1
|
Liao G, Sun F, Lei H, Wang T, Wang D, Wei Y, Liu F, Wang X, Li Y, Zhang J. Femtosecond Dynamics of Fast Electron Pulses in Relativistic Laser-Foil Interactions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024; 132:155001. [PMID: 38682968 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.155001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
We report the femtosecond time-resolved dynamics of relativistic electron pulses in ultraintense laser-foil interactions, by characterizing the terahertz self-radiation with single-shot ultrabroadband interferometry. Experimental measurements together with theoretical modeling reveal that the electron pulses inherit the duration of the driving laser pulse. We also visualize the electron recirculation dynamics, where electrons remain trapped inside the self-generated electrostatic potential well and rebound back and forth around the thin foil for hundreds of femtoseconds. Our results not only demonstrate an in situ, real-time metrology scheme for electron bursts, but also have important implications for understanding and manipulating the time-domain properties of laser-driven particle and radiation sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guoqian Liao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Fangzheng Sun
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongyi Lei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tianze Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yanyu Wei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Feng Liu
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Yutong Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai 200240, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bruhaug G, Rinderknecht HG, Weichman K, VanDusen-Gross M, Palastro JP, Wei MS, Regan SP, E Y, Garriga K, Zhang XC, Collins GW, Rygg JR. Joule-class THz pulses from microchannel targets. OPTICS LETTERS 2024; 49:1737-1740. [PMID: 38560850 DOI: 10.1364/ol.518981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Inference of joule-class THz radiation sources from microchannel targets driven with hundreds of joule, picosecond lasers is reported. THz sources of this magnitude are useful for nonlinear pumping of matter and for charged-particle acceleration and manipulation. Microchannel targets demonstrate increased laser-THz conversion efficiency compared to planar foil targets, with laser energy to THz energy conversion up to ∼0.9% in the best cases.
Collapse
|
3
|
Denoual E, Bergé L, Davoine X, Gremillet L. Modeling terahertz emissions from energetic electrons and ions in foil targets irradiated by ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:065211. [PMID: 38243518 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.065211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Terahertz (THz) emissions from fast electron and ion currents driven in relativistic, femtosecond laser-foil interactions are examined theoretically. We first consider the radiation from the energetic electrons exiting the backside of the target. Our kinetic model takes account of the coherent transition radiation due to these electrons crossing the plasma-vacuum interface as well as of the synchrotron radiation due to their deflection and deceleration in the sheath field they set up in vacuum. After showing that both mechanisms tend to largely compensate each other when all the electrons are pulled back into the target, we investigate the scaling of the net radiation with the sheath field strength. We then demonstrate the sensitivity of this radiation to a percent-level fraction of escaping electrons. We also study the influence of the target thickness and laser focusing. The same sheath field that confines most of the fast electrons around the target rapidly sets into motion the surface ions. We describe the THz emission from these accelerated ions and their accompanying hot electrons by means of a plasma expansion model that allows for finite foil size and multidimensional effects. Again, we explore the dependencies of this radiation mechanism on the laser-target parameters. Under conditions typical of current ultrashort laser-solid experiments, we find that the THz radiation from the expanding plasma is much less energetic-by one to three orders of magnitude-than that due to the early-time motion of the fast electrons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Denoual
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, LMCE, F-91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
| | - L Bergé
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, LMCE, F-91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
- Centre des Lasers Intenses et Applications, Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, F-33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - X Davoine
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, LMCE, F-91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
| | - L Gremillet
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, LMCE, F-91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lan JJ, Hu ZH, Ran ZH, Li J, Zhou YW, Cao SC, Cheng R, Chen YH, Yan WB, Zhao QT, Zhao YT, Zhang ZM, Wang YN. Experimental observation of the electron beam focusing effect induced by plasma currents with opposite directions. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:065203. [PMID: 38243529 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.065203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
We report on the experimental observation of the focusing effect of a 50MeV accelerator electron beam in a gas-discharge plasma target. The plasma is generated by igniting an electric discharge in two collinear quartz tubes, with the currents up to 1.5kA flowing in opposite directions in either of the two tubes. In such plasma current configuration, the electron beam is defocused in the first discharge tube and focused with a stronger force in the second one. With symmetric plasma currents, asymmetric effects are, however, induced on the beam transport process and the beam radius is reduced by a factor of 2.6 compared to the case of plasma discharge off. Experimental results are supported by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Jie Lan
