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Zhu XL, Chen M, Weng SM, Yu TP, Wang WM, He F, Sheng ZM, McKenna P, Jaroszynski DA, Zhang J. Extremely brilliant GeV γ-rays from a two-stage laser-plasma accelerator. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz7240. [PMID: 32523994 PMCID: PMC7259925 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz7240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent developments in laser-wakefield accelerators have led to compact ultrashort X/γ-ray sources that can deliver peak brilliance comparable with conventional synchrotron sources. Such sources normally have low efficiencies and are limited to 107-8 photons/shot in the keV to MeV range. We present a novel scheme to efficiently produce collimated ultrabright γ-ray beams with photon energies tunable up to GeV by focusing a multi-petawatt laser pulse into a two-stage wakefield accelerator. This high-intensity laser enables efficient generation of a multi-GeV electron beam with a high density and tens-nC charge in the first stage. Subsequently, both the laser and electron beams enter into a higher-density plasma region in the second stage. Numerical simulations demonstrate that more than 1012 γ-ray photons/shot are produced with energy conversion efficiency above 10% for photons above 1 MeV, and the peak brilliance is above 1026 photons s-1 mm-2 mrad-2 per 0.1% bandwidth at 1 MeV. This offers new opportunities for both fundamental and applied research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing-Long Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
- Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Min Chen
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Su-Ming Weng
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Tong-Pu Yu
- Department of Physics, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
| | - Wei-Min Wang
- Department of Physics, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Feng He
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zheng-Ming Sheng
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
- Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Cheshire WA4 4AD, UK
- Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Paul McKenna
- SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Cheshire WA4 4AD, UK
| | - Dino A. Jaroszynski
- SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Cheshire WA4 4AD, UK
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MOE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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