datamore » from HYADES[J. T. Larsen and S. M. Lane, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 51, 179 (1994)] as 1.46{+-}0.02 cm for the laser-produced plasma, and estimated for the coaxial plasma jet as r{sub mp}=0.72{+-}0.07 cm. Plasma build up on the poles of the magnets, consistent with magnetosphere systems, was also observed.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaw, B. H.; Applied Science and Technology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720; Tilborg, J. van

Solid-based surface high-harmonic generation from a tape is experimentally studied. By operating at mildly relativistic normalized laser strengths a{sub 0}≲0.2, harmonics up to the 17th order are efficiently produced in the coherent wake emission (CWE) regime. CWE pulse properties, such as divergence, energy, conversion efficiency, and spectrum, are investigated for various tape materials and drive laser conditions. A clear correlation between surface roughness and harmonic beam divergence is found. At the measured pulse properties for the 15th harmonic (conversion efficiency ∼6.5×10{sup −7}, divergence ∼7−15 mrad), the 100-mJ-level drive laser produces several MWs of extreme ultra-violet pulses. The spooling tape configurationmore » enables multi-Hz operation over thousands of shots, making this source attractive as a seed to the few-Hz laser-plasma-accelerator-driven free-electron laser (FEL). Models indicate that these CWE pulses with MW level powers are sufficient for seed-induced bunching and FEL gain.« less

Investigations of ultrafast charge dynamics in laser-irradiated targets by a self probing technique employing laser driven protons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, H.; Kar, S.; Cantono, G.; Nersisyan, G.; Brauckmann, S.; Doria, D.; Gwynne, D.; Macchi, A.; Naughton, K.; Willi, O.; Lewis, C. L. S.; Borghesi, M.

2016-09-01

The divergent and broadband proton beams produced by the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism provide the unique opportunity to probe, in a point-projection imaging scheme, the dynamics of the transient electric and magnetic fields produced during laser-plasma interactions. Commonly such experimental setup entails two intense laser beams, where the interaction produced by one beam is probed with the protons produced by the second. We present here experimental studies of the ultra-fast charge dynamics along a wire connected to laser irradiated target carried out by employing a 'self' proton probing arrangement - i.e. by connecting the wire to the target generating the probe protons. The experimental data shows that an electromagnetic pulse carrying a significant amount of charge is launched along the wire, which travels as a unified pulse of 10s of ps duration with a velocity close to speed of light. The experimental capabilities and the analysis procedure of this specific type of proton probing technique are discussed.

Efficient laser-driven proton acceleration from cylindrical and planar cryogenic hydrogen jets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Obst, Lieselotte; Gode, Sebastian; Rehwald, Martin

We report on recent experimental results deploying a continuous cryogenic hydrogen jet as a debris-free, renewable laser-driven source of pure proton beams generated at the 150 TW ultrashort pulse laser Draco. Efficient proton acceleration reaching cut-off energies of up to 20 MeV with particle numbers exceeding 109 particles per MeV per steradian is demonstrated, showing for the first time that the acceleration performance is comparable to solid foil targets with thicknesses in the micrometer range. Two different target geometries are presented and their proton beam deliverance characterized: cylindrical (Ø 5 μm) and planar (20 μm × 2 μm). In bothmore » cases typical Target Normal Sheath Acceleration emission patterns with exponential proton energy spectra are detected. Significantly higher proton numbers in laser-forward direction are observed when deploying the planar jet as compared to the cylindrical jet case. As a result, this is confirmed by two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (2D3V PIC) simulations, which demonstrate that the planar jet proves favorable as its geometry leads to more optimized acceleration conditions.« less

Efficient laser-driven proton acceleration from cylindrical and planar cryogenic hydrogen jets

DOE PAGES

Obst, Lieselotte; Gode, Sebastian; Rehwald, Martin; ...

2017-08-31

We report on recent experimental results deploying a continuous cryogenic hydrogen jet as a debris-free, renewable laser-driven source of pure proton beams generated at the 150 TW ultrashort pulse laser Draco. Efficient proton acceleration reaching cut-off energies of up to 20 MeV with particle numbers exceeding 109 particles per MeV per steradian is demonstrated, showing for the first time that the acceleration performance is comparable to solid foil targets with thicknesses in the micrometer range. Two different target geometries are presented and their proton beam deliverance characterized: cylindrical (Ø 5 μm) and planar (20 μm × 2 μm). In bothmore » cases typical Target Normal Sheath Acceleration emission patterns with exponential proton energy spectra are detected. Significantly higher proton numbers in laser-forward direction are observed when deploying the planar jet as compared to the cylindrical jet case. As a result, this is confirmed by two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (2D3V PIC) simulations, which demonstrate that the planar jet proves favorable as its geometry leads to more optimized acceleration conditions.« less

Diagnostics of Particles emitted from a Laser generated Plasma: Experimental Data and Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, Giuseppe; Torrisi, Lorenzo

2018-01-01

The charge particle emission form laser-generated plasma was studied experimentally and theoretically using the COMSOL simulation code. The particle acceleration was investigated using two lasers at two different regimes. A Nd:YAG laser, with 3 ns pulse duration and 1010 W/cm2 intensity, when focused on solid target produces a non-equilibrium plasma with average temperature of about 30-50 eV. An Iodine laser with 300 ps pulse duration and 1016 W/cm2 intensity produces plasmas with average temperatures of the order of tens keV. In both cases charge separation occurs and ions and electrons are accelerated at energies of the order of 200 eV and 1 MeV per charge state in the two cases, respectively. The simulation program permits to plot the charge particle trajectories from plasma source in vacuum indicating how they can be deflected by magnetic and electrical fields. The simulation code can be employed to realize suitable permanent magnets and solenoids to deflect ions toward a secondary target or detectors, to focalize ions and electrons, to realize electron traps able to provide significant ion acceleration and to realize efficient spectrometers. In particular it was applied to the study two Thomson parabola spectrometers able to detect ions at low and at high laser intensities. The comparisons between measurements and simulation is presented and discussed.

Radiation reaction effect on laser driven auto-resonant particle acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sagar, Vikram; Sengupta, Sudip; Kaw, P. K.

2015-12-15

The effects of radiation reaction force on laser driven auto-resonant particle acceleration scheme are studied using Landau-Lifshitz equation of motion. These studies are carried out for both linear and circularly polarized laser fields in the presence of static axial magnetic field. From the parametric study, a radiation reaction dominated region has been identified in which the particle dynamics is greatly effected by this force. In the radiation reaction dominated region, the two significant effects on particle dynamics are seen, viz., (1) saturation in energy gain by the initially resonant particle and (2) net energy gain by an initially non-resonant particlemore » which is caused due to resonance broadening. It has been further shown that with the relaxation of resonance condition and with optimum choice of parameters, this scheme may become competitive with the other present-day laser driven particle acceleration schemes. The quantum corrections to the Landau-Lifshitz equation of motion have also been taken into account. The difference in the energy gain estimates of the particle by the quantum corrected and classical Landau-Lifshitz equation is found to be insignificant for the present day as well as upcoming laser facilities.« less

Enhancement of Electron Acceleration in Laser Wakefields by Random Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tataronis, J. A.; Petržílka, V.

1999-11-01

There is increasing evidence that intense laser pulses can accelerate electrons to high energies. The energy appears to increase with the distance over which the electrons are accelerated. This is difficult to explain by electron trapping in a single wakefield wave.^1 We demonstrate that enhanced electron acceleration can arise in inhomogeneous laser wakefields through the effects of spontaneously excited random fields. This acceleration mechanism is analogous to fast electron production by random fields near rf antennae in fusion devices and helicon plasma sources.^2 Electron acceleration in a transverse laser wave due to random field effects was recently found.^3 In the present study we solve numerically the governing equations of an ensemble of test electrons in a longitudinal electric wakefield perturbed by random fields. [1pt] Supported by the Czech grant IGA A1043701 and the U.S. DOE under grant No. DE-FG02-97ER54398. [1pt] 1. A. Pukhov and J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, in Superstrong Fields in Plasmas, AIP Conf. Proc. 426, p. 93 (1997). 2. V. Petržílka, J. A. Tataronis, et al., in Proc. Varenna - Lausanne Fusion Theory Workshop, p. 95 (1998). 3. J. Meyer-ter-Vehn and Z. M. Sheng, Phys. Plasmas 6, 641 (1999).

Current driven instabilities of an electromagnetically accelerated plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chouetri, E. Y.; Kelly, A. J.; Jahn, R. G.

1988-01-01

A plasma instability that strongly influences the efficiency and lifetime of electromagnetic plasma accelerators was quantitatively measured. Experimental measurements of dispersion relations (wave phase velocities), spatial growth rates, and stability boundaries are reported. The measured critical wave parameters are in excellent agreement with theoretical instability boundary predictions. The instability is current driven and affects a wide spectrum of longitudinal (electrostatic) oscillations. Current driven instabilities, which are intrinsic to the high-current-carrying magnetized plasma of the magnetoplasmadynmic (MPD) accelerator, were investigated with a kinetic theoretical model based on first principles. Analytical limits of the appropriate dispersion relation yield unstable ion acoustic waves for T(i)/T(e) much less than 1 and electron acoustic waves for T(i)/T(e) much greater than 1. The resulting set of nonlinear equations for the case of T(i)/T(e) = 1, of most interest to the MPD thruster Plasma Wave Experiment, was numerically solved to yield a multiparameter set of stability boundaries. Under certain conditions, marginally stable waves traveling almost perpendicular to the magnetic field would travel at a velocity equal to that of the electron current. Such waves were termed current waves. Unstable current waves near the upper stability boundary were observed experimentally and are in accordance with theoretical predictions. This provides unambiguous proof of the existence of such instabilites in electromagnetic plasma accelerators.

Generation and application of ultrashort coherent mid-infrared electromagnetic radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandel, Scott

Particle accelerators are useful instruments that help address critical issues for the future development of nuclear energy. Current state-of-the-art accelerators based on conventional radio-frequency (rf) cavities are too large and expensive for widespread commercial use, and alternative designs must be considered for supplying relativistic beams to small-scale applications, including medical imaging, secu- rity screening, and scientific research in a university-scale laboratory. Laser-driven acceleration using micro-fabricated dielectric photonic structures is an attractive approach because such photonic microstructures can support accelerating fields that are 10 to 100 times higher than that of rf cavity-based accelerators. Dielectric laser accelerators (DLAs) use commercial lasers as a driving source, which are smaller and less expensive than the klystrons used to drive current rf-based accelerators. Despite the apparent need for compact and economical laser sources for laser-driven acceleration, the availability of suitable high-peak-power lasers that cover a broad spectral range is currently limited. To address the needs of several innovative acceleration mechanisms like DLA, it is proposed to develop a coherent source of mid-infrared (IR) electromagnetic radiation that can be implemented as a driving source of laser accelerators. The use of ultrashort mid-IR high peak power laser systems in various laser-driven acceleration schemes has shown the potential to greatly reduce the optical pump intensities needed to realize high acceleration gradients. The optical intensity needed to achieve a given ponderomotive potential is 25 times less when using a 5-mum mid-IR laser as compared to using a 1-mum near-IR solid-state laser. In addition, dielectric structure breakdown caused by multiphoton ionization can be avoided by using longer-wavelength driving lasers. Current mid-IR laser sources do not produce sufficiently short pulse durations, broad spectral bandwidths, or high energies as required by certain accelerator applications. The use of a high-peak-power mid-IR laser system in DLA could enable tabletop accelerators on the MeV to GeV scale for security scanners, medical therapy devices, and compact x-ray light sources. This dissertation reports on the design and construction of a simple and robust, short-pulse parametric source operating at a center wavelength of 5 mum. The design and construction of a high-energy, short-pulse 2-mum parametric source is also presented, which serves as a surrogate pumping source for the 5-mum source. An elegant method for mid-IR pulse characterization is demonstrated, which makes use of ubiquitous silicon photodetectors, traditionally reserved for the characterization of near-IR radiation. In addition, a dual-chirped parametric amplification technique is extended into the mid-IR spectral region, producing a bandwidth-tunable mid-IR source in a simple design without sacrificing conversion efficiency. The design and development of a compact single-shot mid-IR prism spectrometer is also reported, and its implementation in a number of condensed matter studies at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center is discussed. Rapid tuning and optimization of a high-energy parametric laser system using the mid-IR spectrometer is demonstrated, which significantly enhances the capabilities of performing optical measurements on superconducting materials using the LCLS instrument. All of the laser sources and optical technologies presented in this dissertation were developed using relatively simple designs to provide compact and cost-e ective systems to address some of the challenges facing accelerator and IR spectroscopy technologies. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Study of transport phenomena in laser-driven, non- equilibrium plasmas in the presence of external magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, G. Elijah; Mariscal, D. A.; Williams, G. J.; Blue, B. E.; Colvin, J. D.; Fears, T. M.; Kerr, S. M.; May, M. J.; Moody, J. D.; Strozzi, D. J.; Lefevre, H. J.; Klein, S. R.; Kuranz, C. C.; Manuel, M. J.-E.; Gautier, D. C.; Montgomery, D. S.

2017-10-01

We present experimental and simulation results from a study of thermal transport inhibition in laser-driven, mid-Z, non-equilibrium plasmas in the presence external magnetic fields. The experiments were performed at the Jupiter Laser Facility at LLNL, where x-ray spectroscopy, proton radiography, and Brillouin backscatter data were simultaneously acquired from sub-critical-density, Ti-doped silica aerogel foams driven by a 2 ω laser at 5 ×1014 W /cm2 . External B-field strengths up to 20 T (aligned antiparallel to the laser propagation axis) were provided by a capacitor-bank-driven Helmholtz coil. Pre-shot simulations with Hydra, a radiation-magnetohydrodyanmics code, showed increasing electron plasma temperature with increasing B-field strength - the result of thermal transport inhibition perpendicular to the B-field. The influence of this thermal transport inhibition on the experimental observables as a function of external field strength and target density will be shown and compared with simulations. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344 and funded by LDRD project 17-ERD-027.

Experiments and PIC simulations on liquid crystal plasma mirrors for pulse contrast enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochran, G. E.; Poole, P. L.; Krygier, A.; Foster, P. S.; Scott, G. G.; Wilson, L. A.; Bailey, J.; Bourgeois, N.; Hernandez-Gomez, C.; Heery, R.; Purcell, J.; Neely, D.; Rajeev, P. P.; Freeman, R. R.; Schumacher, D. W.

2016-10-01

High pulse contrast is crucial for performing many experiments on high intensity lasers in order to minimize modification of the target surface by pre-pulse. This is often achieved through the use of solid dielectric plasma mirrors which can limit laser shot rates. Liquid crystal films, originally developed as variable thickness ion acceleration targets, have been demonstrated as effective plasma mirrors for pulse cleaning, reaching peak reflectivities over 70%. These films were used as plasma mirrors in an ion acceleration experiment on the Scarlet laser and the resultant increase in peak proton energy and change in acceleration direction will be discussed. Also presented here are novel 2D3V, LSP particle-in-cell simulations of dielectric plasma mirror operation. By including multiphoton ionization and dimensionality corrections, an excellent match to experiment is obtained over 4 decades in intensity. Analysis of pulse shortening and plasma critical surface behavior in these simulations will be discussed. Formation of thin films at 1.5 Hz will also be presented. Performed with support from the DARPA PULSE program through AMRDEC, from NNSA, and from OSC.

