Abstract
We demonstrate a laser wakefield accelerator with a novel electron injection scheme resulting in enhanced stability, reproducibility, and ease of use. In order to inject electrons into the accelerating phase of the plasma wave, a sharp downward density transition is employed. Prior to ionization by the laser pulse this transition is formed by a shock front induced by a knife edge inserted into a supersonic gas jet. With laser pulses of 8 fs duration and with only 65 mJ energy on target, the accelerator produces a monoenergetic electron beam with tunable energy between 15 and 25 MeV and on average 3.3 pC charge per electron bunch. The shock-front injector is a simple and powerful new tool to enhance the reproducibility of laser-driven electron accelerators, is easily adapted to different laser parameters, and should therefore allow scaling to the energy range of several hundred MeV.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 091301 |
Journal | Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
- Surfaces and Interfaces