Direct Laser Acceleration in Laser Wakefield Accelerators PDF Download
Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Direct Laser Acceleration in Laser Wakefield Accelerators PDF full book. Access full book title Direct Laser Acceleration in Laser Wakefield Accelerators by Jessica Shaw. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: Jessica Shaw
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Get Book Here
Book Description
In this dissertation, the direct laser acceleration (DLA) of ionization-injected electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) operating in the quasi-blowout regime has been investigated through experiment and simulation. In the blowout regime of LWFA, the radiation pressure of an intense laser pulse can push a majority of the plasma electrons out and around the main body of the pulse. The expelled plasma electrons feel the electrostatic field of the relatively-stationary ions and are thus attracted back towards the laser axis behind the laser pulse where they overshoot the axis and set up a wake oscillation. When ionization injection is used, the inner-shell electrons of higher-Z dopant atoms are tunnel ionized near the peak of the laser pulse. Those electrons slip back relative to the wake until they gain enough energy from the longitudinal wakefield to become trapped. Those electrons that are trapped off-axis will undergo betatron oscillations in response to the linear transverse focusing force of the ions. Through experiments and supporting simulations, this dissertation demonstrates that when there is a significant overlap between the drive laser and the trapped electrons in a LWFA cavity, the accelerating electrons can gain energy from the DLA mechanism in addition to LWFA. When laser pulse overlaps the trapped electrons, the betatron oscillations of the electrons in the plane of the laser polarization can lead to an energy transfer from the transverse electric field of the laser to the transverse momentum of the electrons. This enhanced transverse momentum can then be converted into increased longitudinal momentum via the v x B force of the laser. This process is known as DLA. In this experimental work, the properties of the electron beams produced in a LWFA where the electrons are injected by ionization injection and become trapped without escaping the laser field have been investigated. The maximum measured energy of the produced electron beams scales with the overlap between the electrons and the laser. Undispersed electrons beams are observed to be elliptical in the plane of the laser polarization, and the energy spectrum splits into a fork at higher energies when the electrons beams are dispersed orthogonal to the direction of the laser polarization. These characteristic features are reproduced in particle-in-cell (PIC) code simulations where particle tracking was used to demonstrate that such spectral features are signatures of the presence of DLA in LWFA. Further PIC simulations comparing LWFA with and without DLA show that the presence of DLA can lead to electron beams that have maximum energies that exceed the estimates given by the theory for the ideal blowout regime. The magnitude of the contribution of DLA to the energy gained by the electron was found to be on the order of the LWFA contribution. In the LWFAs studied here, both DLA and LWFA participate in accelerating the bulk of the electrons in the produced electron beam. The presence of DLA in a LWFA can also lead to enhanced betatron oscillation amplitudes and increased divergence in the direction of the laser polarization.
Author: Jessica Shaw
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Get Book Here
Book Description
In this dissertation, the direct laser acceleration (DLA) of ionization-injected electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) operating in the quasi-blowout regime has been investigated through experiment and simulation. In the blowout regime of LWFA, the radiation pressure of an intense laser pulse can push a majority of the plasma electrons out and around the main body of the pulse. The expelled plasma electrons feel the electrostatic field of the relatively-stationary ions and are thus attracted back towards the laser axis behind the laser pulse where they overshoot the axis and set up a wake oscillation. When ionization injection is used, the inner-shell electrons of higher-Z dopant atoms are tunnel ionized near the peak of the laser pulse. Those electrons slip back relative to the wake until they gain enough energy from the longitudinal wakefield to become trapped. Those electrons that are trapped off-axis will undergo betatron oscillations in response to the linear transverse focusing force of the ions. Through experiments and supporting simulations, this dissertation demonstrates that when there is a significant overlap between the drive laser and the trapped electrons in a LWFA cavity, the accelerating electrons can gain energy from the DLA mechanism in addition to LWFA. When laser pulse overlaps the trapped electrons, the betatron oscillations of the electrons in the plane of the laser polarization can lead to an energy transfer from the transverse electric field of the laser to the transverse momentum of the electrons. This enhanced transverse momentum can then be converted into increased longitudinal momentum via the v x B force of the laser. This process is known as DLA. In this experimental work, the properties of the electron beams produced in a LWFA where the electrons are injected by ionization injection and become trapped without escaping the laser field have been investigated. The maximum measured energy of the produced electron beams scales with the overlap between the electrons and the laser. Undispersed electrons beams are observed to be elliptical in the plane of the laser polarization, and the energy spectrum splits into a fork at higher energies when the electrons beams are dispersed orthogonal to the direction of the laser polarization. These characteristic features are reproduced in particle-in-cell (PIC) code simulations where particle tracking was used to demonstrate that such spectral features are signatures of the presence of DLA in LWFA. Further PIC simulations comparing LWFA with and without DLA show that the presence of DLA can lead to electron beams that have maximum energies that exceed the estimates given by the theory for the ideal blowout regime. The magnitude of the contribution of DLA to the energy gained by the electron was found to be on the order of the LWFA contribution. In the LWFAs studied here, both DLA and LWFA participate in accelerating the bulk of the electrons in the produced electron beam. The presence of DLA in a LWFA can also lead to enhanced betatron oscillation amplitudes and increased divergence in the direction of the laser polarization.