- School of Physics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhang-Hu Hu
- School of Physics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhao-Hui Ran
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jia Li
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - You-Wei Zhou
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Shu-Chun Cao
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Cheng
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan-Hong Chen
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Bing Yan
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Quan-Tang Zhao
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong-Tao Zhao
- School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Min Zhang
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - You-Nian Wang
- School of Physics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kumar M, Song HS, Lee J, Park D, Suk H, Hur MS. Intense multicycle THz pulse generation from laser-produced nanoplasmas. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4233. [PMID: 36918732 PMCID: PMC10015041 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31427-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a novel scheme to obtain robust, narrowband, and tunable THz emission using a nano-dimensional overdense plasma target, irradiated by two counter-propagating detuned laser pulses. So far, no narrowband THz sources with a field strength of GV/m-level have been reported from laser-solid interaction (mostly half-or single-cycle THz pulses with only broadband frequency spectrum). From two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we find that the strong plasma current generated by the beat ponderomotive force in the colliding region, produces beat-frequency radiation in the THz range. Here we report intense THz pulses [Formula: see text]THz) with an unprecedentedly high peak field strength of 11.9 GV/m and spectral width [Formula: see text], which leads to a regime of an extremely bright narrowband THz source of TW/cm[Formula: see text], suitable for various ambitious applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manoj Kumar
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung Seon Song
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeho Lee
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Dohyun Park
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyyong Suk
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Sup Hur
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pak T, Rezaei-Pandari M, Kim SB, Lee G, Wi DH, Hojbota CI, Mirzaie M, Kim H, Sung JH, Lee SK, Kang C, Kim KY. Multi-millijoule terahertz emission from laser-wakefield-accelerated electrons. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2023; 12:37. [PMID: 36740599 PMCID: PMC9899771 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-022-01068-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
High-power terahertz radiation was observed to be emitted from a gas jet irradiated by 100-terawatt-class laser pulses in the laser-wakefield acceleration of electrons. The emitted terahertz radiation was characterized in terms of its spectrum, polarization, and energy dependence on the accompanying electron bunch energy and charge under various gas target conditions. With a nitrogen target, more than 4 mJ of energy was produced at <10 THz with a laser-to-terahertz conversion efficiency of ~0.15%. Such strong terahertz radiation is hypothesized to be produced from plasma electrons accelerated by the ponderomotive force of the laser and the plasma wakefields on the time scale of the laser pulse duration and plasma period. This model is examined with analytic calculations and particle-in-cell simulations to better understand the generation mechanism of high-energy terahertz radiation in laser-wakefield acceleration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Taegyu Pak
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Mohammad Rezaei-Pandari
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sang Beom Kim
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Geonwoo Lee
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Dae Hee Wi
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Calin Ioan Hojbota
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Mohammad Mirzaie
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Hyeongmun Kim
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Jae Hee Sung
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Seong Ku Lee
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Chul Kang
- Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju, 61005, Korea
| | - Ki-Yong Kim
- Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea.
- Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Korea.
- Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kuratov AS, Brantov AV, Kovalev VF, Bychenkov VY. Powerful laser-produced quasi-half-cycle THz pulses. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:035201. [PMID: 36266787 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.035201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Maxwell equations-based 3D-analytical solution for the terahertz (THz) half-cycle electromagnetic wave transition radiation pulse has been found. This solution describes generation and propagation of transition radiation into free space from laser-produced relativistic electron bunch which crosses a target-vacuum interface as a result of ultrashort laser pulse interaction with a thin high-conductivity target. The analytical solution found complements the theory of laser initiated transition radiation. It describes the THz wave half-cycle pulse at the arbitrary distance from a target surface including near-field zone rather than its standard far-field characterization. The analytical research has also been supplemented with the 3D simulations using the finite-difference time-domain method, which makes it possible for description of much wider spatial domain as compared to that from the particle-in-cell approach. The presented result sheds light fundamentally on the interference of the electron bunch field and the generated THz field of broadband transition radiation from laser-plasma interaction. The latter is studied for a long time in the experiments with solid density plasma and the theory developed may inspire to targeted measurements and investigations of unique super intense half-cycle THz radiation waves near the laser target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A S Kuratov