Experimental evidence of nonthermal acceleration of relativistic electrons by an intensive laser pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuramitsu, Y.; Nakanii, N.; Kondo, K.; Sakawa, Y.; Mori, Y.; Miura, E.; Tsuji, K.; Kimura, K.; Fukumochi, S.; Kashihara, M.; Tanimoto, T.; Nakamura, H.; Ishikura, T.; Takeda, K.; Tampo, M.; Kodama, R.; Kitagawa, Y.; Mima, K.; Tanaka, K. A.; Hoshino, M.; Takabe, H.

2011-02-01

Nonthermal acceleration of relativistic electrons is investigated with an intensive laser pulse. An energy distribution function of energetic particles in the universe or cosmic rays is well represented by a power-law spectrum, therefore, nonthermal acceleration is essential to understand the origin of cosmic rays. A possible candidate for the origin of cosmic rays is wakefield acceleration at relativistic astrophysical perpendicular shocks. The wakefield is considered to be excited by large-amplitude precursor light waves in the upstream of the shocks. Substituting an intensive laser pulse for the large amplitude light waves, we performed a model experiment of the shock environments in a laboratory plasma. An intensive laser pulse was propagated in a plasma tube created by imploding a hollow polystyrene cylinder, as the large amplitude light waves propagated in the upstream plasma at an astrophysical shock. Nonthermal electrons were generated, and the energy distribution functions of the electrons have a power-law component with an index of ~2. We described the detailed procedures to obtain the nonthermal components from data obtained by an electron spectrometer.

Innovative single-shot diagnostics for electrons accelerated through laser-plasma interaction at FLAME

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisesto, F. G.; Anania, M. P.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Costa, G.; Curcio, A.; Ferrario, M.; Galletti, M.; Pompili, R.; Schleifer, E.; Zigler, A.

2017-05-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration is the most promising acceleration technique known nowadays, able to provide very high accelerating fields (> 100 GV/m), enabling acceleration of electrons to GeV energy in few centimeters. Here we present all the plasma related activities currently underway at SPARC LAB exploiting the high power laser FLAME. In particular, we will give an overview of the single shot diagnostics employed: Electro Optic Sampling (EOS) for temporal measurement and optical transition radiation (OTR) for an innovative one shot emittance measurements. In detail, the EOS technique has been employed to measure for the first time the longitudinal profile of electric field of fast electrons escaping from a solid target, driving the ions and protons acceleration, and to study the impact of using different target shapes. Moreover, a novel scheme for one shot emittance measurements based on OTR, developed and tested at SPARC LAB LINAC, will be shown.

Laser interferometry of radiation driven gas jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanson, Kyle James; Ivanov, Vladimir; Mancini, Roberto; Mayes, Daniel C.

2017-06-01

In a series of experiments performed at the 1MA Zebra pulsed power accelerator of the Nevada Terawatt Facility nitrogen gas jets were driven with the broadband x-ray flux produced during the collapse of a wire-array z-pinch implosion. The wire arrays were comprised of 4 and 8, 10μm-thick gold wires and 17μm-thick nickel wires, 2cm and 3cm tall, and 0.3cm in diameter. They radiated 12kJ to 16kJ of x-ray energy, most of it in soft x-ray photons of less than 1keV of energy, in a time interval of 30ns. This x-ray flux was used to drive a nitrogen gas jet located at 0.8cm from the axis of the z-pinch radiation source and produced with a supersonic nozzle. The x-ray flux ionizes the nitrogen gas thus turning it into a photoionized plasma. We used laser interferometry to probe the ionization of the plasma. To this end, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer at the wavelength of 266 nm was set up to extract the atom number density profile of the gas jet just before the Zebra shot, and air-wedge interferometers at 266 and 532 nm were used to determine the electron number density of the plasma right during the Zebra shot. The ratio of electron to atom number densities gives the distribution of average ionization state of the plasma. A python code was developed to perform the image data processing, extract phase shift spatial maps, and obtain the atom and electron number densities via Abel inversion. Preliminary results from the experiment are promising and do show that a plasma has been created in the gas jet driven by the x-ray flux, thus demonstrating the feasibility of a new experimental platform to study photoionized plasmas in the laboratory. These plasmas are found in astrophysical scenarios including x-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and the accretion disks surrounding black holes1. This work was sponsored in part by DOE Office of Science Grant DE-SC0014451.1R. C. Mancini et al, Phys. Plasmas 16, 041001 (2009)

Ultrashort laser pulse driven inverse free electron laser accelerator experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moody, J. T.; Anderson, S. G.; Anderson, G.

In this paper we discuss the ultrashort pulse high gradient Inverse Free Electron laser accelerator experiment carried out at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which demonstrated gra- dients exceeding 200 MV/m using a 4 TW 100 fs long 800 nm Ti:Sa laser pulse. Due to the short laser and electron pulse lengths, synchronization was determined to be one of the main challenges in this experiment. This made necessary the implementation of a single-shot, non destructive, electro-optic sampling based diagnostics to enable time-stamping of each laser accelerator shot with < 100 fs accuracy. The results of this experiment are expected tomore » pave the way towards the development of future GeV-class IFEL accelerators.« less

Ultrashort laser pulse driven inverse free electron laser accelerator experiment

DOE PAGES

Moody, J. T.; Anderson, S. G.; Anderson, G.; ...

2016-02-29

In this paper we discuss the ultrashort pulse high gradient Inverse Free Electron laser accelerator experiment carried out at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which demonstrated gra- dients exceeding 200 MV/m using a 4 TW 100 fs long 800 nm Ti:Sa laser pulse. Due to the short laser and electron pulse lengths, synchronization was determined to be one of the main challenges in this experiment. This made necessary the implementation of a single-shot, non destructive, electro-optic sampling based diagnostics to enable time-stamping of each laser accelerator shot with < 100 fs accuracy. The results of this experiment are expected tomore » pave the way towards the development of future GeV-class IFEL accelerators.« less

Advanced Accelerator Development Strategy Report: DOE Advanced Accelerator Concepts Research Roadmap Workshop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

Over a full two day period, February 2–3, 2016, the Office of High Energy Physics convened a workshop in Gaithersburg, MD to seek community input on development of an Advanced Accelerator Concepts (AAC) research roadmap. The workshop was in response to a recommendation by the HEPAP Accelerator R&D Subpanel [1] [2] to “convene the university and laboratory proponents of advanced acceleration concepts to develop R&D roadmaps with a series of milestones and common down selection criteria towards the goal for constructing a multi-TeV e+e– collider” (the charge to the workshop can be found in Appendix A). During the workshop, proponentsmore » of laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration (LWFA), particle-beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA), and dielectric wakefield acceleration (DWFA), along with a limited number of invited university and laboratory experts, presented and critically discussed individual concept roadmaps. The roadmap workshop was preceded by several preparatory workshops. The first day of the workshop featured presentation of three initial individual roadmaps with ample time for discussion. The individual roadmaps covered a time period extending until roughly 2040, with the end date assumed to be roughly appropriate for initial operation of a multi-TeV e+e– collider. The second day of the workshop comprised talks on synergies between the roadmaps and with global efforts, potential early applications, diagnostics needs, simulation needs, and beam issues and challenges related to a collider. During the last half of the day the roadmaps were revisited but with emphasis on the next five to ten years (as specifically requested in the charge) and on common challenges. The workshop concluded with critical and unanimous endorsement of the individual roadmaps and an extended discussion on the characteristics of the common challenges. (For the agenda and list of participants see Appendix B.)« less

Method of accelerating photons by a relativistic plasma wave

DOEpatents

Dawson, John M.; Wilks, Scott C.

1990-01-01

Photons of a laser pulse have their group velocity accelerated in a plasma as they are placed on a downward density gradient of a plasma wave of which the phase velocity nearly matches the group velocity of the photons. This acceleration results in a frequency upshift. If the unperturbed plasma has a slight density gradient in the direction of propagation, the photon frequencies can be continuously upshifted to significantly greater values.

Excitation of Accelerating Plasma Waves by Counter-Propagating Laser Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvets, Gennady

2001-10-01

The conventional approach to exciting high phase velocity waves in plasmas is to employ a laser pulse moving in the direction of the desired particle acceleration. Photon downshifting then causes the momentum transfer to the plasma and wave excitiation. We describe a novel approach to plasma wake excitation, colliding-beam accelerator (CBA), which involves the photon exchange between the long and short counter-propagating laser beams. Depending on frequency detuning Δ ω between beams and duration τL of the short pulse, there are two approaches to CBA. First approach assumes (τL ≈ 2/ω_p). Photons exchanged between the beams deposit their recoil momentum in the plasma driving the plasma wake. Frequency detuning between the beams determines the direction of the photon exchange, thereby controlling the phase of the plasma wake. This phase control can be used for reversing the slippage of the accelerated particles with respect to the wake ^1. It can also be used for developing an injector/pulse compressor for the particles of either sign (electrons or positrons)^2. In the second approach, one utilizes a longer pulse with τL >> ω_p-1, which is detuned by Δ ω ~ 2 ωp from the counter-propagating beam. While the parametric excitation of plasma waves by the electromagnetic beatwave at 2 ωp of two co-propagating lasers was first predicted by Rosenbluth and Liu in 1972, we realized, for the first time, that the two excitation beams can be counter-propagating^4. The advantages of using this geometry (lower threshold laser intensity, insensitivity to plasma inhomogeneity) will be explained, and the results of the numerical simulations presented. footnotetext[1]G. Shvets, N. J. Fisch, A. Pukhov, and J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Phys. Rev. E 60, 2218 (1999). footnotetext[2]G. Shvets, N. J. Fisch, and A. Pukhov, 28, 1194 (2000). footnotetext[5]G. Shvets and N. J. Fisch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 3328 (2001).

Fusion reactions initiated by laser-accelerated particle beams in a laser-produced plasma.

PubMed

Labaune, C; Baccou, C; Depierreux, S; Goyon, C; Loisel, G; Yahia, V; Rafelski, J

2013-01-01

The advent of high-intensity-pulsed laser technology enables the generation of extreme states of matter under conditions that are far from thermal equilibrium. This in turn could enable different approaches to generating energy from nuclear fusion. Relaxing the equilibrium requirement could widen the range of isotopes used in fusion fuels permitting cleaner and less hazardous reactions that do not produce high-energy neutrons. Here we propose and implement a means to drive fusion reactions between protons and boron-11 nuclei by colliding a laser-accelerated proton beam with a laser-generated boron plasma. We report proton-boron reaction rates that are orders of magnitude higher than those reported previously. Beyond fusion, our approach demonstrates a new means for exploring low-energy nuclear reactions such as those that occur in astrophysical plasmas and related environments.

Multi-color γ-rays from comb-like electron beams driven by incoherent stacks of laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalmykov, S. Y.; Davoine, X.; Ghebregziabher, I.; Shadwick, B. A.

2017-03-01

Trains of fs-length, GeV-scale electron bunches with controlled energy spacing and a 5-D brightness up to 1017 A/m2 may be produced in a mm-scale uniform plasma. The main element of the scheme is an incoherent stack of 10-TW-scale laser pulses of different colors, with mismatched focal spots, with the highest-frequency pulse advanced in time. While driving an electron density bubble, this stack remains almost proof against nonlinear red-shift and self-compression. As a consequence, the unwanted continuous injection of background electrons is minimized. Weak focusing of the trailing (lower-frequency) component of the stack enforces expansions and contractions of the bubble, inducing controlled periodic injection. The resulting train of electron bunches maintains exceptional quality while being accelerated beyond the energy limits predicted by accepted scalings. Inverse Thomson scattering from this comb-like beam generates a sequence of quasi-monochromatic, fs-length γ-ray beams, an asset for nuclear forensics and pump-probe experiments in dense plasmas.

Proposal for a novel type of small scale aneutronic fusion reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruenwald, J.

2017-02-01

The aim of this work is to propose a novel scheme for a small scale aneutronic fusion reactor. This new reactor type makes use of the advantages of combining laser driven plasma acceleration and electrostatic confinement fusion. An intense laser beam is used to create a lithium-proton plasma with high density, which is then collimated and focused into the centre of the fusion reaction chamber. The basic concept presented here is based on the 7Li-proton fusion reaction. However, the physical and technological fundamentals may generally as well be applied to 11B-proton fusion. The former fusion reaction path offers higher energy yields while the latter has larger fusion cross sections. Within this paper a technological realisation of such a fusion device, which allows a steady state operation with highly energetic, well collimated ion beam, is presented. It will be demonstrated that the energetic break even can be reached with this device by using a combination of already existing technologies.

Laser contrast and other key parameters enhancing the laser conversion efficiency in ion acceleration regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrisi, Lorenzo

2018-01-01

Measurements of ion acceleration in plasma produced by fs lasers at intensity of the order of 1018 W/cm2 have been performed in different European laboratories. The forward emission in target-normal-sheath-acceleration (TNSA) regime indicated that the maximum energy is a function of the laser parameters, of the irradiation conditions and of the target properties.In particular the laser intensity and contrast play an important role to maximize the ion acceleration enhancing the conversion efficiency. Also the use of suitable prepulses, focal distances and polarized laser light has important roles. Finally the target composition, surface, geometry and multilayered structure, permit to enhance the electric field driving the forward ion acceleration.Experimental measurements will be reported and discussed.

Intense, directed neutron beams from a laser-driven neutron source at PHELIX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleinschmidt, A.; Bagnoud, V.; Deppert, O.; Favalli, A.; Frydrych, S.; Hornung, J.; Jahn, D.; Schaumann, G.; Tebartz, A.; Wagner, F.; Wurden, G.; Zielbauer, B.; Roth, M.

2018-05-01

Laser-driven neutrons are generated by the conversion of laser-accelerated ions via nuclear reactions inside a converter material. We present results from an experimental campaign at the PHELIX laser at GSI in Darmstadt where protons and deuterons were accelerated from thin deuterated plastic foils with thicknesses in the μm and sub-μm range. The neutrons were generated inside a sandwich-type beryllium converter, leading to reproducible neutron numbers around 1011 neutrons per shot. The angular distribution was measured with a high level of detail using up to 30 bubble detectors simultaneously. It shows a laser forward directed component of up to 1.42 × 1010 neutrons per steradian, corresponding to a dose of 43 mrem scaled to a distance of 1 m from the converter.