Author: Karl Schmid
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364219950X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 169
Get Book Here
Book Description
This thesis covers the few-cycle laser-driven acceleration of electrons in a laser-generated plasma. This process, known as laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), relies on strongly driven plasma waves for the generation of accelerating gradients in the vicinity of several 100 GV/m, a value four orders of magnitude larger than that attainable by conventional accelerators. This thesis demonstrates that laser pulses with an ultrashort duration of 8 fs and a peak power of 6 TW allow the production of electron energies up to 50 MeV via LWFA. The special properties of laser accelerated electron pulses, namely the ultrashort pulse duration, the high brilliance, and the high charge density, open up new possibilities in many applications of these electron beams.
Author: Gerard Mourou
Publisher:
ISBN: 9811217130
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 269
Get Book Here
Book Description
Author: Zhang, Xi (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 220
Get Book Here
Book Description
Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) and direct laser acceleration (DLA) are two different kinds of laser plasma electron acceleration mechanisms. LWFA relies on the laser-driven plasma wave to accelerate electrons. The interaction of ultra-short ultra-intensive laser pulses with underdense plasma leads the LWFA into a highly nonlinear regime (“plasma bubble regime”) that attracts particular interest nowadays. DLA accelerates electrons by laser electromagnetic wave in the ion channel or the plasma bubble through the Betatron resonance. This dissertation presents a hybrid laser plasma electron acceleration mechanism. We investigate its features through particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and the single particle model. The hybrid laser plasma electron acceleration is the merging concept between the LWFA and the DLA, so called laser wakefield and direct acceleration (LWDA). The requirements of the initial conditions of the electron to undergo the LWDA are determined. The electron must have a large initial transverse energy. Two electron injection mechanisms that are suitable for the LWDA, density bump injection and ionization induced injection, are studied in detail. The features of electron beam phase space and electron dynamics are explored. Electron beam phase space appears several unique features such as spatially separated two groups, the correlation between the transverse energy and the relativistic factor and the double-peak spectrum. Electrons are synergistically accelerated by the wakefield as well as by the laser electromagnetic field in the laser-driven plasma bubble. LWDA are also investigated in the moderate power regime (10 TW) in regarding the effects of laser color and polarization. It is found that the frequency upshift laser pulse has better performance on avoiding time-jitter of electron energy spectra, electron final energy and electron charge yield. Some basic characters that related to the LWDA such as the effects of the subluminal laser wave, the effects of the longitudinal accelerating field, the electron beam emittance, the electron charge yield and potentially applications as radiation source are discussed.
Author: Asher Warren Davidson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Get Book Here
Book Description
In the pursuit of discovering the fundamental laws and particles of nature, physicists have been colliding particles at ever increasing energy for almost a century. Lepton (electrons and positrons) colliders rely on linear accelerators (LINACS) because leptons radiate copious amounts of energy when accelerated in a circular machine. The size and cost of a linear collider is mainly determined by the acceleration gradient. Modern linear accelerators have gradients limited to 20-100 MeV/m because of the breakdown of the walls of the accelerator. Plasma based acceleration is receiving much attention because a plasma wave with a phase velocity near the speed of light can support acceleration gradients at least three orders of magnitude larger than those in modern accelerators. There is no breakdown limit in a plasma since it is already ionized. Such a plasma wave can be excited by the radiation pressure of an intense short pulse laser. This is called laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). Much progress has been made in LWFA research in the past 30 years. