409 research outputs found
Optical plasma torch electron bunch generation in plasma wakefield accelerators
A novel, flexible method of witness electron bunch generation in plasma wakefield accelerators is described. A quasistationary plasma region is ignited by a focused laser pulse prior to the arrival of the plasma wave. This localized, shapeable optical plasma torch causes a strong distortion of the plasma blowout during passage of the electron driver bunch, leading to collective alteration of plasma electron trajectories and to controlled injection. This optically steered injection is more flexible and faster when compared to hydro-dynamically controlled gas density transition injection methods
Hot spots and dark current in advanced plasma wakefield accelerators
Dark current can spoil witness bunch beam quality and acceleration efficiency in particle beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerators. In advanced schemes, hot spots generated by the drive beam or the wakefield can release electrons from higher ionization threshold levels in the plasma media. These electrons may be trapped inside the plasma wake and will then accumulate dark current, which is generally detrimental for a clear and unspoiled plasma acceleration process. Strategies for generating clean and robust, dark current free plasma wake cavities are devised and analyzed, and crucial aspects for experimental realization of such optimized scenarios are discussed
Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams
Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m−1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread—an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wave can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. This reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams
29-Si NMR and Hidden Order in URu2Si2
We present new 29-Si NMR spectra in URu2Si2 for varying temperature T, and
external field H. On lowering T, the systematics of the low-field lineshape and
width reveal an extra component (lambda) to the linewidth below T_N ~ 17 K not
observed previously. We find that lambda is magnetic-field independent and
dominates the low-field lineshape for all orientations of H with respect to the
tetragonal c axis. The behavior of lambda indicates a direct relationship
between the 29-Si spin and the transition at T_N, but it is inconsistent with a
coupling of the nuclei to static antiferromagnetic order/disorder of the U-spin
magnetization. This leads us to conjecture that lambda is due to a coupling of
29-Si to the system's hidden-order parameter. A possible coupling mechanism
involving charge degrees of freedom and indirect nuclear spin/spin interactions
is proposed. We also propose further experiments to test for the existence of
this coupling mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Consumption experience, choice experience and the endowment effect
We report experiments investigating how experience influences the endowment effect. Our experiments feature endowments which are bundles of unfamiliar consumption goods. We examine how a subject’s willingness to swap items from their endowment is influenced by prior experiences of tasting the goods in question and by prior experiences of choosing between them. We do not find a statistically significant endowment effect in our baseline treatment and, because of this, we are unable to test for an effect of consumption experience. We do find an endowment effect when the endowment is acquired in two instalments and, in this setting, we find some evidence that choice experience increases trading. In a follow up experiment, we find evidence that the absence of an endowment effect in our baseline treatment is due to subjects being more willing to swap when they do not have to give up the last unit of their endowment
The FLASHForward Facility at DESY
The FLASHForward project at DESY is a pioneering plasma-wakefield
acceleration experiment that aims to produce, in a few centimetres of ionised
hydrogen, beams with energy of order GeV that are of quality sufficient to be
used in a free-electron laser. The plasma wave will be driven by high-current
density electron beams from the FLASH linear accelerator and will explore both
external and internal witness-beam injection techniques. The plasma is created
by ionising a gas in a gas cell with a multi-TW laser system, which can also be
used to provide optical diagnostics of the plasma and electron beams due to the
<30 fs synchronisation between the laser and the driving electron beam. The
operation parameters of the experiment are discussed, as well as the scientific
program.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure
Dynamics of the Gut Microbiota in Children Receiving Selective or Total Gut Decontamination Treatment during Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Bloodstream infections and graft-versus-host disease are common complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) procedures, associated with the gut microbiota that acts as a reservoir for opportunistic pathogens. Selective gut decontamination (SGD) and total gut decontamination (TGD) during HSCT have been associated with a decreased risk of developing these complications after transplantation. However, because studies have shown conflicting results, the use of these treatments remains subject of debate. In addition, their impact on the gut microbiota is not well studied. The aim of this study was to elucidate the dynamics of the microbiota during and after TGD and to compare these with the dynamics of SGD. In this