Simulations of radiation pressure ion acceleration with the VEGA Petawatt laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stockhausen, Luca C.; Torres, Ricardo; Conejero Jarque, Enrique

2016-09-01

The Spanish Pulsed Laser Centre (CLPU) is a new high-power laser facility for users. Its main system, VEGA, is a CPA Ti:Sapphire laser which, in its final phase, will be able to reach Petawatt peak powers in pulses of 30 fs with a pulse contrast of 1 :1010 at 1 ps. The extremely low level of pre-pulse intensity makes this system ideally suited for studying the laser interaction with ultrathin targets. We have used the particle-in-cell (PIC) code OSIRIS to carry out 2D simulations of the acceleration of ions from ultrathin solid targets under the unique conditions provided by VEGA, with laser intensities up to 1022 W cm-2 impinging normally on 20 - 60 nm thick overdense plasmas, with different polarizations and pre-plasma scale lengths. We show how signatures of the radiation pressure-dominated regime, such as layer compression and bunch formation, are only present with circular polarization. By passively shaping the density gradient of the plasma, we demonstrate an enhancement in peak energy up to tens of MeV and monoenergetic features. On the contrary linear polarization at the same intensity level causes the target to blow up, resulting in much lower energies and broader spectra. One limiting factor of Radiation Pressure Acceleration is the development of Rayleigh-Taylor like instabilities at the interface of the plasma and photon fluid. This results in the formation of bubbles in the spatial profile of laser-accelerated proton beams. These structures were previously evidenced both experimentally and theoretically. We have performed 2D simulations to characterize this bubble-like structure and report on the dependency on laser and target parameters.

Simulations of ion acceleration from ultrathin targets with the VEGA petawatt laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stockhausen, Luca C.; Torres, Ricardo; Conejero Jarque, Enrique

2015-05-01

The Spanish Pulsed Laser Centre (CLPU) is a new high-power laser facility for users. Its main system, VEGA, is a CPA Ti:Sapphire laser which, in its final phase, will be able to reach petawatt peak powers in pulses of 30 fs with a pulse contrast of 1 : 1010 at 1 ps. The extremely low level of pre-pulse intensity makes this system ideally suited for studying the laser interaction with ultrathin targets. We have used the particle-in-cell (PIC) code OSIRIS to carry out 2D simulations of the acceleration of ions from ultrathin solid targets under the unique conditions provided by VEGA, with laser intensities up to 1022Wcm-2 impinging normally on 5 - 40 nm thick overdense plasmas, with different polarizations and pre-plasma scale lengths. We show how signatures of the radiation pressure dominated regime, such as layer compression and bunch formation, are only present with circular polarization. By passively shaping the density gradient of the plasma, we demonstrate an enhancement in peak energy up to tens of MeV and monoenergetic features. On the contrary linear polarization at the same intensity level causes the target to blow up, resulting in much lower energies and broader spectra. One limiting factor of Radiation Pressure Acceleration is the development of Rayleigh-Taylor like instabilities at the interface of the plasma and photon fluid. This results in the formation of bubbles in the spatial profile of laser-accelerated proton beams. These structures were previously evidenced both experimentally and theoretically. We have performed 2D simulations to characterize this bubble-like structure and report on the dependency on laser and target parameters.

Accelerating gradient improvement using shape-tailor laser front in radiation pressure acceleration progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, W. P.; Shen, B. F.; Xu, Z. Z.

2017-05-01

The accelerating gradient of a proton beam is crucial for stable radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) because the multi-dimensional instabilities increase γ times slower in the relativistic region. In this paper, a shape-tailored laser is proposed to significantly accelerate the ions in a controllable high accelerating gradient. In this method, the fastest ions initially rest in the middle of the foil are controlled to catch the compressed electron layer at the end of the hole-boring stage, thus the light-sail stage can start as soon as possible. Then the compressed electron layer is accelerated tightly together with the fastest ions by the shaped laser intensity, which further increases the accelerating gradient in the light-sail stage. Such tailored pulse may be beneficial for the RPA driven by the 10-fs 10 petawatt laser in the future.

Investigation of the Electron Acceleration by a High-Power Laser and a Density-Tapered Mixed-Gas Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jinju; Phung, Vanessa L. J.; Kim, Minseok; Hur, Min-Sup; Suk, Hyyong

2017-10-01

Plasma-based accelerators can generate about 1000 times stronger acceleration field compared with RF-based conventional accelerators, which can be done by high power laser and plasma. There are many issues in this research and one of them is development of a good plasma source for higher electron beam energy. For this purpose, we are investigating a special type of plasma source, which is a density-tapered gas cell with a mixed-gas for easy injection. By this type of special gas cell, we expect higher electron beam energies with easy injection in the wakefield. In this poster, some experimental results for electron beam generation with the density-tapered mixed-gas cell are presented. In addition to the experimental results, CFD (Computational-Fluid-Dynamics) and PIC (Particle-In-Cell) simulation results are also presented for comparison studies.

Observation of Gigawatt-Class THz Pulses from a Compact Laser-Driven Particle Accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopal, A.; Herzer, S.; Schmidt, A.; Singh, P.; Reinhard, A.; Ziegler, W.; Brömmel, D.; Karmakar, A.; Gibbon, P.; Dillner, U.; May, T.; Meyer, H.-G.; Paulus, G. G.

2013-08-01

We report the observation of subpicosecond terahertz (T-ray) pulses with energies ≥460μJ from a laser-driven ion accelerator, thus rendering the peak power of the source higher even than that of state-of-the-art synchrotrons. Experiments were performed with intense laser pulses (up to 5×1019W/cm2) to irradiate thin metal foil targets. Ion spectra measured simultaneously showed a square law dependence of the T-ray yield on particle number. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show the presence of transient currents at the target rear surface which could be responsible for the strong T-ray emission.

Undulator-Based Laser Wakefield Accelerator Electron Beam Energy Spread and Emittance Diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bakeman, M. S.; University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557; Van Tilborg, J.

The design and current status of experiments to couple the Tapered Hybrid Undulator (THUNDER) to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) laser plasma accelerator (LPA) to measure electron beam energy spread and emittance are presented.

Enhancement of maximum attainable ion energy in the radiation pressure acceleration regime using a guiding structure

DOE PAGES

Bulanov, S. S.; Esarey, E.; Schroeder, C. B.; ...

2015-03-13

Radiation Pressure Acceleration is a highly efficient mechanism of laser driven ion acceleration, with the laser energy almost totally transferrable to the ions in the relativistic regime. There is a fundamental limit on the maximum attainable ion energy, which is determined by the group velocity of the laser. In the case of a tightly focused laser pulses, which are utilized to get the highest intensity, another factor limiting the maximum ion energy comes into play, the transverse expansion of the target. Transverse expansion makes the target transparent for radiation, thus reducing the effectiveness of acceleration. Utilization of an external guidingmore » structure for the accelerating laser pulse may provide a way of compensating for the group velocity and transverse expansion effects.« less

Optical breakdown of air triggered by femtosecond laser filaments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polynkin, Pavel; Moloney, Jerome V.

2011-10-01

We report experiments on the generation of dense plasma channels in ambient air using a dual laser pulse excitation scheme. The dilute plasma produced through the filamentation of an ultraintense femtosecond laser pulse is densified via avalanche ionization driven by a co-propagating multi-Joule nanosecond pulse.

Innovative single-shot diagnostics for electrons from laser wakefield acceleration at FLAME

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisesto, F. G.; Anania, M. P.; Cianchi, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Curcio, A.; Ferrario, M.; Pompili, R.; Zigler, A.

2017-07-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration is the most promising acceleration technique known nowadays, able to provide very high accelerating fields (> 100 GV/m), enabling acceleration of electrons to GeV energy in few centimeters. Here we present all the plasma related activities currently underway at SPARC_LAB exploiting the high power laser FLAME. In particular, we will give an overview of the single shot diagnostics employed: Electro Optic Sampling (EOS) for temporal measurement and Optical Transition Radiation (OTR) for an innovative one shot emittance measurements. In detail, the EOS technique has been employed to measure for the first time the longitudinal profile of electric field of fast electrons escaping from a solid target, driving the ions and protons acceleration, and to study the impact of using different target shapes. Moreover, a novel scheme for one shot emittance measurements based on OTR, developed and tested at SPARC_LAB LINAC, used in an experiment on electrons from laser wakefield acceleration still undergoing, will be shown.

High intensity surface plasma waves, theory and PIC simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raynaud, M.; Héron, A.; Adam, J.-C.

2018-01-01

With the development of intense (>1019 W cm-2) short pulses (≤25 fs) laser with very high contrast, surface plasma wave (SPW) can be explored in the relativistic regime. As the SPW propagates with a phase velocity close to the speed of light it may results in a strong acceleration of electron bunches along the surface permitting them to reach relativistic energies. This may be important e.g. for applications in the field of plasma-based accelerators. We investigate in this work the excitation of SPWs on grating preformed over-dense plasmas for laser intensities ranging from 1019 up to 1021 W cm-2. We discuss the nature of the interaction with respect to the solid case in which surface plasmon can be resonantly excited with weak laser intensity. In particular, we show the importance of the pulse duration and focalization of the laser beam on the amplitude of the SPW.

Enhanced ion acceleration in transition from opaque to transparent plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, R.; Fiuza, F.; Glenzer, S.

2018-04-01

Using particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate ion acceleration in the interaction of high intensity lasers with plasmas which transition from opaque to transparent during the interaction process. We show that the highest ion energies are achieved when the laser traverses the target around the peak intensity and re-heats the electron population responsible for the plasma expansion, enhancing the corresponding sheath electric field. This process can lead to an increase of up to 2x in ion energy when compared with the standard Target Normal Sheath Acceleration in opaque targets under the same laser conditions. A theoretical model is developed to predict the optimal target areal density as a function of laser intensity and pulse duration. A systematic parametric scan for a wide range of target densities and thicknesses is performed in 1D, 2D and 3D and shown consistent with the theory and with recent experimental results. These results open the way for a better optimization of the ion energy in future laser–solid experiments.

Pulse Front Tilt and Laser Plasma Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittelberger, Daniel; Thévenet, Maxence; Nakamura, Kei; Lehe, Remi; Gonsalves, Anthony; Benedetti, Carlo; Leemans, Wim

2017-10-01

Pulse front tilt (PFT) is potentially present in any CPA laser system, but its effects may be overlooked because spatiotemporal pulse characterization is considerably more involved than measuring only spatial or temporal profile. PFT is particularly important for laser plasma accelerators (LPA) because it influences electron beam injection and steering. In this work, experimental results from the BELLA Center will be presented that demonstrate the effect of optical grating misalignment and optical compression, resulting in PFT, on accelerator performance. Theoretical models of laser and electron beam steering will be introduced based on particle-in-cell simulations showing distortion of the plasma wake. Theoretical predictions will be compared with experiments and complimentary simulations, and tolerances on PFT and optical compressor alignment will be developed as a function of LPA performance requirements. This work was supported by the Office of High Energy Physics, Office of Science, US Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231 and the National Science Foundation under Grant PHY-1415596.

Non-Maxwellian electron distributions by direct laser acceleration in near-critical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toncian, T.; Wang, C.; Arefiev, A.; McCary, E.; Meadows, A.; Blakeney, J.; Chester, C.; Roycroft, R.; Fu, H.; Yan, X. Q.; Schreiber, J.; Pomerantz, I.; Quevedo, H.; Dyer, G.; Gaul, E.; Ditmire, T.; Hegelich, B. M.

2015-11-01

The irradiation of few nm thick targets by a finite-contrast high-intensity short-pulse laser results in a strong pre-expansion of these targets at the arrival time of the main pulse. The targets will decompress to near and lower than critical electron densities plasmas extending over lengths of few micrometers. The laser-matter interaction of the main pulse with such a highly localized but inhomogeneous the target leads to the generation of a channel and further self focussing of the laser beam. As measured in a experiment conducted with the GHOST laser system at UT Austin, 2D PIC simulations predict Direct Laser Acceleration of non-Maxwellian electron distribution in the laser propagation direction for such targets. The hereby high density electron bunches have potential applications as injector beams for a further wakefield acceleration stage. This work was supported by NNSA cooperative agreement DE-NA0002008, the DARPA's PULSE program (12-63-PULSE-FP014) and the AFOSR (FA9550-14-1-0045).

Community Project for Accelerator Science and Simulation (ComPASS) Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cary, John R.; Cowan, Benjamin M.; Veitzer, S. A.

2016-03-04

Tech-X participated across the full range of ComPASS activities, with efforts in the Energy Frontier primarily through modeling of laser plasma accelerators and dielectric laser acceleration, in the Intensity Frontier primarily through electron cloud modeling, and in Uncertainty Quantification being applied to dielectric laser acceleration. In the following we present the progress and status of our activities for the entire period of the ComPASS project for the different areas of Energy Frontier, Intensity Frontier and Uncertainty Quantification.

Generation and acceleration of neutral atoms in intense laser plasma experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tata, Sheroy; Mondal, Angana; Sarkar, Shobhik; Ved, Yash; Lad, Amit D.; Pasley, John; Colgan, James; Krishnamurthy, M.

2017-10-01

The interaction of a high intensity (>=1018 W/cm2), high contrast (>=109), ultra-short (30fs) laser with solid targets generates a highly dense hot plasma. The quasi-static electric fields in such plasmas are well known for ion acceleration via the target normal sheath acceleration process. Under such conditions charge reduction to generate fast neutral atoms is almost inhibited. Improvised Thomson parabola spectrometry with improved signal to noise ratio has enabled us to measure the signals of fast neutral atoms and negative ions having energies in excess of tens of keV. A study on the neutralization of accelerated protons in plasma shows that the neutral atom to all particle ratio rises sharply from a few percent at the highest detectable energy to 50 % at 15 keV. Using usual charge transfer reactions the generation of neutral atoms can not be explained, thus we conjecture that the neutralization of the accelerated ions is not from the hot dense region of the plasma but neutral atom formation takes place by co-propagating ions with low energy electrons enhancing the effective neutral ratio.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaeffer, D. B.; Winske, D.; Larson, D. J.

Collisionless shocks are common phenomena in space and astrophysical systems, and in many cases, the shocks can be modeled as the result of the expansion of a magnetic piston though a magnetized ambient plasma. Only recently, however, have laser facilities and diagnostic capabilities evolved sufficiently to allow the detailed study in the laboratory of the microphysics of piston-driven shocks. We review experiments on collisionless shocks driven by a laser-produced magnetic piston undertaken with the Phoenix laser laboratory and the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. The experiments span a large parameter space in laser energy, backgroundmore » magnetic field, and ambient plasma properties that allow us to probe the physics of piston-ambient energy coupling, the launching of magnetosonic solitons, and the formation of subcritical shocks. Here, the results indicate that piston-driven magnetized collisionless shocks in the laboratory can be characterized with a small set of dimensionless formation parameters that place the formation process in an organized and predictive framework.« less

Shock-wave ion acceleration by an ultra-relativistic short laser pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhidkov, A.; Batishchev, O.; Uesaka, M.