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have played a major part in this progress. The physics inherent in LWFA is nonlinear and three-dimensional in nature. Three-dimensional PIC simulations are computationally intensive. In this dissertation, we present and describe in detail a new algorithm that was introduced into the Particle-In-Cell Simulation Framework. We subsequently use this new quasi three-dimensional algorithm to efficiently explore the parameter regimes of LWFA that are accessible for existing and near term lasers. This regimes cannot be explored using full three-dimensional simulations even on leadership class computing facilities. The simulations presented in this dissertation show that the nonlinear, self-guided regime of LWFA described through phenomenological scaling laws by Lu et al., in 2007 is still useful for accelerating electrons to energies greater than 10 GeV. Fortunately, in many situations the physics of LWFA is nearly azimuthally symmetric and the most salient three-dimensional physics is captured by the inclusion of only a few azimuthal harmonics. Recently, it was proposed by Lifschitz et al. [J. Comp. Phys. 228 (5) 2009] to model LWFA by expanding the fields and currents in azimuthal harmonics and truncating the expansion. The complex amplitudes of the fundamental and first harmonic for the fields were solved on an r-z grid and a procedure for calculating the complex current amplitudes for each particle based on its motion in Cartesian geometry was presented using a Marder's correction to maintain the validity of Gauss's law. In this dissertation, we describe in detail the implementation of this algorithm into OSIRIS using a rigorous charge conserving current deposition method to maintain the validity of Gauss's law. We show that this algorithm is a hybrid method which uses a particles-in-cell description in r-z and a gridless description in phi (which we have subsequently coined the 'quasi-3D' method). We include the ability to keep an arbitrary number of harmonics and higher order particle shapes. Examples for laser wakefield acceleration, plasma wakefield acceleration, and beam loading are also presented. In almost all of the recent experiments progress on LWFA the plasma wave wake has been excited in the nonlinear blowout regime. A phenomenological description of this regime was given by Lu et al. [PRSTAB, 10 (061301) 2007]. This included matching conditions for the laser spot size and pulse length so that the laser evolution and wake excitation would be stable and the laser would self-guide. Scaling laws for the electron electron energy (self or externally injected) in terms of the laser and plasma parameters was also given. The parameters for the supporting simulations were limited due to the computational demands for such simulations particularly for higher electron energy. The recent implementation of the quasi-3D algorithm into OSIRIS including the charge conserving current deposit, now make it possible to study these scaling laws and examine how well they still hold for higher laser intensities and laser energies. We have studied in detail how well the nonlinear, self-guided regime works for existing and near term 15-100 Joule lasers. We demonstrate that the scaling laws do capture the key phenomenological characteristics LWFAs under a wide range of different laser and plasma parameters, but are not meant to give exact predictions for a choice of parameters. The simulations indicate that the self-injected particles reach slightly higher energies than estimated by the scaling laws, although the evolution of the maximum energy looks similar when scaled to the dephasing time. We also find that shape of the evolution of the energy, spot size, and wake amplitude scales if the normalized vector potential, and transverse and axial profile shapes remain fixed. If the normalized vector potential is changed then the scaling laws are still useful but the shape of energy evolution curve changes. We also used the scaling laws to optimize the energy gain for a fixed laser energy. We then use the quasi-3D OSIRIS code to study study in detail how to optimize the energy gain for fixed laser energy including how to optimize the axial laser profile. We find that shortening the pulse length and reducing the plasma density is effective in producing a higher energy beam with a low energy spread, given a fixed laser energy.
Author: Leonida Antonio Gizzi
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030258505
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Get Book Here
Book Description
This volume presents a selection of articles based on inspiring lectures held at the “Capri” Advanced Summer School, an original event conceived and promoted by Leonida Antonio Gizzi and Ralph Assmann that focuses on novel schemes for plasma-based particle acceleration and radiation sources, and which brings together researchers from the conventional accelerator community and from the high-intensity laser-matter interaction research fields. Training in these fields is highly relevant for ultra-intense lasers and applications, which have enjoyed dramatic growth following the development of major European infrastructures like the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) and the EuPRAXIA project. The articles preserve the tutorial character of the lectures and reflect the latest advances in their respective fields. The volume is mainly intended for PhD students and young researchers getting started in this area, but also for scientists from other fields who are interested in the latest developments. The content will also appeal to radiobiologists and medical physicists, as it includes contributions on potential applications of laser-based particle accelerators.
