Showing papers by "Dino A. Jaroszynski published in 2009"

Laser-driven plasma waves in capillary tubes

Abstract: The excitation of plasma waves over a length of up to 8 cm is demonstrated using laser guiding of intense laser pulses through hydrogen-filled glass capillary tubes. The plasma waves are diagnosed by spectral analysis of the transmitted laser radiation. The dependence of the spectral redshift-measured as a function of filling pressure, capillary tube length, and incident laser energy-is in excellent agreement with simulation results. The longitudinal accelerating field inferred from the simulations is in the range of 1-10 GV/m.

A method of determining narrow energy spread electron beams from a laser plasma wakefield accelerator using undulator radiation

Abstract: In this paper a new method of determining the energy spread of a relativistic electron beam from a laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerator by measuring radiation from an undulator is presented. This could be used to determine the beam characteristics of multi-GeV accelerators where conventional spectrometers are very large and cumbersome. Simultaneous measurement of the energy spectra of electrons from the wakefield accelerator in the 55–70 MeV range and the radiation spectra in the wavelength range of 700–900 nm of synchrotron radiation emitted from a 50 period undulator confirm a narrow energy spread for electrons accelerated over the dephasing distance where beam loading leads to energy compression. Measured energy spreads of less than 1% indicates the potential of using a wakefield accelerator as a driver of future compact and brilliant ultrashort pulse synchrotron sources and free-electron lasers that require high peak brightness beams.

Harnessing Relativistic Plasma Waves As Novel Radiation Sources from Terahertz to X-rays and Beyond

Abstract: When rewritten in an appropriate manner, the microscopic Maxwell-Lorentz equations appear as a wavemechanical theory for photons, and their quantum physical interaction with matter. A natural extension leads from photon wave mechanics to quantum electrodynamics (QED). In its modern formulation photon wave mechanics has given us valuable new insight in subjects such as spatial photon localization, near-field photon dynamics, transverse photon mass, photon eikonal theory, photon tunneling, and rim-zone electrodynamics. The present review is based on my plenary lecture at the SPIE-Europe 2009 Optics and Optoelectronics International Symposium in Prague.

Transport of ultra-short electron bunches in a free-electron laser driven by a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator

Abstract: Focussing ultra-short electron bunches from a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator into an undulator requires particular attention to be paid to the emittance, electron bunch duration and energy spread. Here we present the design and implementation of a focussing system for the ALPHA-X beam transport line, which consists of a triplet of permanent magnet quadrupoles and a triplet of electromagnetic quadrupoles.

Ultrashort pulse filamentation and monoenergetic electron beam production in LWFAs

Abstract: In the experiments reported here, the filamentation of ultrashort laser pulses, due to non-optimal choice of focusing geometry and/or electron number density, has a severely deleterious effect on monoenergetic electron beam production in laser wakefield accelerators. Interactions with relatively small focal spots, w0 < λp/2, and with pulse length cτ ≈ λp, incur fragmentation into a large number of low power filaments. These filaments are modulated with a density dependent size of, on average, close to λp. The break-up of the driving pulse results in shorter interaction lengths, compared with larger focal spots, and broad energy-spread electron beams, which are not useful for applications. Filamentation of the pulse occurs because the strongly dynamic focusing (small f-number) of the laser prevents pulse length compression before reaching its minimum spot-size, which results in non-spherical focusing gradients.

The ALPHA-X beam line: toward a compact FEL

Abstract: Recent progress in developing laser-plasma accelerators is raising the possibility of a compact coherent radiation source that could be housed in a medium sized university department. Furthermore, since the duration of electron bunches from laser-plasma based accelerators is fixed by the relativistic plasma wavelength, the radiation sources based on these accelerators can be of the order of a femtosecond. Beam properties from laser-plasma accelerators have been traditionally thought not to be of sufficient quality to produce amplification. Our work shows that this is not the case.