2002-11-01

Research on ion acceleration by intense short laser pulses grows in the last few years [1-9] because of various applications. However, the study is mainly focused on the forward ion acceleration. We study ion inward acceleration, which in contrast to other mechanisms has density of ions per unit energy not decreased with the laser intensity [8]. Magnetic field generated due to a finite size of laser spot can affect electron distribution. In the present work we study the effect of magnetic field on the shock wave formation and ion acceleration in a solid target via 2D PIC and Vlasov simulation. Though the PIC simulation can provide detailed information, in relativistic plasmas it may not calculate B correctly: (i) too many particles are needed to make B disappeared in thermal plasmas, (ii) local scheme [10] does not satisfy curl(Epl)=0. Therefore, two approaches are used in the present study. [1] S. P. Hatchett et al., Phys. Plas. 7, 2076 (2000); [2] A. Maksimchuk et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4108 (2000); [3] E.L. Clark et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1654 (2000); [4] A. Zhidkov et al., Phys. Rev. E60, 3273 (1999); E61, R2224 (2000); [5] Y. Murakami et al, Phys. Plasmas 8,4138 (2001); [6] T.Zh. Esirkepov et al, JETP Lett. 70, 82 (1999); [7] A. Pukhov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 3562(2001); [8] A.A. Andreev et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion (2002); [9] O.V. Batishchev et al., Plasma Phys. Rep. 20, 587 (1994); [10] J. Villasenor et al., Comp. Phys. Comm. 69, 306 (1992).

Tailored electron bunches with smooth current profiles for enhanced transformer ratios in beam-driven acceleration

DOE PAGES

Lemery, F.; Piot, P.

2015-08-03

Collinear high-gradient O(GV/m) beam-driven wakefield methods for charged-particle acceleration could be critical to the realization of compact, cost-efficient, accelerators, e.g., in support of TeV-scale lepton colliders or multiple-user free-electron laser facilities. To make these options viable, the high accelerating fields need to be complemented with large transformer ratios >2, a parameter characterizing the efficiency of the energy transfer between a wakefield-exciting “drive” bunch to an accelerated “witness” bunch. While several potential current distributions have been discussed, their practical realization appears challenging due to their often discontinuous nature. In this paper we propose several alternative continuously differentiable (smooth) current profiles whichmore » support enhanced transformer ratios. We especially demonstrate that one of the devised shapes can be implemented in a photo-emission electron source by properly shaping the photocathode-laser pulse. We finally discuss a possible superconducting linear-accelerator concept that could produce shaped drive bunches at high-repetition rates to drive a dielectric-wakefield accelerator with accelerating fields on the order of ~60 MV/m and a transformer ratio ~5 consistent with a recently proposed multiuser free-electron laser facility.« less

Tailored electron bunches with smooth current profiles for enhanced transformer ratios in beam-driven acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lemery, F.; Piot, P.

Collinear high-gradient O(GV/m) beam-driven wakefield methods for charged-particle acceleration could be critical to the realization of compact, cost-efficient, accelerators, e.g., in support of TeV-scale lepton colliders or multiple-user free-electron laser facilities. To make these options viable, the high accelerating fields need to be complemented with large transformer ratios >2, a parameter characterizing the efficiency of the energy transfer between a wakefield-exciting “drive” bunch to an accelerated “witness” bunch. While several potential current distributions have been discussed, their practical realization appears challenging due to their often discontinuous nature. In this paper we propose several alternative continuously differentiable (smooth) current profiles whichmore » support enhanced transformer ratios. We especially demonstrate that one of the devised shapes can be implemented in a photo-emission electron source by properly shaping the photocathode-laser pulse. We finally discuss a possible superconducting linear-accelerator concept that could produce shaped drive bunches at high-repetition rates to drive a dielectric-wakefield accelerator with accelerating fields on the order of ~60 MV/m and a transformer ratio ~5 consistent with a recently proposed multiuser free-electron laser facility.« less

Laser-plasma mirrors: from electron acceleration to harmonics generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thévenet, Maxence; Bocoum, Maïmouna; Faure, Jérôme; Leblanc, Adrien; Vincenti, Henri; Quéré, Fabien

2016-10-01

Accelerating electrons in the > 10 TV/m fields inside an ultrashort ultraintense laser pulse has been a long-standing goal in experimental physics, motivated by promising theoretical predictions. The biggest hurdle was to have electrons injected in the center of the laser pulse. Recent experimental and numerical results showed that this problem could be solved using a plasma mirror, i.e. an overdense plasma with a sharp (

Diagnostics of Plasma Propulsion Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cappelli, Mark A.

1998-11-01

Plasma rockets are rapidly emerging as critical technologies in future space flight. These devices take on various forms, ranging from electro-thermal to electromagnetic accelerators, generally categorized by the method in which electrical energy is converted to thrust. As is the case in many plasma devices, non-intrusive optical (emission, or laser-based) diagnostics is an essential element in the characterization of these plasma sources, as access to the discharges in these plasma engines is often limited. Furthermore, laser-based diagnostics offer additional benefits, including improved spatial resolution, and can provide state-specific measurements of species densities, velocities and energy distributions. In recent years, we have developed and applied a variety of emission and laser-based diagnostics strategies to the characterization of arcjet plasma and closed-drift xenon Hall plasma accelerators. Both of these types of plasma propulsion devices are of immediate interest to the space propulsion community, and are under varying stages of development. Arcjet thrusters have unique properties, with strong plasma density, temperature and velocity gradients, which enhance the coupling between the gasdynamic and plasma physics. Closed-drift Hall plasma thrusters are low density electrostatic devices that are inherently turbulent, and exhibit varying degrees of anomalous cross-field electron transport. Our most extensive, collective effort has been to apply laser-induced fluorescence, Doppler-free laser absorption, and Raman scattering to the characterization of hydrogen and helium arcjet flows. Detailed measurements of velocity, temperatures, and electron densities are compared to the results of magneto-hydrodynamic flowfield simulations. The results show that while the simulations capture many aspects of the flow, there are still some unresolved discrepancies. The database established for Hall thrusters is less extensive, as the laser absorption spectroscopy of xenon is somewhat more complicated due to the hyperfine and isotopic structure of electronic transitions. With an understanding of the spectroscopic absorption lineshape for two select transitions in neutral and ionized xenon, we have successfully mapped out the neutral and singly ionized xenon velocities in the acceleration zone of Hall thrusters. These results indicate that the acceleration zone in a short-channel thruster is outside of the device, consistent with the measurements of plasma potential using more conventional Langmuir electrostatic probes. The spectroscopic data has also been used to identify limitations in ground-test facilities.

Laser ion source activities at Brookhaven National Laboratory

DOE PAGES

Kanesue, Takeshi; Okamura, Masahiro

2015-07-31

In Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), we have been developing laser ion sources for diverse accelerators. Tabletop Nd:YAG lasers with up to several Joules of energy are mainly used to create ablation plasmas for stable operations. The obtained charge states depend on laser power density and target species. Two types of ion extraction schemes, Direct Plasma Injection Scheme (DPIS) and conventional static extraction, are used depending on application. We optimized and select a suitable laser irradiation condition and a beam extraction scheme to meet the requirement of the following accelerator system. We have demonstrated to accelerate more than 5 x 10more » 10 of C 6+ ions using the DPIS. We successfully commissioned low charge ion beam provider to the user facilities in BNL. As a result, to achieve higher current, higher charge state and lower emittance, further studies will continue.« less

Accelerator on a Chip

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

England, Joel

2014-06-30

SLAC's Joel England explains how the same fabrication techniques used for silicon computer microchips allowed their team to create the new laser-driven particle accelerator chips. (SLAC Multimedia Communications)

Accelerator on a Chip

ScienceCinema

England, Joel

2018-01-16

SLAC's Joel England explains how the same fabrication techniques used for silicon computer microchips allowed their team to create the new laser-driven particle accelerator chips. (SLAC Multimedia Communications)

An accurate and efficient laser-envelope solver for the modeling of laser-plasma accelerators

DOE PAGES

Benedetti, C.; Schroeder, C. B.; Geddes, C. G. R.; ...

2017-10-17

Detailed and reliable numerical modeling of laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs), where a short and intense laser pulse interacts with an underdense plasma over distances of up to a meter, is a formidably challenging task. This is due to the great disparity among the length scales involved in the modeling, ranging from the micron scale of the laser wavelength to the meter scale of the total laser-plasma interaction length. The use of the time-averaged ponderomotive force approximation, where the laser pulse is described by means of its envelope, enables efficient modeling of LPAs by removing the need to model the details ofmore » electron motion at the laser wavelength scale. Furthermore, it allows simulations in cylindrical geometry which captures relevant 3D physics at 2D computational cost. A key element of any code based on the time-averaged ponderomotive force approximation is the laser envelope solver. In this paper we present the accurate and efficient envelope solver used in the code INF & RNO (INtegrated Fluid & paRticle simulatioN cOde). The features of the INF & RNO laser solver enable an accurate description of the laser pulse evolution deep into depletion even at a reasonably low resolution, resulting in significant computational speed-ups.« less

An accurate and efficient laser-envelope solver for the modeling of laser-plasma accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benedetti, C.; Schroeder, C. B.; Geddes, C. G. R.

Detailed and reliable numerical modeling of laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs), where a short and intense laser pulse interacts with an underdense plasma over distances of up to a meter, is a formidably challenging task. This is due to the great disparity among the length scales involved in the modeling, ranging from the micron scale of the laser wavelength to the meter scale of the total laser-plasma interaction length. The use of the time-averaged ponderomotive force approximation, where the laser pulse is described by means of its envelope, enables efficient modeling of LPAs by removing the need to model the details ofmore » electron motion at the laser wavelength scale. Furthermore, it allows simulations in cylindrical geometry which captures relevant 3D physics at 2D computational cost. A key element of any code based on the time-averaged ponderomotive force approximation is the laser envelope solver. In this paper we present the accurate and efficient envelope solver used in the code INF & RNO (INtegrated Fluid & paRticle simulatioN cOde). The features of the INF & RNO laser solver enable an accurate description of the laser pulse evolution deep into depletion even at a reasonably low resolution, resulting in significant computational speed-ups.« less

An accurate and efficient laser-envelope solver for the modeling of laser-plasma accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, C.; Schroeder, C. B.; Geddes, C. G. R.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.

2018-01-01

Detailed and reliable numerical modeling of laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs), where a short and intense laser pulse interacts with an underdense plasma over distances of up to a meter, is a formidably challenging task. This is due to the great disparity among the length scales involved in the modeling, ranging from the micron scale of the laser wavelength to the meter scale of the total laser-plasma interaction length. The use of the time-averaged ponderomotive force approximation, where the laser pulse is described by means of its envelope, enables efficient modeling of LPAs by removing the need to model the details of electron motion at the laser wavelength scale. Furthermore, it allows simulations in cylindrical geometry which captures relevant 3D physics at 2D computational cost. A key element of any code based on the time-averaged ponderomotive force approximation is the laser envelope solver. In this paper we present the accurate and efficient envelope solver used in the code INF&RNO (INtegrated Fluid & paRticle simulatioN cOde). The features of the INF&RNO laser solver enable an accurate description of the laser pulse evolution deep into depletion even at a reasonably low resolution, resulting in significant computational speed-ups.

Analytical model for electromagnetic radiation from a wakefield excited by intense short laser pulses in an unmagnetized plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zi-Yu; Chen, Shi; Dan, Jia-Kun; Li, Jian-Feng; Peng, Qi-Xian

2011-10-01

A simple one-dimensional analytical model for electromagnetic emission from an unmagnetized wakefield excited by an intense short-pulse laser in the nonlinear regime has been developed in this paper. The expressions for the spectral and angular distributions of the radiation have been derived. The model suggests that the origin of the radiation can be attributed to the violent sudden acceleration of plasma electrons experiencing the accelerating potential of the laser wakefield. The radiation process could help to provide a qualitative interpretation of existing experimental results, and offers useful information for future laser wakefield experiments.

Ionization waves of arbitrary velocity driven by a flying focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palastro, J. P.; Turnbull, D.; Bahk, S.-W.; Follett, R. K.; Shaw, J. L.; Haberberger, D.; Bromage, J.; Froula, D. H.

2018-03-01

A chirped laser pulse focused by a chromatic lens exhibits a dynamic, or flying, focus in which the trajectory of the peak intensity decouples from the group velocity. In a medium, the flying focus can trigger an ionization front that follows this trajectory. By adjusting the chirp, the ionization front can be made to travel at an arbitrary velocity along the optical axis. We present analytical calculations and simulations describing the propagation of the flying focus pulse, the self-similar form of its intensity profile, and ionization wave formation. The ability to control the speed of the ionization wave and, in conjunction, mitigate plasma refraction has the potential to advance several laser-based applications, including Raman amplification, photon acceleration, high-order-harmonic generation, and THz generation.

Laser driven nuclear science and applications: The need of high efficiency, high power and high repetition rate Laser beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gales, S.

2015-10-01

Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is a pan European research initiative selected on the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures Roadmap that aims to close the gap between the existing laboratory-based laser driven research and international facility-grade research centre. The ELI-NP facility, one of the three ELI pillars under construction, placed in Romania and to be operational in 2018, has as core elements a couple of new generation 10 PW laser systems and a narrow bandwidth Compton backscattering gamma source with photon energies up to 19 MeV. ELI-NP will address nuclear photonics, nuclear astrophysics and quantum electrodynamics involving extreme photon fields. Prospective applications of high power laser in nuclear astrophysics, accelerator physics, in particular towards future Accelerator Driven System, as well as in nuclear photonics, for detection and characterization of nuclear material, and for nuclear medicine, will be discussed. Key issues in these research areas will be at reach with significant increase of the repetition rates and of the efficiency at the plug of the high power laser systems as proposed by the ICAN collaboration.

Filtering of higher-order laser modes using plasma structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djordjevic, Blagoje; Benedetti, Carlo; Schroeder, Carl; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2017-10-01

Plasma structures based on leaky channels are proposed to filter higher-order laser mode content. The evolution and propagation of non-Gaussian laser pulses in leaky channels is studied, and it is shown that, for appropriate laser-plasma parameters, the higher-order laser mode content may be removed while the fundamental mode remains well-guided. The behavior of the multi-mode laser pulse is described analytically, including the derivation of the leakage coefficients, and compared to numerical calculations. Gaussian laser pulse propagation, without higher-order mode content, improves guiding in parabolic plasma channels, enabling extended interaction lengths for laser-plasma accelerator applications. This work was supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

High repetition rate laser-driven MeV ion acceleration at variable background pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, Joseph; Ngirmang, Gregory; Orban, Chris; Feister, Scott; Morrison, John; Frische, Kyle; Chowdhury, Enam; Roquemore, W. M.

2017-10-01

Ultra-intense laser-plasma interactions (LPI) can produce highly energetic photons, electrons, and ions with numerous potential real-world applications. Many of these applications will require repeatable, high repetition targets that are suitable for LPI experiments. Liquid targets can meet many of these needs, but they typically require higher chamber pressure than is used for many low repetition rate experiments. The effect of background pressure on the LPI has not been thoroughly studied. With this in mind, the Extreme Light group at the Air Force Research Lab has carried out MeV ion and electron acceleration experiments at kHz repetition rate with background pressures ranging from 30 mTorr to >1 Torr using a submicron ethylene glycol liquid sheet target. We present these results and provide two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation results that offer insight on the thresholds for the efficient acceleration of electrons and ions. This research is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under LRIR Project 17RQCOR504 under the management of Dr. Riq Parra and Dr. Jean-Luc Cambier. Support was also provided by the DOD HPCMP Internship Program.