Author: Paul Bolton
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429817096
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 552
Get Book Here
Book Description
The first book of its kind to highlight the unique capabilities of laser-driven acceleration and its diverse potential, Applications of Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration presents the basic understanding of acceleration concepts and envisioned prospects for selected applications. As the main focus, this new book explores exciting and diverse application possibilities, with emphasis on those uniquely enabled by the laser driver that can also be meaningful and realistic for potential users. It also emphasises distinction, in the accelerator context, between laser-driven accelerated particle sources and the integrated laser-driven particle accelerator system (all-optical and hybrid versions). A key aim of the book is to inform multiple, interdisciplinary research communities of the new possibilities available and to inspire them to engage with laser-driven acceleration, further motivating and advancing this developing field. Material is presented in a thorough yet accessible manner, making it a valuable reference text for general scientific and engineering researchers who are not necessarily subject matter experts. Applications of Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration is edited by Professors Paul R. Bolton, Katia Parodi, and Jörg Schreiber from the Department of Medical Physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in München, Germany. Features: Reviews the current understanding and state-of-the-art capabilities of laser-driven particle acceleration and associated energetic photon and neutron generation Presents the intrinsically unique features of laser-driven acceleration and particle bunch yields Edited by internationally renowned researchers, with chapter contributions from global experts
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 6
Get Book Here
Book Description
Particle accelerators enable scientists to study the fundamental structure of the universe, but have become the largest and most expensive of scientific instruments. In this project, we advanced the science and technology of laser-plasma accelerators, which are thousands of times smaller and less expensive than their conventional counterparts. In a laser-plasma accelerator, a powerful laser pulse exerts light pressure on an ionized gas, or plasma, thereby driving an electron density wave, which resembles the wake behind a boat. Electrostatic fields within this plasma wake reach tens of billions of volts per meter, fields far stronger than ordinary non-plasma matter (such as the matter that a conventional accelerator is made of) can withstand. Under the right conditions, stray electrons from the surrounding plasma become trapped within these "wake-fields", surf them, and acquire energy much faster than is possible in a conventional accelerator. Laser-plasma accelerators thus might herald a new generation of compact, low-cost accelerators for future particle physics, x-ray and medical research. In this project, we made two major advances in the science of laser-plasma accelerators. The first of these was to accelerate electrons beyond 1 gigaelectronvolt (1 GeV) for the first time. In experimental results reported in Nature Communications in 2013, about 1 billion electrons were captured from a tenuous plasma (about 1/100 of atmosphere density) and accelerated to 2 GeV within about one inch, while maintaining less than 5% energy spread, and spreading out less than 1/2 milliradian (i.e. 1/2 millimeter per meter of travel). Low energy spread and high beam collimation are important for applications of accelerators as coherent x-ray sources or particle colliders. This advance was made possible by exploiting unique properties of the Texas Petawatt Laser, a powerful laser at the University of Texas at Austin that produces pulses of 150 femtoseconds (1 femtosecond is 10-15 seconds) in duration and 150 Joules in energy (equivalent to the muzzle energy of a small pistol bullet). This duration was well matched to the natural electron density oscillation period of plasma of 1/100 atmospheric density, enabling efficient excitation of a plasma wake, while this energy was sufficient to drive a high-amplitude wake of the right shape to produce an energetic, collimated electron beam. Continuing research is aimed at increasing electron energy even further, increasing the number of electrons captured and accelerated, and developing applications of the compact, multi-GeV accelerator as a coherent, hard x-ray source for materials science, biomedical imaging and homeland security applications. The second major advance under this project was to develop new methods of visualizing the laser-driven plasma wake structures that underlie laser-plasma accelerators. Visualizing these structures is essential to understanding, optimizing and scaling laser-plasma accelerators. Yet prior to work under this project, computer simulations based on estimated initial conditions were the sole source of detailed knowledge of the complex, evolving internal structure of laser-driven plasma wakes. In this project we developed and demonstrated a suite of optical visualization methods based on well-known methods such as holography, streak cameras, and coherence tomography, but adapted to the ultrafast, light-speed, microscopic world of laser-driven plasma wakes. Our methods output images of laser-driven plasma structures in a single laser shot. We first reported snapshots of low-amplitude laser wakes in Nature Physics in 2006. We subsequently reported images of high-amplitude laser-driven plasma "bubbles", which are important for producing electron beams with low energy spread, in Physical Review Letters in 2010. More recently, we have figured out how to image laser-driven structures that change shape while propagating in a single laser shot. The latter techniques, which use t ...
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 14
Get Book Here
Book Description
Recently there has been a great interest in laser-plasma accelerators as possible next-generation particle accelerators because of their potential for ultra high accelerating gradients and compact size compared with conventional accelerators. It is known that the laser pulse is capable of exciting a plasma wave propagating at a phase velocity close to the velocity of light by means of beating two-frequency lasers or an ultra short laser pulse. These schemes came to be known as the Beat Wave Accelerator (BWA) for beating lasers or as the Laser Wakefield Accelerator (LWFA) for a short pulse laser. In this paper, the principle of laser wakefield particle acceleration has been tested by the Nd:glass laser system providing a short pulse with a power of 10 TW and a duration of 1 ps. Electrons accelerated up to 18 MeV/c have been observed by injecting 1 MeV/c electrons emitted from a solid target by an intense laser impact. The accelerating field gradient of 30 GeV/m is inferred.
Author: Emilien Guillaume
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Get Book Here
Book Description