- P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Leninskii Prospect 53, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Research, Dukhov Research Institute of Automatics (VNIIA), Moscow 127055, Russia
| | - A V Brantov
- P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Leninskii Prospect 53, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Research, Dukhov Research Institute of Automatics (VNIIA), Moscow 127055, Russia
| | - V F Kovalev
- P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Leninskii Prospect 53, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 125047, Russia
| | - V Yu Bychenkov
- P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Leninskii Prospect 53, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Research, Dukhov Research Institute of Automatics (VNIIA), Moscow 127055, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lei HY, Sun FZ, Wang TZ, Chen H, Wang D, Wei YY, Ma JL, Liao GQ, Li YT. Highly efficient generation of GV/m-level terahertz pulses from intense femtosecond laser-foil interactions. iScience 2022; 25:104336. [PMID: 35602940 PMCID: PMC9118729 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The terahertz radiation from ultraintense laser-produced plasmas has aroused increasing attention recently as a promising approach toward strong terahertz sources. Here, we present the highly efficient production of millijoule-level terahertz pulses, from the rear side of a metal foil irradiated by a 10-TW femtosecond laser pulse. By characterizing the terahertz and electron emission in combination with particle-in-cell simulations, the physical reasons behind the efficient terahertz generation are discussed. The resulting focused terahertz electric field strength reaches over 2 GV/m, which is justified by experiments on terahertz strong-field-driven nonlinearity in semiconductors. Ultraintense laser-foil interactions generate a 2.1-mJ strong terahertz pulse Nearly 1% generation efficiency originates from optimized laser-plasma conditions 2-GV/m high THz fields induce absorption bleaching and impact ionization
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Yi Lei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fang-Zheng Sun
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tian-Ze Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan-Yu Wei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing-Long Ma
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Guo-Qian Liao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu-Tong Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, Guangdong, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Enhanced coherent transition radiation from midinfrared-laser-driven microplasmas. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7660. [PMID: 35538111 PMCID: PMC9090813 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10614-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a particle-in-cell (PIC) analysis of terahertz (THz) radiation by ultrafast plasma currents driven by relativistic-intensity laser pulses. We show that, while the I0\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{0}^{2}$$\end{document}λ02 product of the laser intensity I0 and the laser wavelength λ0 plays the key role in the energy scaling of strong-field laser-plasma THz generation, the THz output energy, WTHz, does not follow the I0\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{0}^{2}$$\end{document}λ02 scaling. Its behavior as a function of I0 and λ0 is instead much more complex. Our two- and three-dimensional PIC analysis shows that, for moderate, subrelativistic and weakly relativistic fields, WTHz(I0\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{0}^{2}$$\end{document}λ02) can be approximated as (I0λ02)α, with a suitable exponent α, as a clear signature of vacuum electron acceleration as a predominant physical mechanism whereby the energy of the laser driver is transferred to THz radiation. For strongly relativistic laser fields, on the other hand, WTHz(I0\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{0}^{2}$$\end{document}λ02) closely follows the scaling dictated by the relativistic electron laser ponderomotive potential \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${\mathscr{F}}_{{\text{e}}}$$\end{document}Fe, converging to WTHz ∝ \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${I}_{0}^{1/2}{\lambda }_{0}$$\end{document}I01/2λ0 for very high I0, thus indicating the decisive role of relativistic ponderomotive charge acceleration as a mechanism behind laser-to-THz energy conversion. Analysis of the electron distribution function shows that the temperature Te of hot laser-driven electrons bouncing back and forth between the plasma boundaries displays the same behavior as a function of I0 and λ0, altering its scaling from (I0λ02)α to that of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${\mathscr{F}}_{{\text{e}}}$$\end{document}Fe, converging to WTHz ∝ \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$${I}_{0}^{1/2}{\lambda }_{0}$$\end{document}I01/2λ0 for very high I0. These findings provide a clear physical picture of THz generation in relativistic and subrelativistic laser plasmas, suggesting the THz yield WTHz resolved as a function of I0 and λ0 as a meaningful measurable that can serve as a probe for the temperature Te of hot electrons in a vast class of laser–plasma interactions. Specifically, the α exponent of the best (I0λ02)α fit of the THz yield suggests a meaningful probe that can help identify the dominant physical mechanisms whereby the energy of the laser field is converted to the energy of plasma electrons.