Electron heating enhancement by frequency-chirped laser pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yazdani, E.; Afarideh, H., E-mail: hafarideh@aut.ac.ir; Sadighi-Bonabi, R., E-mail: Sadighi@sharif.ir

2014-09-14

Propagation of a chirped laser pulse with a circular polarization through an uprising plasma density profile is studied by using 1D-3V particle-in-cell simulation. The laser penetration depth is increased in an overdense plasma compared to an unchirped pulse. The induced transparency due to the laser frequency chirp results in an enhanced heating of hot electrons as well as increased maximum longitudinal electrostatic field at the back side of the solid target, which is very essential in target normal sheath acceleration regime of proton acceleration. For an applied chirp parameter between 0.008 and 0.01, the maximum amount of the electrostatic fieldmore » is improved by a factor of 2. Furthermore, it is noticed that for a chirped laser pulse with a₀=5, because of increasing the plasma transparency length, the laser pulse can penetrate up to about n{sub e}≈6n{sub c}, where n{sub c} is plasma critical density. It shows 63% increase in the effective critical density compared to the relativistic induced transparency regime for an unchirped condition.« less

Relativistically strong electromagnetic radiation in a plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bulanov, S. V., E-mail: svbulanov@gmail.com, E-mail: bulanov.sergei@jaea.go.jp; Esirkepov, T. Zh.; Kando, M.

Physical processes in a plasma under the action of relativistically strong electromagnetic waves generated by high-power lasers have been briefly reviewed. These processes are of interest in view of the development of new methods for acceleration of charged particles, creation of sources of bright hard electromagnetic radiation, and investigation of macroscopic quantum-electrodynamical processes. Attention is focused on nonlinear waves in a laser plasma for the creation of compact electron accelerators. The acceleration of plasma bunches by the radiation pressure of light is the most efficient regime of ion acceleration. Coherent hard electromagnetic radiation in the relativistic plasma is generated inmore » the form of higher harmonics and/or electromagnetic pulses, which are compressed and intensified after reflection from relativistic mirrors created by nonlinear waves. In the limit of extremely strong electromagnetic waves, radiation friction, which accompanies the conversion of radiation from the optical range to the gamma range, fundamentally changes the behavior of the plasma. This process is accompanied by the production of electron–positron pairs, which is described within quantum electrodynamics theory.« less

9 GeV energy gain in a beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litos, M.; Adli, E.; Allen, J. M.

2016-02-15

An electron beam has gained a maximum energy of 9 GeV per particle in a 1.3 m-long electron beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator. The amount of charge accelerated in the spectral peak was 28.3 pC, and the root-mean-square energy spread was 5.0%. The mean accelerated charge and energy gain per particle of the 215 shot data set was 115 pC and 5.3 GeV, respectively, corresponding to an acceleration gradient of 4.0 GeV m -1 at the spectral peak. Moreover, the mean energy spread of the data set was 5.1%. Our results are consistent with the extrapolation of the previously reported energymore » gain results using a shorter, 36 cm-long plasma source to within 10%, evincing a non-evolving wake structure that can propagate distances of over a meter in length. Wake-loading effects were evident in the data through strong dependencies observed between various spectral properties and the amount of accelerated charge.« less

High-performance modeling of plasma-based acceleration and laser-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vay, Jean-Luc; Blaclard, Guillaume; Godfrey, Brendan; Kirchen, Manuel; Lee, Patrick; Lehe, Remi; Lobet, Mathieu; Vincenti, Henri

2016-10-01

Large-scale numerical simulations are essential to the design of plasma-based accelerators and laser-plasma interations for ultra-high intensity (UHI) physics. The electromagnetic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) approach is the method of choice for self-consistent simulations, as it is based on first principles, and captures all kinetic effects, and also scale favorably to many cores on supercomputers. The standard PIC algorithm relies on second-order finite-difference discretization of the Maxwell and Newton-Lorentz equations. We present here novel formulations, based on very high-order pseudo-spectral Maxwell solvers, which enable near-total elimination of the numerical Cherenkov instability and increased accuracy over the standard PIC method for standard laboratory frame and Lorentz boosted frame simulations. We also present the latest implementations in the PIC modules Warp-PICSAR and FBPIC on the Intel Xeon Phi and GPU architectures. Examples of applications will be given on the simulation of laser-plasma accelerators and high-harmonic generation with plasma mirrors. Work supported by US-DOE Contracts DE-AC02-05CH11231 and by the European Commission through the Marie Slowdoska-Curie fellowship PICSSAR Grant Number 624543. Used resources of NERSC.

Measurement of Laser Plasma Instability (LPI) Driven Light Scattering from Plasmas Produced by Nike KrF Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Jaechul; Weaver, J. L.; Phillips, L.; Obenschain, S. P.; Schmitt, A. J.; Kehne, D. M.; Serlin, V.; Lehmberg, R. H.; McLean, E. A.; Manka, C. K.

2010-11-01

With short wavelength (248 nm), large bandwidth (1˜3 THz), and ISI beam smoothing, Nike KrF laser provides unique research opportunities and potential for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. Previous Nike experiments observed two plasmon decay (TPD) driven signals from CH plasmas at the laser intensities above ˜2x10^15 W/cm^2 with total laser energies up to 1 kJ of ˜350 ps FWHM pulses. We have performed a further experiment with longer laser pulses (0.5˜4.0 ns FWHM) and will present combined results of the experiments focusing on light emission data in spectral ranges relevant to the Raman (SRS) and TPD instabilities. Time- or space-resolved spectral features of TPD were detected at different viewing angles and the absolute intensity calibrated spectra of thermal background were used to obtain blackbody temperatures in the plasma corona. The wave vector distribution in k-space of the participating TPD plasmons will be also discussed. These results show promise for the proposed direct-drive designs.

Laser driven ion accelerator

DOEpatents

Tajima, Toshiki

2006-04-18

A system and method of accelerating ions in an accelerator to optimize the energy produced by a light source. Several parameters may be controlled in constructing a target used in the accelerator system to adjust performance of the accelerator system. These parameters include the material, thickness, geometry and surface of the target.

Theoretical performance of plasma driven railguns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thio, Y. C.; McNab, I. R.; Condit, W. C.

1983-07-01

The overall efficiency of a railgun launch system is the product of efficiencies of its subsystems: prime mover, energy storage, pulse forming network, and accelerator. In this paper, the efficiency of the accelerator is examined in terms of the processes occurring in the accelerator. The principal loss mechanisms include Joule heating in the plasma, in the rails, kinetic energy of the driving plasma and magnetic energy remaining in the accelerator after projectile exit. The mass of the plasma and the atomic weight of the ionic species are important parameters in determining the energy loss in the plasma. Techniques are developed for selecting these parameters of minimize this loss.

On the enhancement of p-11B fusion reaction rate in laser-driven plasma by α → p collisional energy transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belloni, Fabio; Margarone, Daniele; Picciotto, Antonino; Schillaci, Francesco; Giuffrida, Lorenzo

2018-02-01

The possibility of triggering an avalanche reaction in laser-driven p-11B fusion by the effect of collisional energy transfer from α particles to protons has recently been debated, especially in connection to the high yield of α particles (4 × 108 per laser shot) achieved on engineered targets at the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS), with a pulse of 500 J, 0.3 ns FWHM. We elucidate this controversial subject within the framework of a simple two-population model for protons, based on the binary collision theory in a plasma. We find an avalanche characteristic time of almost 1 μs for the 675 keV fusion cross section resonance in typical PALS plasma, upon idealized confinement conditions. This avalanche time is one order of magnitude higher than previously reported, meaning that no such process can substantially develop in plasma at the PALS on the 675 keV resonance, not even in the most optimistic confinement scenarios. Nevertheless, we put forward for further investigation that more realistic conditions for setting up the avalanche regime could rather be attained by suitably targeting the narrow 163 keV resonance in the fusion cross section, also in connection to recently proposed laser-driven magnetic trapping techniques.

Fully microscopic analysis of laser-driven finite plasmas using the example of clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peltz, Christian; Varin, Charles; Brabec, Thomas; Fennel, Thomas

2012-06-01

We discuss a microscopic particle-in-cell (MicPIC) approach that allows bridging of the microscopic and macroscopic realms of laser-driven plasma physics. The simultaneous resolution of collisions and electromagnetic field propagation in MicPIC enables the investigation of processes that have been inaccessible to rigorous numerical scrutiny so far. This is illustrated by the two main findings of our analysis of pre-ionized, resonantly laser-driven clusters, which can be realized experimentally in pump-probe experiments. In the linear response regime, MicPIC data are used to extract the individual microscopic contributions to the dielectric cluster response function, such as surface and bulk collision frequencies. We demonstrate that the competition between surface collisions and radiation damping is responsible for the maximum in the size-dependent lifetime of the Mie surface plasmon. The capacity to determine the microscopic underpinning of optical material parameters opens new avenues for modeling nano-plasmonics and nano-photonics systems. In the non-perturbative regime, we analyze the formation and evolution of recollision-induced plasma waves in laser-driven clusters. The resulting dynamics of the electron density and local field hot spots opens a new research direction for the field of attosecond science.

Collective acceleration of laser plasma in a nonstationary and nonuniform magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isaev, A.; Kozlovskiy, K.; Shikanov, A.; Vovchenko, E.

2017-12-01

This paper presents the new experimental results concerning acceleration of deuterium ions extracted from laser plasma in the rapid-growing nonuniform magnetic field in order to initiate the nuclear reactions D(d, n)3He and T(d, n)4He. For obtaining of laser plasma a Nd: YAG laser (λ = 1,06 μm) that generates in Q-switched mode the radiation pulses with the energy W ≤ 0,85 J and duration of τ ≈ 10 ns was used. Rapid-growing magnetic field was created with the discharge of Arkadyev-Marx pulsed-voltage generator to conical coil with the inductance of 0,65 μΗ. At characteristic discharge time of 30 ns, the rate of magnetic field growth achieved 2·107 T/s. Ion velocity was determined with the time-of-flight technique. During the experiment on deuterium plasma an ion flux velocity of ∼3 · 108 cm/s was obtained, which corresponds to the deuteron energy of ∼100 keV. Herewith, for target power density of ∼5·1011 W/cm2 obtaining of up to 1015 of accelerated deuterons and up to 108 of neutrons per a pulse is expected.

Influence of external magnetic field on laser-induced gold nanoparticles fragmentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Serkov, A. A.; The Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, “Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology; Rakov, I. I.

Laser-assisted fragmentation is an efficient method of the nanoparticles size and morphology control. However, its exact mechanisms are still under consideration. One of the remaining problems is the plasma formation, inevitably occurring upon the high intensity laser irradiation. In this Letter, the role of the laser-induced plasma is studied via introduction of high-intensity external magnetic field (up to 7.5 T). Its presence is found to cause the plasma emission to start earlier regarding to a laser pulse, also increasing the plume luminosity. Under these conditions, the acceleration of nanoparticles fragmentation down to a few nanometers is observed. Laser-induced plasma interaction withmore » magnetic field and consequent energy transfer from plasma to nanoparticles are discussed.« less

Characterization of a gamma-ray source based on a laser-plasma accelerator with applications to radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, R. D.; Sinclair, M. A.; Goldsack, T. J.; Krushelnick, K.; Beg, F. N.; Clark, E. L.; Dangor, A. E.; Najmudin, Z.; Tatarakis, M.; Walton, B.; Zepf, M.; Ledingham, K. W. D.; Spencer, I.; Norreys, P. A.; Clarke, R. J.; Kodama, R.; Toyama, Y.; Tampo, M.

2002-03-01

The application of high intensity laser-produced gamma rays is discussed with regard to picosecond resolution deep-penetration radiography. The spectrum and angular distribution of these gamma rays is measured using an array of thermoluminescent detectors for both an underdense (gas) target and an overdense (solid) target. It is found that the use of an underdense target in a laser plasma accelerator configuration produces a much more intense and directional source. The peak dose is also increased significantly. Radiography is demonstrated in these experiments and the source size is also estimated.

Comparative study of the expansion dynamics of laser-driven plasma and shock wave in in-air and underwater ablation regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thao T. P.; Tanabe, Rie; Ito, Yoshiro

2018-03-01

We compared the expansion characteristics of the plasma plumes and shock waves generated in laser-induced shock process between the two ablation regimes: in air and under water. The observation was made from the initial moment when the laser pulse hit the target until 1.5 μs. The shock processes were driven by focusing a single laser pulse (1064 nm, FWHM = 13 ns) onto the surface of epoxy-resin blocks using a 40-mm focal length lens. The estimated laser intensity at the target plane is approximate to 9 ×109Wcm-2 . We used the fast-imaging technique to observe the expansion of the plasma plume and a custom-designed time-resolved photoelasticity imaging technique to observe the propagation of shock waves with the time resolution of nanoseconds. We found that at the same intensity of the laser beam, the plasma expansion during the laser pulse follows different mechanisms: the plasma plume that grows in air follows a radiation-wave model while a detonation-wave model can explain the expansion of the plasma plume induced in water. The ideal blast wave theory can be used to predict the decay of the shock wave in air but is not appropriate to describe the decay of the shock wave induced under water.

BESTIA - the next generation ultra-fast CO 2 laser for advanced accelerator research

DOE PAGES

Pogorelsky, Igor V.; Babzien, Markus; Ben-Zvi, Ilan; ...

2015-12-02

Over the last two decades, BNL’s ATF has pioneered the use of high-peak power CO 2 lasers for research in advanced accelerators and radiation sources. In addition, our recent developments in ion acceleration, Compton scattering, and IFELs have further underscored the benefits from expanding the landscape of strong-field laser interactions deeper into the mid-infrared (MIR) range of wavelengths. This extension validates our ongoing efforts in advancing CO 2 laser technology, which we report here. Our next-generation, multi-terawatt, femtosecond CO 2 laser will open new opportunities for studying ultra-relativistic laser interactions with plasma in the MIR spectral domain, including new regimesmore » in the particle acceleration of ions and electrons.« less

Convergence of the Ponderomotive Guiding Center approximation in the LWFA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Thales; Vieira, Jorge; Helm, Anton; Fonseca, Ricardo; Silva, Luis

2017-10-01

Plasma accelerators arose as potential candidates for future accelerator technology in the last few decades because of its predicted compactness and low cost. One of the proposed designs for plasma accelerators is based on Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA). However, simulations performed for such systems have to solve the laser wavelength which is orders of magnitude lower than the plasma wavelength. In this context, the Ponderomotive Guiding Center (PGC) algorithm for particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations is a potent tool. The laser is approximated by its envelope which leads to a speed-up of around 100 times because the laser wavelength is not solved. The plasma response is well understood, and comparison with the full PIC code show an excellent agreement. However, for LWFA, the convergence of the self-injected beam parameters, such as energy and charge, was not studied before and has vital importance for the use of the algorithm in predicting the beam parameters. Our goal is to do a thorough investigation of the stability and convergence of the algorithm in situations of experimental relevance for LWFA. To this end, we perform simulations using the PGC algorithm implemented in the PIC code OSIRIS. To verify the PGC predictions, we compare the results with full PIC simulations. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant agreement No 653782.

