Title: Electron-beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration of photons
The paper [R .T. Sandberg and A. G. R. Thomas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 085001 (2023)] proposed a scheme to generate ultrashort, high energy pulses of XUV photons through dephasingless photon acceleration in a beam-driven plasma wakefield. An ultrashort laser pulse is placed in the plasma wake behind a relativistic electron bunch so that it experiences a density gradient and therefore shifts up in frequency. Using a tapered density profile provides phase-matching between the driver and witness pulses. In this paper, we study via particle-in-cell simulation the limits, practical realization, and 3D considerations for beam-driven photon acceleration using the tapered plasma density profile. We study increased efficiency by the use of a chirped drive pulse, establishing the necessity of the density profile shape we derived as opposed to a simple linear ramp, but also demonstrating that a piecewise representation of the profile—as could be experimentally achieved by a series of gas cells—is adequate for achieving phase matching. Scalings to even higher frequency shifts are given.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1804463
PAR ID:
10574784
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
AIP publishing
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Volume:
30
Issue:
11
ISSN:
1070-664X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract Frequency up-shifting of laser light in a beam-driven plasma wakefield has the potential to provide high-intensity sources of short wavelength radiation. Simulations have demonstrated that a laser pulse can undergo large frequency shifts, limited only by the drive beam energy, when the plasma density is tailored to match the accelerating phase of the wake to the group velocity of the pulse. Here, we study the dynamical evolution of photons in the 1D1P phase-space vicinity of the plasma wake-phase matching condition. Numerical calculations using a photon kinetic model are validated by direct comparison with 1D and quasi-3D particle-in-cell simulations. These calculations form the basis of a linear theory of the photon dynamics which reveals several important results, including scalings for the properties of the witness pulse and a self-similar solution for the photon phase-space dynamics. One prediction of the analytic theory is that the pulse can be compressed indefinitely, though the amount of compression would ultimately be limited by practical constraints. These results suggest that photon acceleration can provide a novel source of sub-femtosecond, short wavelength radiation. 
    more » « less
  2. Pilat, Fulvia; Fischer, Wolfram; Saethre, Robert; Anisimov, Petr; Andrian, Ivan (Ed.)
    A large challenge with Plasma Wakefield Acceleration lies in creating a plasma with a profile and length that properly match the electron beam. Using a laser-ionized plasma source provides control in creating an appropriate plasma density ramp. Additionally, using a laser-ionized plasma allows for an accelerator to run at a higher repetition rate. At the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests, at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, we ionize hydrogen gas with a 225 mJ, 50 fs, 800 nm laser pulse that passes through an axicon lens, imparting a conical phase on the pulse that produces a focal spot with an intensity distribution described radially by a Bessel function. This paper overviews the diagnostic tests used to characterize and optimize the focal spot along the meter-long focus. In particular, we observe how wavefront aberrations in the laser pulse impact the peak intensity of the focal spot. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of nonlinear effects caused by a 6 mm, CaF2 vacuum window in the laser beam line. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract We have experimentally investigated the collisionless shock acceleration of ions via the interaction of a relativistic intensity (3 × 1019W/cm2), 1.053 µm wavelength laser pulse with an underdense plasma. This plasma is formed through the use of a novel cluster jet design that allows for control of the plasma peak density and front scale length without the use of additional plasma-forming laser pulses. When the front density scale length of the target plasma is less than 60 µm, the laser pulse (1 J, 400 fs) is capable of launching an electrostatic shock wave that accelerates a proton beam. This beam is shown to have a narrow divergence angle of 0.8°, a peak flux of 14 × 106protons/sr with an ion energy exceeding 440 keV. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate this narrow ion beam is produced by converging shocks generated via filamentation of the laser pulse in high-density (near critical) plasma. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Few- and single-cycle optical pulses and their associated ultra-broadband spectra have been crucial in the progress of ultrafast science and technology. Moreover, multi-color waveforms composed of independently manipulable ultrashort pulses in distinct spectral bands offer unique advantages in pulse synthesis and attosecond science. However, the generation and control of ultrashort pulses has required bulky and expensive optical systems at the tabletop scale and has so far been beyond the reach of integrated photonics. Here, we break these limitations and demonstrate two-optical-cycle pulse compression using quadratic two-color soliton dynamics in lithium niobate nanophotonics. By leveraging dispersion engineering and operation near phase matching, we achieve extreme compression, energy-efficient operation, and strong conversion of pump to the second harmonic. We experimentally demonstrate generation of ∼13 fs pulses at 2 µm using only ∼3 pJ of input energy. We further illustrate how the demonstrated scheme can be readily extended to on-chip single-cycle pulse synthesis with sub-cycle control. Our results provide a path towards realization of single-cycle ultrafast systems in nanophotonic circuits. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Laser wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) have electric fields that are orders of magnitude larger than those of conventional accelerators, promising an attractive, small-scale alternative for next-generation light sources and lepton colliders. The maximum energy gain in a single-stage LWFA is limited by dephasing, which occurs when the trapped particles outrun the accelerating phase of the wakefield. Here, we demonstrate that a single space–time structured laser pulse can be used for ionization injection and electron acceleration over many dephasing lengths in the bubble regime. Simulations of a dephasingless laser wakefield accelerator driven by a 6.2-J laser pulse show 25 pC of injected charge accelerated over 20 dephasing lengths (1.3 cm) to a maximum energy of 2.1 GeV. The space–time structured laser pulse features an ultrashort, programmable-trajectory focus. Accelerating the focus, reducing the focused spot-size variation, and mitigating unwanted self-focusing stabilize the electron acceleration, which improves beam quality and leads to projected energy gains of 125 GeV in a single, sub-meter stage driven by a 500-J pulse. 
    more » « less