Collapse
|
10
|
Aliev YM, Frolov AA. Excitation of high-intensity terahertz surface modes of plasma slab under action of p-polarized two-frequency laser radiation. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:045203. [PMID: 35590642 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.045203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The excitation of the terahertz (THz) high-intensity surface modes when the two-frequency p-polarized laser radiation interacts with a plasma slab is studied. It was found that the significant amplification of the laser field in the plasma slab occurs when p-polarized laser radiation is incident at the angle of total reflection. It is shown that, under the action of laser radiation ponderomotive forces, the resonant excitation of the THz mode of the plasma slab occurs if the frequency difference of the laser fields coincides with the eigenfrequency of the surface mode. It is established that the giant increase in the energy flux density of the THz mode occurs when p-polarized laser radiation is incident at the angle of total reflection on the near-critical plasma slab with rare electron collisions if the conditions of resonant excitation are satisfied. It is shown that in this case the energy flux density of THz mode can significantly exceed the laser intensity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu M Aliev
- Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - A A Frolov
- Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Curcio A, Gatti G. Time-domain study of the synchrotron radiation emitted from electron beams in plasma focusing channels. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:025201. [PMID: 35291175 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.025201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This paper sheds light on the time structure of betatron radiation, emitted by electrons that undergo betatron oscillations as they accelerate under the action of plasma wakefields. It is a common practice to assume that the betatron pulses are as short as the electron bunch length, however we show that this is not a general rule. Indeed, the betatron pulse length is affected by the betatron motion, which stretches and modulates the radiation pulses already at the source level. Propagation in a vacuum, therefore, can greatly lengthen the betatron pulses by orders of magnitude. In the wake of the above, the coherent emission of betatron radiation is studied. Coherent betatron radiation has been found to propagate in an underdense region created by ponderomotive forces, thus not suppressed by the overdense plasma absorption. This could be observed experimentally, revealing information on the acceleration process and on key beam parameters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Curcio
- Centro de Laseres Pulsados (CLPU), Edificio M5. Parque Científico. C/ Adaja, 8. 37185 Villamayor, Salamanca, Spain
| | - G Gatti
- Centro de Laseres Pulsados (CLPU), Edificio M5. Parque Científico. C/ Adaja, 8. 37185 Villamayor, Salamanca, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lumpkin AH, LaBerge M, Rule DW, Zgadzaj R, Hannasch A, Zarini O, Bowers B, Irman A, Couperus Cabadağ JP, Debus A, Köhler A, Schramm U, Downer MC. Coherent Optical Signatures of Electron Microbunching in Laser-Driven Plasma Accelerators. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:014801. [PMID: 32678646 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.014801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We report observations of coherent optical transition radiation interferometry (COTRI) patterns generated by microbunched ∼200-MeV electrons as they emerge from a laser-driven plasma accelerator. The divergence of the microbunched portion of electrons, deduced by comparison to a COTRI model, is ∼9× smaller than the ∼3 mrad ensemble beam divergence, while the radius of the microbunched beam, obtained from COTR images on the same shot, is <3 μm. The combined results show that the microbunched distribution has estimated transverse normalized emittance ∼0.4 mm mrad.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A H Lumpkin
- Accelerator Division, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
| | - M LaBerge
- Physics Department, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - D W Rule
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20904, USA
| | - R Zgadzaj
- Physics Department, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - A Hannasch
- Physics Department, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - O Zarini
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - B Bowers
- Physics Department, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - A Irman
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - J P Couperus Cabadağ
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - A Debus
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - A Köhler
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - U Schramm
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
- Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - M C Downer
- Physics Department, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Woldegeorgis A, Herzer S, Almassarani M, Marathapalli S, Gopal A. Modeling terahertz emission from the target rear side during intense laser-solid interactions. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:053204. [PMID: 31869893 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.053204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Relativistic laser-solid target interaction is a powerful source of terahertz radiation where broadband terahertz radiation is emitted from the front and rear surfaces of the target. Even though several experimental works have reported the generation of subpicosecond duration gigawatt peak power terahertz pulses from the target rear surface, the underlying physical process behind their origin is still an open question. Here we discuss a numerical model that can accurately reproduce several aspects of the experimental results. The model is based on the charged particle dynamics at the target rear surface and the evolution of the charge separation field. We identify the major contributors that are responsible for broadband terahertz emission from the rear surface of the target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Woldegeorgis
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Max-Wien platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - S Herzer
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Max-Wien platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - M Almassarani
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Max-Wien platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - S Marathapalli
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Max-Wien platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - A Gopal
- Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Max-Wien platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gopal A, Woldegeorgis A, Herzer S, Almassarani M. Spatiotemporal visualization of the terahertz emission during high-power laser-matter interaction. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:053203. [PMID: 31869948 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.053203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Single-cycle pulses with multimillion volts per centimeter field strengths and spectra in the terahertz (THz) band have attracted great interest due to their ability to coherently manipulate molecular orientations and electron spins resonantly and nonresonantly. The tremendous progress made in the development of compact and powerful terahertz sources have identified intense laser-thin foil interaction as a potential candidate for high-power broadband terahertz radiation. They are micrometers in size and deliver radially polarized terahertz pulses with millijoule energy and gigawatt peak power. Although several works have been carried out to investigate the terahertz generation process, their origin and angular distribution are still debated. We present here an indisputable study on their spatiotemporal characteristics and elaborate the underlying physical processes via recording the three-dimensional beam profile along with transient dynamics. These results are substructured with the quantitative visualization of the charge particle spectra.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Gopal
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Physikalisch-Astronomische Fakultät, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Max-Wien Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - A Woldegeorgis
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Physikalisch-Astronomische Fakultät, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Max-Wien Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - S Herzer
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Physikalisch-Astronomische Fakultät, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Max-Wien Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - M Almassarani
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Physikalisch-Astronomische Fakultät, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Max-Wien Platz 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Yi L, Fülöp T. Coherent Diffraction Radiation of Relativistic Terahertz Pulses from a Laser-Driven Microplasma Waveguide. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:094801. [PMID: 31524442 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.094801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We propose a method to generate isolated relativistic terahertz (THz) pulses using a high-power laser irradiating a microplasma waveguide (MPW). When the laser pulse enters the MPW, high-charge electron bunches are produced and accelerated to ∼100 MeV by the transverse magnetic modes. A substantial part of the electron energy is transferred to THz emission through coherent diffraction radiation as the electron bunches exit the MPW. We demonstrate this process with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The frequency of the radiation is determined by the incident laser duration, and the radiated energy is found to be strongly correlated to the charge of the electron bunches, which can be controlled by the laser intensity and microengineering of the MPW target. Our simulations indicate that 100 mJ level relativistic-intense THz pulses with tunable frequency can be generated at existing laser facilities, and the overall efficiency reaches 1%.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Longqing Yi
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tünde Fülöp
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Thiele I, Siminos E, Fülöp T. Electron Beam Driven Generation of Frequency-Tunable Isolated Relativistic Subcycle Pulses. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:104803. [PMID: 30932636 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.104803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We propose a novel scheme for frequency-tunable subcycle electromagnetic pulse generation. To this end a pump electron beam is injected into an electromagnetic seed pulse as the latter is reflected by a mirror. The electron beam is shown to be able to amplify the field of the seed pulse while upshifting its central frequency and reducing its number of cycles. We demonstrate the amplification by means of 1D and 2D particle-in-cell simulations. In order to explain and optimize the process, a model based on fluid theory is proposed. We estimate that using currently available electron beams and terahertz pulse sources, our scheme is able to produce millijoule-strong midinfrared subcycle pulses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Thiele
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - E Siminos
- Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - T Fülöp
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Multimillijoule coherent terahertz bursts from picosecond laser-irradiated metal foils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:3994-3999. [PMID: 30760584 PMCID: PMC6410825 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1815256116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Terahertz (THz) radiation, with frequencies spanning from 0.1 to 10 THz, has long been the most underdeveloped frequency band in electromagnetic waves, mainly due to the dearth of available high-power THz sources. Although the last decades have seen a surge of electronic and optical techniques for generating intense THz radiation, all THz sources reported until now have failed to produce above-millijoule (mJ) THz pulses. We present a THz source that enables a THz pulse energy up to tens of mJ, by using an intense laser pulse to irradiate a metal foil. Ultrahigh-power terahertz (THz) radiation sources are essential for many applications, for example, THz-wave-based compact accelerators and THz control over matter. However, to date none of the THz sources reported, whether based upon large-scale accelerators or high-power lasers, have produced THz pulses with energies above the millijoule (mJ) level. Here, we report a substantial increase in THz pulse energy, as high as tens of mJ, generated by a high-intensity, picosecond laser pulse irradiating a metal foil. A further up-scaling of THz energy by a factor of ∼4 is observed when introducing preplasmas at the target-rear side. Experimental measurements and theoretical models identify the dominant THz generation mechanism to be coherent transition radiation, induced by the laser-accelerated energetic electron bunch escaping the target. Observation of THz-field-induced carrier multiplication in high-resistivity silicon is presented as a proof-of-concept application demonstration. Such an extremely high THz energy not only triggers various nonlinear dynamics in matter, but also opens up the research era of relativistic THz optics.