Coherent control of plasma dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Zhaohan

2014-10-01

The concept of coherent control - precise measurement or determination of a process through control of the phase of an applied oscillating field - has been applied to numerous systems with great success. Here, we demonstrate the use of coherent control on plasma dynamics in a laser wakefield electron acceleration experiment. A tightly focused femtosecond laser pulse (10 mJ, 35 fs) was used to generate electron beams by plasma wakefield acceleration in the density down ramp. The technique is based on optimization of the electron beam using a deformable mirror adaptive optical system with an iterative evolutionary genetic algorithm. The image of the electrons on a scintillator screen was processed and used in a fitness function as direct feedback for the optimization algorithm. This coherent manipulation of the laser wavefront leads to orders of magnitude improvement to the electron beam properties such as the peak charge and beam divergence. The laser beam optimized to generate the best electron beam was not the one with the ``best'' focal spot. When a particular wavefront of laser light interacts with plasma, it can affect the plasma wave structures and trapping conditions of the electrons in a complex way. For example, Raman forward scattering, envelope self-modulation, relativistic self-focusing, and relativistic self-phase modulation and many other nonlinear interactions modify both the pulse envelope and phase as the pulse propagates, in a way that cannot be easily predicted and that subsequently dictates the formation of plasma waves. The optimal wavefront could be successfully determined via the heuristic search under laser-plasma conditions that were not known a priori. Control and shaping of the electron energy distribution was found to be less effective, but was still possible. Particle-in-cell simulations were performed to show that the mode structure of the laser beam can affect the plasma wave structure and trapping conditions of electrons, which subsequently produces electron beams with a different divergence. The proof-of-principle demonstration of coherent control for plasmas opens new possibilities for future laser-based accelerators and their applications. This study should also enable a significantly improved understanding of the complex dynamics of laser plasma interactions. This work was supported by DARPA under Contract No. N66001-11-1-4208, the NSF under Contract No. 0935197 and MCubed at the University of Michigan.

Laser-plasmas in the relativistic-transparency regime: Science and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, Juan C.; Cort Gautier, D.; Huang, Chengkung; Palaniyappan, Sasikumar; Albright, Brian J.; Bang, Woosuk; Dyer, Gilliss; Favalli, Andrea; Hunter, James F.; Mendez, Jacob; Roth, Markus; Swinhoe, Martyn; Bradley, Paul A.; Deppert, Oliver; Espy, Michelle; Falk, Katerina; Guler, Nevzat; Hamilton, Christopher; Hegelich, Bjorn Manuel; Henzlova, Daniela; Ianakiev, Kiril D.; Iliev, Metodi; Johnson, Randall P.; Kleinschmidt, Annika; Losko, Adrian S.; McCary, Edward; Mocko, Michal; Nelson, Ronald O.; Roycroft, Rebecca; Santiago Cordoba, Miguel A.; Schanz, Victor A.; Schaumann, Gabriel; Schmidt, Derek W.; Sefkow, Adam; Shimada, Tsutomu; Taddeucci, Terry N.; Tebartz, Alexandra; Vogel, Sven C.; Vold, Erik; Wurden, Glen A.; Yin, Lin

2017-05-01

Laser-plasma interactions in the novel regime of relativistically induced transparency (RIT) have been harnessed to generate intense ion beams efficiently with average energies exceeding 10 MeV/nucleon (>100 MeV for protons) at "table-top" scales in experiments at the LANL Trident Laser. By further optimization of the laser and target, the RIT regime has been extended into a self-organized plasma mode. This mode yields an ion beam with much narrower energy spread while maintaining high ion energy and conversion efficiency. This mode involves self-generation of persistent high magnetic fields (˜104 T, according to particle-in-cell simulations of the experiments) at the rear-side of the plasma. These magnetic fields trap the laser-heated multi-MeV electrons, which generate a high localized electrostatic field (˜0.1 T V/m). After the laser exits the plasma, this electric field acts on a highly structured ion-beam distribution in phase space to reduce the energy spread, thus separating acceleration and energy-spread reduction. Thus, ion beams with narrow energy peaks at up to 18 MeV/nucleon are generated reproducibly with high efficiency (≈5%). The experimental demonstration has been done with 0.12 PW, high-contrast, 0.6 ps Gaussian 1.053 μm laser pulses irradiating planar foils up to 250 nm thick at 2-8 × 1020 W/cm2. These ion beams with co-propagating electrons have been used on Trident for uniform volumetric isochoric heating to generate and study warm-dense matter at high densities. These beam plasmas have been directed also at a thick Ta disk to generate a directed, intense point-like Bremsstrahlung source of photons peaked at ˜2 MeV and used it for point projection radiography of thick high density objects. In addition, prior work on the intense neutron beam driven by an intense deuterium beam generated in the RIT regime has been extended. Neutron spectral control by means of a flexible converter-disk design has been demonstrated, and the neutron beam has been used for point-projection imaging of thick objects. The plans and prospects for further improvements and applications are also discussed.

Laser-plasmas in the relativistic-transparency regime: science and applications

DOE PAGES

Fernandez, Juan Carlos; Gautier, Donald Cort; Huang, Chengkun; ...

2017-05-30

Laser-plasma interactions in the novel regime of relativistically induced transparency (RIT) have been harnessed to generate intense ion beams efficiently with average energies exceeding 10 MeV/nucleon (>100 MeV for protons) at “table-top” scales in experiments at the LANL Trident Laser. By further optimization of the laser and target, the RIT regime has been extended into a self-organized plasma mode. This mode yields an ion beam with much narrower energy spread while maintaining high ion energy and conversion efficiency. This mode involves self-generation of persistent high magnetic fields (~10 4 T, according to particle-in-cell simulations of the experiments) at the rear-sidemore » of the plasma. These magnetic fields trap the laser-heated multi-MeV electrons, which generate a high localized electrostatic field (~0.1 TV/m). After the laser exits the plasma, this electric field acts on a highly structured ion-beam distribution in phase space to reduce the energy spread, thus separating acceleration and energy-spread reduction. Thus, ion beams with narrow energy peaks at up to 18 MeV/nucleon are generated reproducibly with high efficiency (≈5%). The experimental demonstration has been done with 0.12 PW, high-contrast, 0.6 ps Gaussian 1.053 μm laser pulses irradiating planar foils up to 250 nm thick at 2–8 × 10 20 W/cm 2. These ion beams with co-propagating electrons have been used on Trident for uniform volumetric isochoric heating to generate and study warm-dense matter at high densities. These beam plasmas have been directed also at a thick Ta disk to generate a directed, intense point-like Bremsstrahlung source of photons peaked at ~2 MeV and used it for point projection radiography of thick high density objects. In addition, prior work on the intense neutron beam driven by an intense deuterium beam generated in the RIT regime has been extended. Neutron spectral control by means of a flexible converter-disk design has been demonstrated, and the neutron beam has been used for point-projection imaging of thick objects. Finally, we discuss the plans and prospects for further improvements and applications.« less

Laser-Driven Mini-Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterling, Enrique; Lin, Jun; Sinko, John; Kodgis, Lisa; Porter, Simon; Pakhomov, Andrew V.; Larson, C. William; Mead, Franklin B.

2006-05-01

Laser-driven mini-thrusters were studied using Delrin® and PVC (Delrin® is a registered trademark of DuPont) as propellants. TEA CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm) was used as a driving laser. Coupling coefficients were deduced from two independent techniques: force-time curves measured with a piezoelectric sensor and ballistic pendulum. Time-resolved ICCD images of the expanding plasma and combustion products were analyzed in order to determine the main process that generates the thrust. The measurements were also performed in a nitrogen atmosphere in order to test the combustion effects on thrust. A pinhole transmission experiment was performed for the study of the cut-off time when the ablation/air breakdown plasma becomes opaque to the incoming laser pulse.

Laser Radiation Pressure Acceleration of Monoenergetic Protons in an Ultra-Thin Foil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliasson, Bengt; Liu, Chuan S.; Shao, Xi; Sagdeev, Roald Z.; Shukla, Padma K.

2009-11-01

We present theoretical and numerical studies of the acceleration of monoenergetic protons in a double layer formed by the laser irradiation of an ultra-thin film. The stability of the foil is investigated by direct Vlasov-Maxwell simulations for different sets of laser-plasma parameters. It is found that the foil is stable, due to the trapping of both electrons and ions in the thin laser-plasma interaction region, where the electrons are trapped in a potential well composed of the ponderomo-tive potential of the laser light and the electrostatic potential due to the ions, and the ions are trapped in a potential well composed of the inertial potential in an accelerated frame and the electrostatic potential due to the electrons. The result is a stable double layer, where the trapped ions are accelerated to monoenergetic energies up to 100 MeV and beyond, which makes them suitable for medical applications cancer treatment. The underlying physics of trapped and untapped ions in a double layer is also investigated theoretically and numerically.

Shock wave acceleration of protons in inhomogeneous plasma interacting with ultrashort intense laser pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lecz, Zs.; Andreev, A.; Max-Born Institute, Berlin

The acceleration of protons, triggered by solitary waves in expanded solid targets is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. The near-critical density plasma is irradiated by ultrashort high power laser pulses, which generate the solitary wave. The transformation of this soliton into a shock wave during propagation in plasma with exponentially decreasing density profile is described analytically, which allows to obtain a scaling law for the proton energy. The high quality proton bunch with small energy spread is produced by reflection from the shock-front. According to the 2D simulations, the mechanism is stable only if the laser pulse duration is shorter thanmore » the characteristic development time of the parasitic Weibel instability.« less

Advanced Accelerators for Medical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uesaka, Mitsuru; Koyama, Kazuyoshi

We review advanced accelerators for medical applications with respect to the following key technologies: (i) higher RF electron linear accelerator (hereafter “linac”); (ii) optimization of alignment for the proton linac, cyclotron and synchrotron; (iii) superconducting magnet; (iv) laser technology. Advanced accelerators for medical applications are categorized into two groups. The first group consists of compact medical linacs with high RF, cyclotrons and synchrotrons downsized by optimization of alignment and superconducting magnets. The second group comprises laser-based acceleration systems aimed of medical applications in the future. Laser plasma electron/ion accelerating systems for cancer therapy and laser dielectric accelerating systems for radiation biology are mentioned. Since the second group has important potential for a compact system, the current status of the established energy and intensity and of the required stability are given.

Polymers Used as Fuel for Laser Plasma Thrusters in Small Satellites

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-12

irradiation fluences 100 ns after the laser pulse . The velocity of the maximum intensity versus the irradiation fluence is plotted in Fig. 61. The...The first region can be assigned to ionized elements that have been accelerated by a fs laser pulse induced coulomb explosion on the sample surface...acquired for ns laser pulses , plasma studies for fs laser pulse irradiation were performed. This data allowed a comparison of thrust

A simple model for estimating a magnetic field in laser-driven coils

DOE PAGES

Fiksel, Gennady; Fox, William; Gao, Lan; ...

2016-09-26

Magnetic field generation by laser-driven coils is a promising way of magnetizing plasma in laboratory high-energy-density plasma experiments. A typical configuration consists of two electrodes—one electrode is irradiated with a high-intensity laser beam and another electrode collects charged particles from the expanding plasma. The two electrodes are separated by a narrow gap forming a capacitor-like configuration and are connected with a conducting wire-coil. The charge-separation in the expanding plasma builds up a potential difference between the electrodes that drives the electrical current in the coil. A magnetic field of tens to hundreds of Teslas generated inside the coil has beenmore » reported. This paper presents a simple model that estimates the magnetic field using simple assumptions. Lastly, the results are compared with the published experimental data.« less

Laser-to-hot-electron conversion limitations in relativistic laser matter interactions due to multi-picosecond dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schollmeier, M.; Sefkow, A. B.; Geissel, M.; Arefiev, A. V.; Flippo, K. A.; Gaillard, S. A.; Johnson, R. P.; Kimmel, M. W.; Offermann, D. T.; Rambo, P. K.; Schwarz, J.; Shimada, T.

2015-04-01

High-energy short-pulse lasers are pushing the limits of plasma-based particle acceleration, x-ray generation, and high-harmonic generation by creating strong electromagnetic fields at the laser focus where electrons are being accelerated to relativistic velocities. Understanding the relativistic electron dynamics is key for an accurate interpretation of measurements. We present a unified and self-consistent modeling approach in quantitative agreement with measurements and differing trends across multiple target types acquired from two separate laser systems, which differ only in their nanosecond to picosecond-scale rising edge. Insights from high-fidelity modeling of laser-plasma interaction demonstrate that the ps-scale, orders of magnitude weaker rising edge of the main pulse measurably alters target evolution and relativistic electron generation compared to idealized pulse shapes. This can lead for instance to the experimentally observed difference between 45 MeV and 75 MeV maximum energy protons for two nominally identical laser shots, due to ps-scale prepulse variations. Our results show that the realistic inclusion of temporal laser pulse profiles in modeling efforts is required if predictive capability and extrapolation are sought for future target and laser designs or for other relativistic laser ion acceleration schemes.

High-quality electron beams from beam-driven plasma accelerators by wakefield-induced ionization injection.

PubMed

Martinez de la Ossa, A; Grebenyuk, J; Mehrling, T; Schaper, L; Osterhoff, J

2013-12-13

We propose a new and simple strategy for controlled ionization-induced trapping of electrons in a beam-driven plasma accelerator. The presented method directly exploits electric wakefields to ionize electrons from a dopant gas and capture them into a well-defined volume of the accelerating and focusing wake phase, leading to high-quality witness bunches. This injection principle is explained by example of three-dimensional particle-in-cell calculations using the code OSIRIS. In these simulations a high-current-density electron-beam driver excites plasma waves in the blowout regime inside a fully ionized hydrogen plasma of density 5×10(17)cm-3. Within an embedded 100  μm long plasma column contaminated with neutral helium gas, the wakefields trigger ionization, trapping of a defined fraction of the released electrons, and subsequent acceleration. The hereby generated electron beam features a 1.5 kA peak current, 1.5  μm transverse normalized emittance, an uncorrelated energy spread of 0.3% on a GeV-energy scale, and few femtosecond bunch length.

Demonstration of Ion Kinetic Effects in Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions and Investigation of Magnetic Reconnection Using Laser-Produced Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, M. J.

