Detecting radiation reaction at moderate laser intensities.

We propose a new method of detecting radiation reaction effects in the motion of particles subjected to laser pulses of moderate intensity and long duration. The effect becomes sizable for particles that gain almost no energy through the interaction with the laser pulse. Hence, there are regions of parameter space in which radiation reaction is actually the dominant influence on charged particle motion

Recent Progress at LBNL on Characterization of Laser WakefieldAccelerated Electron Bunches using Coherent Transition Radiation

At LBNL, laser wakefield accelerators (LWFA) can now produce ultra-short electron bunches with energies up to 1 GeV [1]. As femtosecond electron bunches exit the plasma they radiate an intense burst in the terahertz range [2,3] via coherent transition radiation (CTR). Measuring the CTR properties allows non-invasive bunchlength diagnostics [4], a key to continuing rapid advance in LWFA technology. Experimental bunch length characterization for two different energy regimes through bolometric analysis and electro-optic (EO) sampling are presented. Measurements demonstrate both shot-to-shot stability of bunch parameters, and femtosecond synchronization between the bunch, the THz pulse, and the laser beam. In addition, this method of CTR generation provides THz pulses of very high peak power suitable for applications. Recent results reveal LWFA to be a promising intense ultrafast THz source

Development of high gradient laser wakefield accelerators towards nuclear detection applications at LBNL

Compact high-energy linacs are important to applications including monochromatic gamma sources for nuclear material security applications. Recent laser wakefield accelerator experiments at LBNL demonstrated narrow energy spread beams, now with energies of up to 1 GeV in 3 cm using a plasma channel at low density. This demonstrates the production of GeV beams from devices much smaller than conventional linacs, and confirms the anticipated scaling of laser driven accelerators to GeV energies. Stable performance at 0.5 GeV was demonstrated. Experiments and simulations are in progress to control injection of particles into the wake and hence to improve beam quality and stability. Using plasma density gradients to control injection, stable beams at 1 MeV over days of operation, and with an order of magnitude lower absolute momentum spread than previously observed, have been demonstrated. New experiments are post-accelerating the beams from controlled injection experiments to increase beam quality and stability. Thomson scattering from such beams is being developed to provide collimated multi-MeV monoenergetic gamma sources for security applications from compact devices. Such sources can reduce dose to target and increase accuracy for applications including photofission and nuclear resonance fluorescence

Computational studies and optimization of wakefield accelerators

Laser- and particle beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerators produce accelerating fields thousands of times higher than radio-frequency accelerators, offering compactness and ultrafast bunches to extend the frontiers of high energy physics and to enable laboratory-scale radiation sources. Large-scale kinetic simulations provide essential understanding of accelerator physics to advance beam performance and stability and show and predict the physics behind recent demonstration of narrow energy spread bunches. Benchmarking between codes is establishing validity of the models used and, by testing new reduced models, is extending the reach of simulations to cover upcoming meter-scale multi-GeV experiments. This includes new models that exploit Lorentz boosted simulation frames to speed calculations. Simulations of experiments showed that recently demonstrated plasma gradient injection of electrons can be used as an injector to increase beam quality by orders of magnitude. Simulations are now also modeling accelerator stages of tens of GeV, staging of modules, and new positron sources to design next-generation experiments and to use in applications in high energy physics and light sources

Colliding pulse injection experiments in non-collinear geometry for controlled laser plasma wakefield acceleration of electrons

An optical injection scheme for a laser-plasma based accelerator which employs a non-collinear counter-propagating laser beam to push background electrons in the focusing and acceleration phase via ponderomotive beat with the trailing part of the wakefield driver pulse is discussed. Preliminary experiments were performed using a drive beam of a_0 = 2.6 and colliding beam of a_1 = 0.8 both focused on the middle of a 200 mu m slit jet backed with 20 bar, which provided ~; 260 mu m long gas plume. The enhancement in the total charge by the colliding pulse was observed with sharp dependence on the delay time of the colliding beam. Enhancement of the neutron yield was also measured, which suggests a generation of electrons above 10 MeV

Colliding pulse injection experiments in non-collinear geometry for controlled laser plasma wakefield acceleration of electrons

An optical injection scheme for a laser-plasma based accelerator which employs a non-collinear counter-propagating laser beam to push background electrons in the focusing and acceleration phase via ponderomotive beat with the trailing part of the wakefield driver pulse is discussed. Preliminary experiments were performed using a drive beam of a_0 = 2.6 and colliding beam of a_1 = 0.8 both focused on the middle of a 200 mu m slit jet backed with 20 bar, which provided ~; 260 mu m long gas plume. The enhancement in the total charge by the colliding pulse was observed with sharp dependence on the delay time of the colliding beam. Enhancement of the neutron yield was also measured, which suggests a generation of electrons above 10 MeV

Development of high gradient laser wakefield accelerators towards nuclear detection applications at LBNL

Abstract. Compact high-energy linacs are important to applications including monochromatic gamma sources for nuclear material security applications. Recent laser wakefield accelerator experiments at LBNL demonstrated narrow energy spread beams, now with energies of up to 1 GeV in 3 cm using a plasma channel at low density. This demonstrates the production of GeV beams from devices much smaller than conventional linacs, and confirms the anticipated scaling of laser driven accelerators to GeV energies. Stable performance at 0.5 GeV was demonstrated. Experiments and simulations are in progress to control injection of particles into the wake and hence to improve beam quality and stability. Using plasma density gradients to control injection, stable beams at 1 MeV over days of operation, and with an order of magnitude lower absolute momentum spread than previously observed, have been demonstrated. New experiments are post-accelerating the beams from controlled injection experiments to increase beam quality and stability. Thomson scattering from such beams is being developed to provide collimated multi-MeV monoenergetic gamma sources for security applications from compact devices. Such sources can reduce dose to target and increase accuracy for applications including photofission and nuclear resonance fluorescence

Laser Plasma Particle Accelerators: Large Fields for Smaller Facility Sources

Compared to conventional particle accelerators, plasmas can sustain accelerating fields that are thousands of times higher. To exploit this ability, massively parallel SciDAC particle simulations provide physical insight into the development of next-generation accelerators that use laser-driven plasma waves. These plasma-based accelerators offer a path to more compact, ultra-fast particle and radiation sources for probing the subatomic world, for studying new materials and new technologies, and for medical applications