Collapse
|
18
|
Déchard J, Debayle A, Davoine X, Gremillet L, Bergé L. Terahertz Pulse Generation in Underdense Relativistic Plasmas: From Photoionization-Induced Radiation to Coherent Transition Radiation. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 120:144801. [PMID: 29694108 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.144801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Terahertz to far-infrared emission by two-color, ultrashort optical pulses interacting with underdense helium gases at ultrahigh intensities (>10^{19} W/cm^{2}) is investigated by means of 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The terahertz field is shown to be produced by two mechanisms occurring sequentially, namely, photoionization-induced radiation (PIR) by the two-color pulse, and coherent transition radiation (CTR) by the wakefield-accelerated electrons escaping the plasma. We exhibit laser-plasma parameters for which CTR proves to be the dominant process, providing terahertz bursts with field strength as high as 100 GV/m and energy in excess of 10 mJ. Analytical models are developed for both the PIR and CTR processes, which correctly reproduce the simulation data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Déchard
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
| | - A Debayle
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
| | - X Davoine
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
| | | | - L Bergé
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Liao GQ, Li YT, Zhang YH, Liu H, Ge XL, Yang S, Wei WQ, Yuan XH, Deng YQ, Zhu BJ, Zhang Z, Wang WM, Sheng ZM, Chen LM, Lu X, Ma JL, Wang X, Zhang J. Demonstration of Coherent Terahertz Transition Radiation from Relativistic Laser-Solid Interactions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 116:205003. [PMID: 27258873 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.116.205003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Coherent transition radiation in the terahertz (THz) region with energies of sub-mJ/pulse has been demonstrated by relativistic laser-driven electron beams crossing the solid-vacuum boundary. Targets including mass-limited foils and layered metal-plastic targets are used to verify the radiation mechanism and characterize the radiation properties. Observations of THz emissions as a function of target parameters agree well with the formation-zone and diffraction model of transition radiation. Particle-in-cell simulations also well reproduce the observed characteristics of THz emissions. The present THz transition radiation enables not only a potential tabletop brilliant THz source, but also a novel noninvasive diagnostic for fast electron generation and transport in laser-plasma interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Qian Liao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yu-Tong Li
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yi-Hang Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Xu-Lei Ge
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Su Yang
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Wen-Qing Wei
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiao-Hui Yuan
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yan-Qing Deng
- College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
| | - Bao-Jun Zhu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Wei-Min Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zheng-Ming Sheng
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Li-Ming Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xin Lu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jing-Long Ma
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lundh O, Rechatin C, Lim J, Malka V, Faure J. Experimental measurements of electron-bunch trains in a laser-plasma accelerator. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 110:065005. [PMID: 23432264 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.110.065005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Spectral measurements of visible coherent transition radiation produced by a laser-plasma-accelerated electron beam are reported. The significant periodic modulations that are observed in the spectrum result from the interference of transition radiation produced by multiple bunches of electrons. A Fourier analysis of the spectral interference fringes reveals that electrons are injected and accelerated in multiple plasma wave periods, up to at least 10 periods behind the laser pulse. The bunch separation scales with the plasma wavelength when the plasma density is changed over a wide range. An analysis of the spectral fringe visibility indicates that the first bunch contains most of the charge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- O Lundh
- Department of Physics, Lund University, P.O. Box 118, S-22100 Lund, Sweden.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Schmid K, Veisz L. Supersonic gas jets for laser-plasma experiments. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2012; 83:053304. [PMID: 22667614 DOI: 10.1063/1.4719915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We present an in-depth analysis of De Laval nozzles, which are ideal for gas jet generation in a wide variety of experiments. Scaling behavior of parameters especially relevant to laser-plasma experiments as jet collimation, sharpness of the jet edges and Mach number of the resulting jet is studied and several scaling laws are given. Special attention is paid to the problem of the generation of microscopic supersonic jets with diameters as small as 150 μm. In this regime, boundary layers dominate the flow formation and have to be included in the analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Schmid
- Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Lin C, van Tilborg J, Nakamura K, Gonsalves AJ, Matlis NH, Sokollik T, Shiraishi S, Osterhoff J, Benedetti C, Schroeder CB, Tóth C, Esarey E, Leemans WP. Long-range persistence of femtosecond modulations on laser-plasma-accelerated electron beams. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2012; 108:094801. [PMID: 22463644 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.108.094801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Laser plasma accelerators have produced femtosecond electron bunches with a relative energy spread ranging from 100% to a few percent. Simulations indicate that the measured energy spread can be dominated by a correlated spread, with the slice spread significantly lower. Measurements of coherent optical transition radiation are presented for broad-energy-spread beams with laser-induced density and momentum modulations. The long-range (meter-scale) observation of coherent optical transition radiation indicates that the slice energy spread is below the percent level to preserve the modulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Lin
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Plateau GR, Matlis NH, Geddes CGR, Gonsalves AJ, Shiraishi S, Lin C, van Mourik RA, Leemans WP. Wavefront-sensor-based electron density measurements for laser-plasma accelerators. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2010; 81:033108. [PMID: 20370162 DOI: 10.1063/1.3360889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Characterization of the electron density in laser produced plasmas is presented using direct wavefront analysis of a probe laser beam. The performance of a laser-driven plasma-wakefield accelerator depends on the plasma wavelength and hence on the electron density. Density measurements using a conventional folded-wave interferometer and using a commercial wavefront sensor are compared for different regimes of the laser-plasma accelerator. It is shown that direct wavefront measurements agree with interferometric measurements and, because of the robustness of the compact commercial device, offer greater phase sensitivity and straightforward analysis, improving shot-to-shot plasma density diagnostics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G R Plateau
- LOASIS Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Nakagawa M, Kodama R, Higashiguchi T, Yugami N. Generation of terahertz radiation via an electromagnetically induced transparency at ion acoustic frequency region in laser-produced dense plasmas. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2009; 80:025402. [PMID: 19792190 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.80.025402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Electromagnetically induced transparency is a well-known quantum phenomena that electromagnetic wave controls the refractive index of medium. It enables us to create a passband for low-frequency electromagnetic wave in a dense plasma even if the plasma is opaque for the electromagnetic wave. This technique can be used to prove the ion acoustic wave because the ion acoustic frequency is lower than the plasma frequency. We have investigated a feasibility of electromagnetic radiation at THz region corresponding to the ion acoustic frequency from a dense plasma. We confirmed that the passband is created at about 7.5 THz corresponding to the ion acoustic frequency in the electron plasma density of 10(21) cm(-3) with a Ti:Sapphire laser with the wavelength of 800 nm and the laser intensity of 10(17) W/cm(2). The estimated radiation power is around 1 MW, which is expected to be useful for nonlinear THz science and applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Nakagawa
- Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Yamada-oka 2-1, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Dong XG, Sheng ZM, Wu HC, Wang WM, Zhang J. Single-cycle strong terahertz pulse generation from a vacuum-plasma interface driven by intense laser pulses. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2009; 79:046411. [PMID: 19518363 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.79.046411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Single-cycle strong terahertz pulses can be generated by irradiating ultrashort intense laser pulses onto a tenuous plasma slab. At the plasma surface, laser ponderomotive force accelerates electrons and induces net currents, which radiate terahertz pulses. Our theoretical model suggests that if tau_{L}>2pi/omega_{p}, with tau_{L} as the laser-pulse duration and omega_{p} as the plasma frequency, the emission frequency is around tau_{L};{-1}. On the other hand, the emission frequency is around omega_{p}/2pi if tau_{L}<2pi/omega_{p}. Our numerical simulations support the theoretical model, showing that such a terahertz source is capable of providing megawatt power, field strengths of MV/cm, and broad frequency tunability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- X G Dong
- Beijing National Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, CAS, Beijing 100190, China
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
van Tilborg J, Tóth C, Matlis NH, Plateau GR, Leemans WP. Single-shot measurement of the spectral envelope of broad-bandwidth terahertz pulses from femtosecond electron bunches. OPTICS LETTERS 2008; 33:1186-1188. [PMID: 18516168 DOI: 10.1364/ol.33.001186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We present a new approach (demonstrated experimentally and through modeling) to characterize the spectral envelope of a terahertz (THz) pulse in a single shot. The coherent THz pulse is produced by a femtosecond electron bunch and contains information on the bunch duration. The technique, involving a single low-power laser probe pulse, is an extension of the conventional spectral encoding method (limited in time resolution to hundreds of femtoseconds) into a regime only limited in resolution by the laser pulse length (tens of femtoseconds). While only the bunch duration is retrieved (and not the exact charge profile), such a measurement provides a useful and critical parameter for optimization of the electron accelerator.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J van Tilborg
