Optimization of Optical Injection and Electron Trapping Efficiency in a Laser Wakefield Accelerator (LWFA)

The laser wakefield accelerator is one of several advanced accelerator concepts that takes advantage of the extremely high electric fields that can be supported in a plasma. Most experiments to date have operated in unstable regimes, producing either poor quality electron beams with large energy spread or poor shot-to-shot reproducibility. This project will modify the resonant laser wakefield acceleration by including a phased electron injection into a plasma channel. The modified procedure has the potential of producing high quality electron beams in a stable and controllable fashion, a prerequisite for realizing a commercial quality, compact plasma accelerator. Phase I will optimize an all-optical electron injector by experimentally combining high-density laser ionization and ponderomotive acceleration with self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration. Trapping efficiency at the entrance of the acceleration plasma channel will be enhanced through the use of novel density profiles. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the Applicant: The technology should lead to compact high energy accelerators capable of producing short-pulse deep-penetrating x-rays for radiography, with applications in industry, national defense, and medicine.