Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Annular quasimonoenergetic electron beams with a mean energy in the range 200–400 MeV and charge on the order of several picocoulombs were generated in a laser wakefield accelerator and subsequently accelerated using a plasma afterburner in a two-stage gas cell. Generation of these beams is associated with injection occurring on the density down ramp between the stages. This well-localized injection produces a bunch of electrons performing coherent betatron oscillations in the wakefield, resulting in a significant increase in the x-ray yield. Annular electron distributions are detected in 40% of shots under optimal conditions. Simultaneous control of the pulse duration and …

Propagating a relativistically intense, negatively chirped laser pulse (the bandwidth > 150 nm) in a plasma channel makes it possible to generate background-free, comb-like electron beams - sequences of synchronized bunches with a low phase-space volume and controlled energy spacing. The tail of the pulse, confined in the accelerator cavity (an electron density ‘bubble’), experiences periodic focusing, while the head, which is the most intense portion of the pulse, steadily self-guides. Oscillations of the cavity size cause periodic injection of electrons from the ambient plasma, creating an electron energy comb with the number of components, their mean energy, and energy …