Narrow spread electron beams from a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator

Abstract: The Advanced Laser-Plasma High-Energy Accelerators towards X-rays (ALPHA-X) programme is developing laserplasma accelerators for the production of ultra-short electron bunches with subsequent generation of incoherent radiation pulses from plasma and coherent short-wavelength radiation pulses from a free-electron laser (FEL). The first quantitative measurements of the electron energy spectra have been made on the University of Strathclyde ALPHA-X wakefield acceleration beam line. A high peak power laser pulse (energy 900 mJ, duration 35 fs) is focused into a gas jet (nozzle length 2 mm) using an F/16 spherical mirror. Electrons from the laser-induced plasma are self-injected into the accelerating potential of the plasma density wake behind the laser pulse. Electron beams emitted from the plasma have been imaged downstream using a series of Lanex screens positioned along the beam line axis and the divergence of the electron beam has been measured to be typically in the range 1-3 mrad. Measurements of the electron energy spectrum, obtained using the ALPHA-X high resolution magnetic dipole spectrometer, are presented. The maximum central energy of the monoenergetic beam is 90 MeV and r.m.s. relative energy spreads as low as 0.8% are measured. The mean central energy is 82 MeV and mean relative energy spread is 1.1%. A theoretical analysis of this unexpectedly high electron beam quality is presented and the potential impact on the viability of FELs driven by electron beams from laser wakefield accelerators is examined.

Electron beam pointing stability of a laser wakefield accelerator

Abstract: Electron acceleration using plasma waves driven by ultra-short relativistic intensity laser pulses has undoubtedly excellent potential for driving a compact light source. However, for a wakefield accelerator to become a useful and reliable compact accelerator the beam properties need to meet a minimum standard. To demonstrate the feasibility of a wakefield based radiation source we have reliably produced electron beams with energies of 82±5 MeV, with 1±0.2% energy spread and 3 mrad r.m.s. divergence using a 0.9 J, 35 fs 800 nm laser. Reproducible beam pointing is essential for transporting the beam along the electron beam line. We find experimentally that electrons are accelerated close to the laser axis at low plasma densities. However, at plasma densities in excess of 1019 cm-3, electron beams have an elliptical beam profile with the major axis of the ellipse rotated with respect to the direction of polarization of the laser.

Pepper-pot emittance measurement of laser-plasma wakefield accelerated electrons

Abstract: The transverse emittance is an important parameter governing the brightness of an electron beam. Here we present the first pepper-pot measurement of the transverse emittance for a mono-energetic electron beam from a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator, carried out on the Advanced Laser-Plasma High Energy Accelerators towards X-Rays (ALPHA-X) beam line. Mono-energetic electrons are passed through an array of 52 μm diameter holes in a tungsten mask. The pepper-pot results set an upper limit for the normalised emittance at 5.5 ± 1 π mm mrad for an 82 MeV beam.

Chirped pulse Raman amplification in plasma: high gain measurements

Abstract: High power short pulse lasers are usually based on chirped pulse amplification (CPA), where a frequency chirped and temporarily stretched "seed" pulse is amplified by a broad-bandwidth solid state medium, which is usually pumped by a monochromatic "pump" laser. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of using chirped pulse Raman amplification (CPRA) as a means of amplifying short pulses in plasma. In this scheme, a short seed pulse is amplified by a stretched and chirped pump pulse through Raman backscattering in a plasma channel. Unlike conventional CPA, each spectral component of the seed is amplified at different longitudinal positions determined by the resonance of the seed, pump and plasma wave, which excites a density echelon that acts as a "chirped" mirror and simultaneously backscatters and compresses the pump. Experimental evidence shows that it has potential as an ultra-broad bandwidth linear amplifier which dispenses with the need for large compressor gratings.

Electro-optic measurement of terahertz pulse energy distribution

Abstract: An accurate and direct measurement of the energy distribution of a low repetition rate terahertz electromagnetic pulse is challenging because of the lack of sensitive detectors in this spectral range. In this paper, we show how the total energy and energy density distribution of a terahertz electromagnetic pulse can be determined by directly measuring the absolute electric field amplitude and beam energy density distribution using electro-optic detection. This method has potential use as a routine method of measuring the energy density of terahertz pulses that could be applied to evaluating future high power terahertz sources, terahertz imaging, and spatially and temporarily resolved pump-probe experiments.

Study of chirped pulse amplification based on Raman backscattering

Abstract: Raman backscattering (RBS) in plasma is an attractive source of intense, ultrashort laser pulses, which has the potential asa basic for a new generation of laser amplifiers.1 Taking advantage of plasma, which can withstand extremely high power densities and can offer high efficiencies over short distances, Raman amplification in plasma could lead to significant reductions in both size and cost of high power laser systems. Chirped laser pulse amplification through RBS could be an effective way to transfer energy from a long pump pulse to a resonant counter propagating short probe pulse. The probe pulse is spectrally broadened in a controlled manner through self-phase modulation. Mechanism of chirped pulse Raman amplification has been studied, and features of supperradiant growth associated with the nonlinear stage are observed in the linear regime. Gain measurements are briefly summarized. The experimental measurements are in qualitative agreement with simulations and theoretical predictions.