prospective, observational, single center study fecal samples were longitudinally collected from 19 children eligible for allogenic HSCT (TGD, n=12; SGD, n=7), weekly during hospital admission and monthly after discharge. In addition, fecal samples were collected from 3 family stem cell donors. Fecal microbiota structure of patients and donors was determined by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Microbiota richness and diversity markedly decreased during SGD and TGD and gradually increased after cessation of decontamination treatment. During SGD, gut microbiota composition was relatively stable and dominated by Bacteroides, whereas it showed high inter- and intraindividual variation and low Bacteroides abundance during TGD. In some children TGD allowed the genera Enterococcus and Streptococcus to thrive during treatment. A gut microbiota dominated by Bacteroides was associated with increased predicted activity of several metabolic processes. Comparing the microbiota of recipients and their donors indicated that receiving an SCT did not alter the patient's microbiota to become more similar to that of its donor. Overall, our findings indicate that SGD and TGD affect gut microbiota structure in a treatment-specific manner. Whether these treatments affect clinical outcomes via interference with the gut microbiota needs to be further elucidated. (C) 2019 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.Peer reviewe
All-optical density downramp injection in electron-driven plasma wakefield accelerators
Injection of well-defined, high-quality electron populations into plasma waves is a key challenge of plasma wakefield accelerators. Here, we report on the first experimental demonstration of plasma density downramp injection in an electron-driven plasma wakefield accelerator, which can be controlled and tuned in all-optical fashion by mJ-level laser pulses. The laser pulse is directed across the path of the plasma wave before its arrival, where it generates a local plasma density spike in addition to the background plasma by tunnelling ionization of a high ionization threshold gas component. This density spike distorts the plasma wave during the density downramp, causing plasma electrons to be injected into the plasma wave. By tuning the laser pulse energy and shape, highly flexible plasma density spike profiles can be designed, enabling dark current free, versatile production of high-quality electron beams. This in turn permits creation of unique injected beam configurations such as counter-oscillating twin beamlets
Energy-Spread Preservation and High Efficiency in a Plasma-Wakefield Accelerator
Energy-efficient plasma-wakefield acceleration of particle bunches with low energy spread is a promising path to realizing compact free-electron lasers and particle colliders. High efficiency and low energy spread can be achieved simultaneously by strong beam loading of plasma wakefields when accelerating bunches with carefully tailored current profiles [M. Tzoufras et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 145002 (2008)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.101.145002]. We experimentally demonstrate such optimal beam loading in a nonlinear electron-driven plasma accelerator. Bunches with an initial energy of 1 GeV were accelerated by 45 MeV with an energy-transfer efficiency of (42±4)% at a gradient of 1.3  GV/m while preserving per-mille energy spreads with full charge coupling, demonstrating wakefield flattening at the few-percent level
Generation of meter-scale hydrogen plasmas and efficient, pump-depletion-limited wakefield excitation using 10 GeV electron bunches
High repetition rates and efficient energy transfer to the accelerating beam
are important for a future linear collider based on the beam-driven plasma
wakefield acceleration scheme (PWFA-LC). This paper reports the first results
from the Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Collaboration (E300) that are beginning
to address both of these issues using the recently commissioned FACET-II
facility at SLAC. We have generated meter-scale hydrogen plasmas using
time-structured 10 GeV electron bunches from FACET-II, which hold the promise
of dramatically increasing the repetition rate of PWFA by rapidly replenishing
the gas between each shot compared to the hitherto used lithium plasmas that
operate at 1-10 Hz. Furthermore, we have excited wakes in such plasmas that are
suitable for high gradient particle acceleration with high drive-bunch to wake
energy transfer efficiency -- a first step in achieving a high overall energy
transfer efficiency. We have done this by using time-structured electron drive
bunches that typically have one or more ultra-high current (>30 kA) femtosecond
spike(s) superimposed on a longer (~0.4 ps) lower current (<10 kA) bunch
structure. The first spike effectively field-ionizes the gas and produces a
meter-scale (30-160 cm) plasma, whereas the subsequent beam charge creates a
wake. The length and amplitude of the wake depends on the longitudinal current
profile of the bunch and plasma density. We find that the onset of pump
depletion, when some of the drive beam electrons are nearly fully depleted of
their energy, occurs for hydrogen pressure >1.5 Torr. We also show that some
electrons in the rear of the bunch can gain several GeV energies from the wake.
These results are reproduced by particle-in-cell simulations using the QPAD
code. At a pressure of ~2 Torr, simulations results and experimental data show
that the beam transfers about 60% of its energy to the wake
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