High-quality electron beams from a laser wakefield accelerator using plasma-channel guiding

C. G. R. Geddes, Cs. Toth, J. van Tilborg, E. Esarey, C. B. Schroeder, D. Bruhwiler, C. Nieter, J. Cary and W. P. Leemans ()
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C. G. R. Geddes: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Cs. Toth: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
J. van Tilborg: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
E. Esarey: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
C. B. Schroeder: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
D. Bruhwiler: Tech-X Corporation
C. Nieter: Tech-X Corporation
J. Cary: Tech-X Corporation
W. P. Leemans: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Nature, 2004, vol. 431, issue 7008, 538-541

Abstract: Abstract Laser-driven accelerators, in which particles are accelerated by the electric field of a plasma wave (the wakefield) driven by an intense laser, have demonstrated accelerating electric fields of hundreds of GV m-1 (refs 1–3). These fields are thousands of times greater than those achievable in conventional radio-frequency accelerators, spurring interest in laser accelerators4,5 as compact next-generation sources of energetic electrons and radiation. To date, however, acceleration distances have been severely limited by the lack of a controllable method for extending the propagation distance of the focused laser pulse. The ensuing short acceleration distance results in low-energy beams with 100 per cent electron energy spread1,2,3, which limits potential applications. Here we demonstrate a laser accelerator that produces electron beams with an energy spread of a few per cent, low emittance and increased energy (more than 109 electrons above 80 MeV). Our technique involves the use of a preformed plasma density channel to guide a relativistically intense laser, resulting in a longer propagation distance. The results open the way for compact and tunable high-brightness sources of electrons and radiation.

Date: 2004
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DOI: 10.1038/nature02900

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