Raman amplification in plasma: thermal effects and damping

Abstract: The role of thermal effects on Raman amplification are investigated. The direct effects of damping on the process are found to be limited, leading only to a decrease from the peak output intensity predicted by cold plasma models. However, the shift in plasma resonance due to the Bohm-Gross shift can have a much larger influence, changing the required detuning between pump and probe and introducing an effective chirp through heating of the plasma by the pump pulse. This "thermal chirp" can both reduce the efficiency of the interaction and alter the evolution of the amplified probe, avoiding the increase in length observed in the linear regime without significant pump depletion. The influence of this chirp can be reduced by using a smaller ratio of laser frequency to plasma frequency, which simultaneously increases the growth rate of the probe and decreases the shift in plasma resonance. As such, thermal effects only serve to suppress the amplification of noise at low growth rates. The use of a chirped pump pulse can be used to suppress noise for higher growth rates, and has a smaller impact on the peak output intensity for seeded amplification. For the parameter ranges considered, Landau damping was found to be negligible, as Landau damping rates are typically small, and the low collisionality of the plasma causes the process to saturate quickly.

An All-Optical Synchrotron Light Source

Abstract: We report on the generation of synchrotron radiation from laser accelerated relativistic electrons propagating through an undulator. We indicate that this provides exciting novel opportunities in ultrafast spectroscopy.

Laser based synchrotron light sources

Abstract: We report on the generation of synchrotron radiation from laser accelerated relativistic electrons propagating through an undulator. We discuss the necessary steps towards a tuneable, ultrafast, coherent, UV light source.

Effects of energy absorption on Raman amplification in plasma

Abstract: Stimulated Raman backscattering in plasma has been suggested as a way to amplify short laser pulses to intensities not limited by damage thresholds as in chirped pulse amplification using conventional media. Energy is transferred between two transverse electromagnetic waves, pump and probe, through the parametric interaction with a longitudinal Langmuir wave that is ponderomotively excited by their beat wave. The increase of the plasma temperature due to collisional absorption of the pump wave modifies the dispersion of the Langmuir wave: firstly, its resonance frequency rises (Bohm-Gross shift), and secondly, Landau damping sets in. The frequency shift acts in a similar way to a chirp of the pump frequency, or a density ramp: different spectral components of the probe satisfy the resonance condition at different times. This limits their growth, while increasing the bandwidth of the amplifier, thus leading to superradiant amplification. Landau damping may shorten the probe pulse, but reduces the amplification efficiency. We investigate these effects analytically and using numerical simulations in order to assess their importance in experimental demonstrations, and the possibility of applications.

Towards a compact XUV free-electron laser : characterising the quality of electron beams generated by a laser wakefield accelerator

Abstract: A high power (900 mJ, 35 fs) laser pulse is focused into a gas jet (length 2 mm) and a monoenergetic electron beam is emitted from the laser-induced plasma density wake behind the laser pulse. The most probable electron beam pointing angle as it exits the gas jet is 8 mrad, rotated 40 degrees from the laser polarisation direction. Pepper-pot measurements place an upper limit of 5.5 pi mm mrad on the normalised emittance. The r.m.s. beam divergence is as low as 2 mrad, which indicates an emittance closer to 1 pi mm mrad. The maximum central energy of the beam is ~90 MeV with a r.m.s. relative energy spread as low as 0.8%. An analysis of this unexpectedly high beam quality is presented and its impact on the viability of a free-electron laser driven by the beam is examined.

Electron Self-Injection and Radiation in the Laser Plasma Accelerator

Abstract: The origin of electron trapping at the back of a ‘bubble’, which is formed when the electrons are expelled from an under-dense plasma by an intense laser pulse, is investigated using a reduced model wakefield. The subsequent acceleration and transverse oscillation produces betatron radiation. Such electromagnetic radiation emitted by trapped electron in an ionic bubble is estimated using the Lienard-Wiechert potential.

Temporal evolution of density and field amplitudes in Raman amplification including relativistic and ponderomotive effects

Abstract: The nonlinear regime of Raman amplification has been studied including the combined effects of relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities. The study is important for interaction of mildly relativistic pump and probe laser pulses. Nonlinear coupled temporal evolution of fields and density in Raman amplification is analyzed. It is shown that the saturation amplitude and time of the probe pulse in nonlinear regime depends upon the intensity of the electromagnetic waves and the density of the medium. Further in the nonlinear regime the probe laser pulse gain is severely affected by changes in both the electromagnetic wave amplitude and the plasma density.