2016-10-01

Shock-driven laser inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions have demonstrated the presence of ion kinetic effects in ICF implosions and also have been used as a proton source to probe the strongly driven reconnection of MG magnetic fields in laser-generated plasmas. Ion kinetic effects arise during the shock-convergence phase of ICF implosions when the mean free path for ion-ion collisions (λii) approaches the size of the hot-fuel region (Rfuel) and may impact hot-spot formation and the possibility of ignition. To isolate and study ion kinetic effects, the ratio of N - K =λii /Rfuel was varied in D3He-filled, shock-driven implosions at the Omega Laser Facility and the National Ignition Facility, from hydrodynamic-like conditions (NK 0.01) to strongly kinetic conditions (NK 10). A strong trend of decreasing fusion yields relative to the predictions of hydrodynamic models is observed as NK increases from 0.1 to 10. Hydrodynamics simulations that include basic models of the kinetic effects that are likely to be present in these experiments-namely, ion diffusion and Knudsen-layer reduction of the fusion reactivity-are better able to capture the experimental results. This type of implosion has also been used as a source of monoenergetic 15-MeV protons to image magnetic fields driven to reconnect in laser-produced plasmas at conditions similar to those encountered at the Earth's magnetopause. These experiments demonstrate that for both symmetric and asymmetric magnetic-reconnection configurations, when plasma flows are much stronger than the nominal Alfvén speed, the rate of magnetic-flux annihilation is determined by the flow velocity and is largely insensitive to initial plasma conditions. This work was supported by the Department of Energy Grant Number DENA0001857.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using mid-infrared femtosecond pulses

DOE PAGES

Hartig, K. C.; Colgan, J.; Kilcrease, D. P.; ...

2015-07-30

Here, we report on a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiment driven by mid-infrared (2.05-μm) fs pulses, in which time-resolved emission spectra of copper were studied. Ab-initio modeling is consistent with the results of new fs measurements at 2.05 μm and traditional 800-nm fs-LIBS. Ablation by mid-infrared fs pulses results in a plasma with a lower plasma density and temperature compared to fs-LIBS performed at shorter laser wavelength. LIBS driven by mid-infrared fs pulses results in a signal-to-background ratio ~50% greater and a signal-to-noise ratio ~40% lower than fs-LIBS at near-infrared laser wavelength.

Reduced 3d modeling on injection schemes for laser wakefield acceleration at plasma scale lengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helm, Anton; Vieira, Jorge; Silva, Luis; Fonseca, Ricardo

2017-10-01

Current modelling techniques for laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) are based on particle-in-cell (PIC) codes which are computationally demanding. In PIC simulations the laser wavelength λ0, in μm-range, has to be resolved over the acceleration lengths in meter-range. A promising approach is the ponderomotive guiding center solver (PGC) by only considering the laser envelope for laser pulse propagation. Therefore only the plasma skin depth λp has to be resolved, leading to speedups of (λp /λ0) 2. This allows to perform a wide-range of parameter studies and use it for λ0 <<λp studies. We present the 3d version of a PGC solver in the massively parallel, fully relativistic PIC code OSIRIS. Further, a discussion and characterization of the validity of the PGC solver for injection schemes on the plasma scale lengths, such as down-ramp injection, magnetic injection and ionization injection, through parametric studies, full PIC simulations and theoretical scaling, is presented. This work was partially supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through Grant No. PTDC/FIS-PLA/2940/2014 and PD/BD/105882/2014.

Laser acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajima, T.; Nakajima, K.; Mourou, G.

2017-02-01

The fundamental idea of Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) is reviewed. An ultrafast intense laser pulse drives coherent wakefield with a relativistic amplitude robustly supported by the plasma. While the large amplitude of wakefields involves collective resonant oscillations of the eigenmode of the entire plasma electrons, the wake phase velocity ˜ c and ultrafastness of the laser pulse introduce the wake stability and rigidity. A large number of worldwide experiments show a rapid progress of this concept realization toward both the high-energy accelerator prospect and broad applications. The strong interest in this has been spurring and stimulating novel laser technologies, including the Chirped Pulse Amplification, the Thin Film Compression, the Coherent Amplification Network, and the Relativistic Mirror Compression. These in turn have created a conglomerate of novel science and technology with LWFA to form a new genre of high field science with many parameters of merit in this field increasing exponentially lately. This science has triggered a number of worldwide research centers and initiatives. Associated physics of ion acceleration, X-ray generation, and astrophysical processes of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are reviewed. Applications such as X-ray free electron laser, cancer therapy, and radioisotope production etc. are considered. A new avenue of LWFA using nanomaterials is also emerging.

Ultra-bright γ-ray emission and dense positron production from two laser-driven colliding foils.

PubMed

Li, Han-Zhen; Yu, Tong-Pu; Liu, Jin-Jin; Yin, Yan; Zhu, Xing-Long; Capdessus, Remi; Pegoraro, Francesco; Sheng, Zheng-Ming; McKenna, Paul; Shao, Fu-Qiu

2017-12-11

Matter can be transferred into energy and the opposite transformation is also possible by use of high-power lasers. A laser pulse in plasma can convert its energy into γ-rays and then e - e + pairs via the multi-photon Breit-Wheeler process. Production of dense positrons at GeV energies is very challenging since extremely high laser intensity ~10 24  Wcm -2 is required. Here we propose an all-optical scheme for ultra-bright γ-ray emission and dense positron production with lasers at intensity of 10 22-23  Wcm -2 . By irradiating two colliding elliptically-polarized lasers onto two diamondlike carbon foils, electrons in the focal region of one foil are rapidly accelerated by the laser radiation pressure and interact with the other intense laser pulse which penetrates through the second foil due to relativistically induced foil transparency. This symmetric configuration enables efficient Compton back-scattering and results in ultra-bright γ-photon emission with brightness of ~10 25 photons/s/mm 2 /mrad 2 /0.1%BW at 15 MeV and intensity of 5 × 10 23  Wcm -2 . Our first three-dimensional simulation with quantum-electrodynamics incorporated shows that a GeV positron beam with density of 2.5 × 10 22 cm -3 and flux of 1.6 × 10 10 /shot is achieved. Collective effects of the pair plasma may be also triggered, offering a window on investigating laboratory astrophysics at PW laser facilities.

Enhanced ion acceleration in transition from opaque to transparent plasmas

DOE PAGES

Mishra, R.; Fiuza, F.; Glenzer, S.

2018-04-20

Using particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate ion acceleration in the interaction of high intensity lasers with plasmas which transition from opaque to transparent during the interaction process. We show that the highest ion energies are achieved when the laser traverses the target around the peak intensity and re-heats the electron population responsible for the plasma expansion, enhancing the corresponding sheath electric field. This process can lead to an increase of up to 2x in ion energy when compared with the standard Target Normal Sheath Acceleration in opaque targets under the same laser conditions. A theoretical model is developed to predict themore » optimal target areal density as a function of laser intensity and pulse duration. A systematic parametric scan for a wide range of target densities and thicknesses is performed in 1D, 2D and 3D and shown consistent with the theory and with recent experimental results. Thus, these results open the way for a better optimization of the ion energy in future laser–solid experiments.« less

Enhanced ion acceleration in transition from opaque to transparent plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mishra, R.; Fiuza, F.; Glenzer, S.

Using particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate ion acceleration in the interaction of high intensity lasers with plasmas which transition from opaque to transparent during the interaction process. We show that the highest ion energies are achieved when the laser traverses the target around the peak intensity and re-heats the electron population responsible for the plasma expansion, enhancing the corresponding sheath electric field. This process can lead to an increase of up to 2x in ion energy when compared with the standard Target Normal Sheath Acceleration in opaque targets under the same laser conditions. A theoretical model is developed to predict themore » optimal target areal density as a function of laser intensity and pulse duration. A systematic parametric scan for a wide range of target densities and thicknesses is performed in 1D, 2D and 3D and shown consistent with the theory and with recent experimental results. Thus, these results open the way for a better optimization of the ion energy in future laser–solid experiments.« less

Theory and Modeling of Petawatt Laser Pulse Propagation in Low Density Plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shadwick, Bradley A.; Kalmykov, S. Y.

Report describing accomplishments in all-optical control of self-injection in laser-plasma accelerators and in developing advanced numerical models of laser-plasma interactions. All-optical approaches to controlling electron self-injection and beam formation in laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs) were explored. It was demonstrated that control over the laser pulse evolution is the key ingredient in the generation of low-background, low-phase-space-volume electron beams. To this end, preserving a smooth laser pulse envelope throughout the acceleration process can be achieved through tuning the phase and amplitude of the incident pulse. A negative frequency chirp compensates the frequency red-shift accumulated due to wake excitation, preventing evolution of themore » pulse into a relativistic optical shock. This reduces the ponderomotive force exerted on quiescent plasma electrons, suppressing expansion of the bubble and continuous injection of background electrons, thereby reducing the charge in the low-energy tail by an order of magnitude. Slowly raising the density in the pulse propagation direction locks electrons in the accelerating phase, boosting their energy, keeping continuous injection at a low level, tripling the brightness of the quasi-monoenergetic component. Additionally, propagating the negatively chirped pulse in a plasma channel suppresses diffraction of the pulse leading edge, further reducing continuous injection. As a side effect, oscillations of the pulse tail may be enhanced, leading to production of low-background, polychromatic electron beams. Such beams, consisting of quasi-monoenergetic components with controllable energy and energy separation, may be useful as drivers of polychromatic x-rays based on Thomson backscattering. These all-optical methods of electron beam quality control are critically important for the development of future compact, high-repetition-rate, GeV-scale LPA using 10 TW-class, ultra-high bandwidth pulses and mm-scale, dense plasmas. These results emphasize that investment into new pulse amplification techniques allowing for ultrahigh frequency bandwidth is as important for the design of future LPA as are the current efforts directed to increasing the pulse energy.« less

Drive electrostatic plasma oscillations in a closed electron drift accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morozov, A.I.; Nevrovskii, V.A.; Smirnov, V.A.

1973-09-01

The present work describes and experimental investigation of the perturbations created in the plasma of a closed electron drift accelerator (CEDA) by a time-varying potential applied to an electrode in the plasma. In particular, the driven electrostatic oscillations are in phase over the entire volume of the channel and the attenuation of the signal amplitude is sensitive to the direction of the electron flux in the accelerator. Certain aspects of the propagation of the harmonic signals and pulses in the plasma are established. A substantial drop in signal amplitude occurs between the electrode and the plasma. (auth)

Plasma Wakefield Acceleration of an Intense Positron Beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blue, B

2004-04-21

The Plasma Wakefield Accelerator (PWFA) is an advanced accelerator concept which possess a high acceleration gradient and a long interaction length for accelerating both electrons and positrons. Although electron beam-plasma interactions have been extensively studied in connection with the PWFA, very little work has been done with respect to positron beam-plasma interactions. This dissertation addresses three issues relating to a positron beam driven plasma wakefield accelerator. These issues are (a) the suitability of employing a positron drive bunch to excite a wake; (b) the transverse stability of the drive bunch; and (c) the acceleration of positrons by the plasma wakemore » that is driven by a positron bunch. These three issues are explored first through computer simulations and then through experiments. First, a theory is developed on the impulse response of plasma to a short drive beam which is valid for small perturbations to the plasma density. This is followed up with several particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations which study the experimental parameter (bunch length, charge, radius, and plasma density) range. Next, the experimental setup is described with an emphasis on the equipment used to measure the longitudinal energy variations of the positron beam. Then, the transverse dynamics of a positron beam in a plasma are described. Special attention is given to the way focusing, defocusing, and a tilted beam would appear to be energy variations as viewed on our diagnostics. Finally, the energy dynamics imparted on a 730 {micro}m long, 40 {micro}m radius, 28.5 GeV positron beam with 1.2 x 10{sup 10} particles in a 1.4 meter long 0-2 x 10{sup 14} e{sup -}/cm{sup 3} plasma is described. First the energy loss was measured as a function of plasma density and the measurements are compared to theory. Then, an energy gain of 79 {+-} 15 MeV is shown. This is the first demonstration of energy gain of a positron beam in a plasma and it is in good agreement with the predictions made by the 3-D PIC code. The work presented in this dissertation will show that plasma wakefield accelerators are an attractive technology for future particle accelerators.« less

Slowing of magnetic reconnection concurrent with weakening plasma inflows and increasing collisionality in strongly-driven laser-plasma experiments

DOE PAGES

Rosenberg, M.  J.; Li, C.  K.; Fox, W.; ...

2015-05-20

An evolution of magnetic reconnection behavior, from fast jets to the slowing of reconnection and the establishment of a stable current sheet, has been observed in strongly-driven, β ≲ 20 laser-produced plasma experiments. This process has been inferred to occur alongside a slowing of plasma inflows carrying the oppositely-directed magnetic fields as well as the evolution of plasma conditions from collisionless to collisional. High-resolution proton radiography has revealed unprecedented detail of the forced interaction of magnetic fields and super-Alfvénic electron jets (V jet~ 20V A) ejected from the reconnection region, indicating that two-fluid or collisionless magnetic reconnection occurs early inmore » time. The absence of jets and the persistence of strong, stable magnetic fields at late times indicates that the reconnection process slows down, while plasma flows stagnate and plasma conditions evolve to a cooler, denser, more collisional state. These results demonstrate that powerful initial plasma flows are not sufficient to force a complete reconnection of magnetic fields, even in the strongly-driven regime.« less

Advanced Accelerators: Particle, Photon and Plasma Wave Interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Ronald L.

2017-06-29

The overall objective of this project was to study the acceleration of electrons to very high energies over very short distances based on trapping slowly moving electrons in the fast moving potential wells of large amplitude plasma waves, which have relativistic phase velocities. These relativistic plasma waves, or wakefields, are the basis of table-top accelerators that have been shown to accelerate electrons to the same high energies as kilometer-length linear particle colliders operating using traditional decades-old acceleration techniques. The accelerating electrostatic fields of the relativistic plasma wave accelerators can be as large as GigaVolts/meter, and our goal was to studymore » techniques for remotely measuring these large fields by injecting low energy probe electron beams across the plasma wave and measuring the beam’s deflection. Our method of study was via computer simulations, and these results suggested that the deflection of the probe electron beam was directly proportional to the amplitude of the plasma wave. This is the basis of a proposed diagnostic technique, and numerous studies were performed to determine the effects of changing the electron beam, plasma wave and laser beam parameters. Further simulation studies included copropagating laser beams with the relativistic plasma waves. New interesting results came out of these studies including the prediction that very small scale electron beam bunching occurs, and an anomalous line focusing of the electron beam occurs under certain conditions. These studies were summarized in the dissertation of a graduate student who obtained the Ph.D. in physics. This past research program has motivated ideas for further research to corroborate these results using particle-in-cell simulation tools which will help design a test-of-concept experiment in our laboratory and a scaled up version for testing at a major wakefield accelerator facility.« less

Efficient energy absorption of intense ps-laser pulse into nanowire target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habara, H.; Honda, S.; Katayama, M.; Sakagami, H.; Nagai, K.; Tanaka, K. A.

2016-06-01

The interaction between ultra-intense laser light and vertically aligned carbon nanotubes is investigated to demonstrate efficient laser-energy absorption in the ps laser-pulse regime. Results indicate a clear enhancement of the energy conversion from laser to energetic electrons and a simultaneously small plasma expansion on the surface of the target. A two-dimensional plasma particle calculation exhibits a high absorption through laser propagation deep into the nanotube array, even for a dense array whose structure is much smaller than the laser wavelength. The propagation leads to the radial expansion of plasma perpendicular to the nanotubes rather than to the front side. These features may contribute to fast ignition in inertial confinement fusion and laser particle acceleration, both of which require high current and small surface plasma simultaneously.

