Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Physics
Accordion Effect In Plasma Channels: Generation Of Tunable Comb-Like Electron Beams, Serge Y. Kalmykov, Bradley A. Shadwick, Isaac A. Ghebregziabher, Xavier Davoine, Remi Lehe, Agustin F. Lifschitz, Victor Malka
Accordion Effect In Plasma Channels: Generation Of Tunable Comb-Like Electron Beams, Serge Y. Kalmykov, Bradley A. Shadwick, Isaac A. Ghebregziabher, Xavier Davoine, Remi Lehe, Agustin F. Lifschitz, Victor Malka
Serge Youri Kalmykov
Propagating a short, relativistically intense laser pulse in a plasma channel makes it possible to generate comb-like electron beams for advanced radiation sources. The ponderomotive force of the leading edge of the pulse expels all electrons facing the pulse. The bare ions attract the ambient plasma electrons, forming a closed bubble of electron density confining the pulse tail. The cavity of electron density evolves slowly, in lock-step with the optical driver, and readily traps background electrons. The combination of a bubble (a self-consistently maintained, “soft” hollow channel) and a preformed channel forces transverse flapping of the laser pulse tail, causing …