Related papers: Double-relativistic-electron-shell laser proton ac…
We report on the first results of laser plasma wakefield acceleration driven by ultrashort mid-infrared laser pulses (\lambda= 3.9 \mu m, 100 fs, 0.25 TW), which enable near- and above-critical density interactions with moderate-density gas…
We report on an experimental study on the interaction of a high-contrast 40 fs duration 2.5 TW laser pulse with an argon cluster target. A high-charge, homogeneous, large divergence electron beam with moderate kinetic energy (~2 MeV) is…
Identified is a set of ballpark parameters for laser, plasma, and accelerator technologies that are defined for accelerated electron energies reaching as high as PeV. These parameters are carved out from the scaling laws that govern the…
Direct laser acceleration (DLA) offers a compact source of high-charge, energetic electrons for generating secondary radiation or neutrons. While DLA in high-density plasma optimizes the energy transfer from a laser pulse to electrons, it…
We review recent PIC simulation results which show that double-sided irradiation of a thin over- dense plasma slab by ultra-intense laser pulses from both sides can lead to sustained comoving acceleration of surface electrons to energies…
Relativistic laser pulses can accelerate electrons up to energies of several GeV during the interaction with gaseous targets through the direct laser acceleration (DLA) mechanism. While the electrons are accelerated to high energies, they…
Laser-plasma acceleration (LPA) is a compact technique to accelerate electron bunches to highly relativistic energies, making it a promising candidate to power radiation sources for industrial or medical applications. We report on the…
The two-temperature relativistic electron spectrum from a low-density ($3\times10^{17}$~cm$^{-3}$) self-modulated laser wakefield accelerator (SM-LWFA) is observed to transition between temperatures of $19\pm0.65$ and $46\pm2.45$ MeV at an…
The interaction of laser pulses with thin grating targets, having a periodic groove at the irradiated surface, has been experimentally investigated. Ultrahigh contrast ($\sim 10^{12}$) pulses allowed to demonstrate an enhanced laser-target…
A laser-driven particle accelerator based on plasmonic nano-antennas is proposed and analyzed. The concept utilizes the enhancement and localization of the electric field by nano-antennas to maximize the acceleration gradient and to…
The radiation pressure of next generation ultra-high intensity ($>10^{23}$ W/cm$^{2}$) lasers could efficiently accelerate ions to GeV energies. However, nonlinear quantum-electrodynamic effects play an important role in the interaction of…
We report on the stable and continuous operation of a kilohertz laser-plasma accelerator. Electron bunches with 2.6 pC charge and 2.5 MeV peak energy were generated via injection and trapping in a downward plasma density ramp. This density…
The concept of Dielectric Laser Acceleration (DLA) provides highest gradients among non-plasma particle accelerators. However, stable beam transport and staging have not been shown experimentally yet. We present a scheme that confines the…
Laser wakefield acceleration, characterized by the extremely high electric field gradient exceeding 100GV/m, is regarded as a compact and cost affordable technology for the next generation of particle colliders and light sources. However,…
Feasibility of ionization injection for Direct Laser Acceleration (DLA) of electrons up to hundreds of MeV was studied analytically. Criteria for effective injection determining range of background and in-channel plasma parameters, laser…
Laser Plasma Accelerators (LPA) can sustain GeV/m accelerating fields offering outstanding new possibilities for compact applications. Despite the impressive recent developments, the LPA beam quality is still significantly lower than in the…
Positron creation and acceleration is one of the major challenges for constructing future lepton colliders. On the one hand, conventional technology can provide a solution, but at a prohibitive cost and scale. On the other hand,…
We report observation of kHz-pulsed-laser-accelerated electron energies up to 3 MeV in the -$k_\text{laser}$ (backward) direction from a 3 mJ laser interacting at normal incidence with a solid density, flowing-liquid target. The…
A short overview of laser-plasma acceleration of ions is presented. The focus is on some recent experimental results and related theoretical work on advanced regimes. These latter include in particular target normal sheath acceleration…
An all-optical centimeter-scale laser-plasma positron accelerator is modeled to produce quasi-monoenergetic beams with tunable ultra-relativistic energies. A new principle elucidated here describes the trapping of divergent positrons that…