First results with the novel petawatt laser acceleration facility in Dresden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, U.; Bussmann, M.; Irman, A.; Siebold, M.; Zeil, K.; Albach, D.; Bernert, C.; Bock, S.; Brack, F.; Branco, J.; Couperus, JP; Cowan, TE; Debus, A.; Eisenmann, C.; Garten, M.; Gebhardt, R.; Grams, S.; Helbig, U.; Huebl, A.; Kluge, T.; Köhler, A.; Krämer, JM; Kraft, S.; Kroll, F.; Kuntzsch, M.; Lehnert, U.; Loeser, M.; Metzkes, J.; Michel, P.; Obst, L.; Pausch, R.; Rehwald, M.; Sauerbrey, R.; Schlenvoigt, HP; Steiniger, K.; Zarini, O.

2017-07-01

We report on first commissioning results of the DRACO Petawatt ultra-short pulse laser system implemented at the ELBE center for high power radiation sources of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Key parameters of the laser system essential for efficient and reproducible performance of plasma accelerators are presented and discussed with the demonstration of 40 MeV proton acceleration under TNSA conditions as well as peaked electron spectra with unprecedented bunch charge in the 0.5 nC range.

Nonlinear Laser-Plasma Interaction in Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion

DOE PAGES

Geissel, Matthias; Awe, Thomas James; Bliss, David E.; ...

2016-03-04

Sandia National Laboratories is pursuing a variation of Magneto-Inertial Fusion called Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion, or MagLIF. The MagLIF approach requires magnetization of the deuterium fuel, which is accomplished by an initial external B-Field and laser-driven pre-heat. Although magnetization is crucial to the concept, it is challenging to couple sufficient energy to the fuel, since laser-plasma instabilities exist, and a compromise between laser spot size, laser entrance window thickness, and fuel density must be found. Ultimately, nonlinear processes in laser plasma interaction, or laser-plasma instabilities (LPI), complicate the deposition of laser energy by enhanced absorption, backscatter, filamentation and beam-spray. Wemore » determine and discuss key LPI processes and mitigation methods. Results with and without improvement measures are presented.« less

Nonlinear Laser-Plasma Interaction in Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geissel, Matthias; Awe, Thomas James; Bliss, David E.

Sandia National Laboratories is pursuing a variation of Magneto-Inertial Fusion called Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion, or MagLIF. The MagLIF approach requires magnetization of the deuterium fuel, which is accomplished by an initial external B-Field and laser-driven pre-heat. Although magnetization is crucial to the concept, it is challenging to couple sufficient energy to the fuel, since laser-plasma instabilities exist, and a compromise between laser spot size, laser entrance window thickness, and fuel density must be found. Ultimately, nonlinear processes in laser plasma interaction, or laser-plasma instabilities (LPI), complicate the deposition of laser energy by enhanced absorption, backscatter, filamentation and beam-spray. Wemore » determine and discuss key LPI processes and mitigation methods. Results with and without improvement measures are presented.« less

Quasi-monoenergetic ion generation by hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration in inhomogeneous plasmas using tailored laser pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weng, S. M., E-mail: weng-sm@ile.osaka-u.ac.jp; Murakami, M.; Azechi, H.

It is proposed that laser hole-boring at a steady speed in inhomogeneous overdense plasma can be realized by the use of temporally tailored intense laser pulses, producing high-fluence quasi-monoenergetic ion beams. A general temporal profile of such laser pulses is formulated for arbitrary plasma density distribution. As an example, for a precompressed deuterium-tritium fusion target with an exponentially increasing density profile, its matched laser profile for steady hole-boring is given theoretically and verified numerically by particle-in-cell simulations. Furthermore, we propose to achieve fast ignition by the in-situ hole-boring accelerated ions using a tailored laser pulse. Simulations show that the effectivemore » energy fluence, conversion efficiency, energy spread, and collimation of the resulting ion beam can be significantly improved as compared to those found with un-tailored laser profiles. For the fusion fuel with an areal density of 1.5 g cm{sup –2}, simulation indicates that it is promising to realize fast ion ignition by using a tailored driver pulse with energy about 65 kJ.« less

Gas-filled capillaries for plasma-based accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Brentegani, E.; Biagioni, A.; Cianchi, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Ferrario, M.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Zigler, A.

2017-07-01

Plasma Wakefield Accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves excited by either a laser or a particle driver beam. The amplitude of the waves, as well as their spatial dimensions and the consequent accelerating gradient depend strongly on the background electron density along the path of the accelerated particles. The process needs stable and reliable plasma sources, whose density profile must be controlled and properly engineered to ensure the appropriate accelerating mechanism. Plasma confinement inside gas filled capillaries have been studied in the past since this technique allows to control the evolution of the plasma, ensuring a stable and repeatable plasma density distribution during the interaction with the drivers. Moreover, in a gas filled capillary plasma can be pre-ionized by a current discharge to avoid ionization losses. Different capillary geometries have been studied to allow the proper temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma along the acceleration length. Results of this analysis obtained by varying the length and the number of gas inlets will be presented.

Laser Wakefield Acceleration Experiments Using HERCULES Laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matsuoka, T.; McGuffey, C.; Dollar, F.

2009-07-25

Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) in a supersonic gas-jet using a self-guided laser pulse was studied by changing laser power and plasma electron density. The recently upgraded HERCULES laser facility equipped with wavefront correction enables a peak intensity of 6.1x10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2} at laser power of 80 TW to be delivered to the gas-jet using F/10 focusing optics. We found that electron beam charge was increased significantly with an increase of laser power from 30 TW to 80 TW and showed density threshold behavior at a fixed laser power. We also studied the influence of laser focusing conditions by changingmore » the f-number of the optics to F/15 and found an increase in density threshold for electron production compared to the F/10 configuration. The analysis of different phenomena such as betatron motion of electrons, side scattering of the laser pulse for different focusing conditions, the influence of plasma density down ramp on LWFA are shown.« less

Novel aspects of direct laser acceleration of relativistic electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arefiev, Alexey

2015-11-01

Production of energetic electrons is a keystone aspect of ultraintense laser-plasma interactions that underpins a variety of topics and applications, including fast ignition inertial confinement fusion and compact particle and radiation sources. There is a wide range of electron acceleration regimes that depend on the duration of the laser pulse and the plasma density. This talk focuses on the regime in which the plasma is significantly underdense and the laser pulse duration is longer than the electron response time, so that, in contrast to the wakefield acceleration regime, the pulse creates a quasi-static channel in the electron density. Such a regime is of particular interest, since it can naturally arise in experiments with solid density targets where the pre-pulse of an ultraintense laser produces an extended sub-critical pre-plasma. This talk examines the impact of several key factors on electron acceleration by the laser pulse and the resulting electron energy gain. A detailed consideration is given to the role played by: (1) the static longitudinal electric field, (2) the static transverse electric field, (3) the electron injection into the laser pulse, (4) the electromagnetic dispersion, and (5) the static longitudinal magnetic field. It is shown that all of these factors lead, under conditions outlined in the talk, to a considerable electron energy gain that greatly exceeds the ponderomotive limit. The static fields do not directly transfer substantial energy to electrons. Instead, they alter the longitudinal dephasing between the electrons and the laser pulse, which then allows the electrons to gain extra energy from the pulse. The talk will also outline a time-resolution criterion that must be satisfied in order to correctly reproduce these effects in particle-in-cell simulations. Supported by AFOSR Contract No. FA9550-14-1-0045, National Nuclear Security Administration Contract No. DE-FC52-08NA28512, and US Department of Energy Contract No. DE-FG02-04ER54742.

Plasma-driven ultrashort bunch diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dornmair, I.; Schroeder, C. B.; Floettmann, K.

2016-06-10

Ultrashort electron bunches are crucial for an increasing number of applications, however, diagnosing their longitudinal phase space remains a challenge. We propose a new method that harnesses the strong electric fields present in a laser driven plasma wakefield. By transversely displacing driver laser and witness bunch, a streaking field is applied to the bunch. This field maps the time information to a transverse momentum change and, consequently, to a change of transverse position. We illustrate our method with simulations where we achieve a time resolution in the attosecond range.

Accelerating Into the Future: From 0 to GeV in a Few Centimeters (LBNL Summer Lecture Series)

ScienceCinema

Leemans, Wim [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Accelerator and Fusion Research Division (AFRD) and Laser Optics and Accelerator Systems Integrated Studies (LOASIS)

2018-05-04

Summer Lecture Series 2008: By exciting electric fields in plasma-based waveguides, lasers accelerate electrons in a fraction of the distance conventional accelerators require. The Accelerator and Fusion Research Division's LOASIS program, headed by Wim Leemans, has used 40-trillion-watt laser pulses to deliver billion-electron-volt (1 GeV) electron beams within centimeters. Leemans looks ahead to BELLA, 10-GeV accelerating modules that could power a future linear collider.

Accelerating Into the Future: From 0 to GeV in a Few Centimeters (LBNL Summer Lecture Series)

ScienceCinema

Leemans, Wim [LOASIS Program, AFRD

2017-12-09

July 8, 2008 Berkeley Lab lecture: By exciting electric fields in plasma-based waveguides, lasers accelerate electrons in a fraction of the distance conventional accelerators require. The Accelerator and Fusion Research Division's LOASIS program, headed by Wim Leemans, has used 40-trillion-watt laser pulses to deliver billion-electron-volt (1 GeV) electron beams within centimeters. Leemans looks ahead to BELLA, 10-GeV accelerating modules that could power a future linear collider.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Wentao; Liu, Jiansheng, E-mail: michaeljs-liu@siom.ac.cn; Wang, Wentao

An electron beam with the maximum energy extending up to 1.8 GeV, much higher than the dephasing limit, is experimentally obtained in the laser wakefield acceleration with the plasma density of 3.5 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3}. With particle in cell simulations and theoretical analysis, we find that the laser intensity evolution plays a major role in the enhancement of the electron energy gain. While the bubble length decreases due to the intensity-decay of the laser pulse, the phase of the electron beam in the wakefield can be locked, which contributes to the overcoming of the dephasing. Moreover, the laser intensity evolution is describedmore » for the phase-lock acceleration of electrons in the uniform plasma, confirmed with our own simulation. Since the decaying of the intensity is unavoidable in the long distance propagation due to the pump depletion, the energy gain of the high energy laser wakefield accelerator can be greatly enhanced if the current process is exploited.« less

Three-dimensional simulations of ion acceleration from a foil irradiated by a short-pulse laser.

PubMed

Pukhov, A

2001-04-16

Using 3D particle-in-cell simulations we study ion acceleration from a foil irradiated by a laser pulse at 10(19) W/cm(2) intensity. At the front side, the laser ponderomotive force pushes electrons inwards, thus creating the electric field by charge separation, which drags the ions. At the back side of the foil, the ions are accelerated by space charge of the hot electrons exiting into vacuum, as suggested by Hatchett et al. [Phys. Plasmas 7, 2076 (2000)]. The transport of hot electrons through the overdense plasma and their exit into vacuum are strongly affected by self-generated magnetic fields. The fast ions emerge from the rear surface in cones similar to those detected by Clark et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 670 (2000)].

Suppressing Two-Plasmon Decay with Laser Frequency Detuning

DOE PAGES

Follett, R. K.; Shaw, J. G.; Myatt, J. F.; ...

2018-03-30

Three-dimensional laser-plasma interaction simulations show that laser frequency detuning by an amount achievable with current laser technology can be used to suppress the two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability and the corresponding hot-electron generation. For the plasma conditions and laser configuration in a direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosion on the OMEGA laser, the simulations show that ~0.7% laser frequency detuning is sufficient to eliminate TPD-driven hot-electron generation in current experiments. In conclusion, this allows for higher ablation pressures in future implosion designs by using higher laser intensities.

Suppressing Two-Plasmon Decay with Laser Frequency Detuning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Follett, R. K.; Shaw, J. G.; Myatt, J. F.

Three-dimensional laser-plasma interaction simulations show that laser frequency detuning by an amount achievable with current laser technology can be used to suppress the two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability and the corresponding hot-electron generation. For the plasma conditions and laser configuration in a direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosion on the OMEGA laser, the simulations show that ~0.7% laser frequency detuning is sufficient to eliminate TPD-driven hot-electron generation in current experiments. In conclusion, this allows for higher ablation pressures in future implosion designs by using higher laser intensities.

Suppressing Two-Plasmon Decay with Laser Frequency Detuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Follett, R. K.; Shaw, J. G.; Myatt, J. F.; Palastro, J. P.; Short, R. W.; Froula, D. H.

2018-03-01

Three-dimensional laser-plasma interaction simulations show that laser frequency detuning by an amount achievable with current laser technology can be used to suppress the two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability and the corresponding hot-electron generation. For the plasma conditions and laser configuration in a direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosion on the OMEGA laser, the simulations show that ˜0.7 % laser frequency detuning is sufficient to eliminate TPD-driven hot-electron generation in current experiments. This allows for higher ablation pressures in future implosion designs by using higher laser intensities.

Magnetic field generation, Weibel-mediated collisionless shocks, and magnetic reconnection in colliding laser-produced plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, W.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Fiksel, G.

2016-10-01

Colliding plasmas are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments and allow conversion of kinetic energy into heat and, most importantly, the acceleration of particles to extremely high energies to form the cosmic ray spectrum. In collisionless astrophysical plasmas, kinetic plasma processes govern the interaction and particle acceleration processes, including shock formation, self-generation of magnetic fields by kinetic plasma instabilities, and magnetic field compression and reconnection. How each of these contribute to the observed spectra of cosmic rays is not fully understood, in particular both shock acceleration processes and magnetic reconnection have been proposed. We will review recent results of laboratory astrophysics experiments conducted at high-power, inertial-fusion-class laser facilities, which have uncovered significant results relevant to these processes. Recent experiments have now observed the long-sought Weibel instability between two interpenetrating high temperature plasma plumes, which has been proposed to generate the magnetic field necessary for shock formation in unmagnetized regimes. Secondly, magnetic reconnection has been studied in systems of colliding plasmas using either self-generated magnetic fields or externally applied magnetic fields, and show extremely fast reconnection rates, indicating fast destruction of magnetic energy and further possibilities to accelerate particles. Finally, we highlight kinetic plasma simulations, which have proven to be essential tools in the design and interpretation of these experiments.

Ionization waves of arbitrary velocity driven by a flying focus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palastro, J. P.; Turnbull, D.; Bahk, S. -W.

A chirped laser pulse focused by a chromatic lens exhibits a dynamic, or flying, focus in which the trajectory of the peak intensity decouples from the group velocity. In a medium, the flying focus can trigger an ionization front that follows this trajectory. By adjusting the chirp, the ionization front can be made to travel at an arbitrary velocity along the optical axis. For this study, we present analytical calculations and simulations describing the propagation of the flying focus pulse, the self-similar form of its intensity profile, and ionization wave formation. The ability to control the speed of the ionizationmore » wave and, in conjunction, mitigate plasma refraction has the potential to advance several laser-based applications, including Raman amplification, photon acceleration, high-order-harmonic generation, and THz generation.« less