Optical ionization effects in kHz laser wakefield acceleration with few-cycle pulses

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: Optical ionization effects in kHz laser wakefield acceleration with few-cycle pulses
المؤلفون: Monzac, Joséphine, Smartsev, Slava, Huijts, Julius, Rovige, Lucas, Andriyash, Igor A., Vernier, Aline, Tomkus, Vidmantas, Girdauskas, Valdas, Raciukaitis, Gediminas, Mackevičiūtė, Miglė, Stankevic, Valdemar, Cavagna, Antoine, Kaur, Jaismeen, Kalouguine, André, Lopez-Martens, Rodrigo, Faure, Jérôme
سنة النشر: 2024
المجموعة: Physics (Other)
مصطلحات موضوعية: Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Accelerator Physics, Physics - Optics
الوصف: We present significant advances in Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) operating at a 1 kHz repetition rate, employing a sub-TW, few-femtosecond laser and a continuously flowing hydrogen gas target. We conducted the first comprehensive study assessing how the nature of the gas within the target influences accelerator performance. This work confirms and elucidates the superior performance of hydrogen in kHz LWFA. Our system generates quasi-monoenergetic electron bunches with energies up to 10 MeV, bunch charges of 2 pC, and angular divergences of 15 mrad. Notably, our novel scheme relying on differential pumping enables continuous operation at kHz repetition rates, contrasting with previous systems that operated in burst mode to achieve similar beam properties. Particle-in-cell simulations explain hydrogen's superior performances: the ionization effects in nitrogen and helium distort the laser pulse, negatively impacting accelerator performance. These effects are strongly mitigated in hydrogen plasma, thereby enhancing beam quality. This analysis represents a significant step forward in optimizing and understanding kHz LWFA. It underscores the critical role of hydrogen and the imperative need to develop hydrogen-compatible target systems capable of managing high repetition rates, as exemplified by our differential pumping system. These advances lay the groundwork for further developments in high-repetition-rate LWFA technology.
Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures
نوع الوثيقة: Working Paper
URL الوصول: http://arxiv.org/abs/2406.17426
رقم الأكسشن: edsarx.2406.17426
قاعدة البيانات: arXiv