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Glinec Y, Faure J, Norlin A, Pukhov A, Malka V. Observation of fine structures in laser-driven electron beams using coherent transition radiation. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2007; 98:194801. [PMID: 17677622 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.98.194801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2006] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
We have measured the coherent optical transition radiation emitted by an electron beam from laser-plasma interaction. The measurement of the spectrum of the radiation reveals fine structures of the electron beam in the range 400-1000 nm. These structures are reproduced using an electron distribution from a 3D particle-in-cell simulation and are attributed to microbunching of the electron bunch due to its interaction with the laser field. When the radiator is placed closer to the interaction point, spectral oscillations have also been recorded, signature of the interference of the radiation produced by two electron bunches delayed by 74 fs. The second electron bunch duration is shown to be ultrashort to match the intensity level of the radiation. Whereas transition radiation was used at longer wavelengths in order to estimate the electron bunch length, this study focuses on the ultrashort structures of the electron beam.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y Glinec
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée - ENSTA, UMR 7639, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, 91761 Palaiseau, France
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
van Tilborg J, Schroeder CB, Tóth C, Geddes CGR, Esarey E, Leemans WP. Single-shot spatiotemporal measurements of high-field terahertz pulses. OPTICS LETTERS 2007; 32:313-5. [PMID: 17215956 DOI: 10.1364/ol.32.000313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The electric field profiles of broad-bandwidth coherent terahertz (THz) pulses, emitted by laser-wakefield-accelerated electron bunches, are studied. The near-single-cycle THz pulses are measured with two single-shot techniques in the temporal and spatial domains. Spectra of 0-6 THz and peak fields up to approximately or = 0.4 MV cm(-1) are observed. The measured field substructure demonstrates the manifestation of spatiotemporal coupling at focus, which affects the interpretation of THz radiation as a bunch diagnostic and in high-field pump-probe experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J van Tilborg
- Lawrence Berkeley National Library, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Wu HC, Sheng ZM, Dong QL, Xu H, Zhang J. Powerful terahertz emission from laser wakefields in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2007; 75:016407. [PMID: 17358268 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.75.016407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2006] [Revised: 10/18/2006] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Powerful coherent terahertz (THz) pulses with a broad spectrum (0.1-3 THz) can be produced from a laser-driven wakefield through linear mode conversion in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas with the maximum plasma density of 10(17) cm(-3). This occurs when a laser pulse, with an optimized duration about 300 fs, is incident either normally or obliquely to the density gradient of inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas. The external dc magnetic field has a magnitude of a few tesla. By changing the strength and direction of the magnetic field, one can enhance or suppress the THz emission. The maximum energy conversion efficiency in the magnetized plasmas can be double that in the unmagnetized plasmas. Such wakefield emission can be a powerful THz source at the MW level and capable of affording field strength of a few MV/cm, suitable for THz nonlinear physics. Because these THz emissions are always with a positive chirp, with a proper dispersion compression, single-cycle THz pulses can be generated with higher peak powers and field strengths.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Chun Wu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matters, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100080, China
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Leemans W, Esarey E, Geddes C, Schroeder C, Tóth C. Laser guiding for GeV laser-plasma accelerators. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2006; 364:585-600. [PMID: 16483950 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2005.1724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Guiding of relativistically intense laser beams in preformed plasma channels is discussed for development of GeV-class laser accelerators. Experiments using a channel guided laser wakefield accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have demonstrated that near mono-energetic 100 MeV-class electron beams can be produced with a 10 TW laser system. Analysis, aided by particle-in-cell simulations, as well as experiments with various plasma lengths and densities, indicate that tailoring the length of the accelerator, together with loading of the accelerating structure with beam, is the key to production of mono-energetic electron beams. Increasing the energy towards a GeV and beyond will require reducing the plasma density and design criteria are discussed for an optimized accelerator module. The current progress and future directions are summarized through comparison with conventional accelerators, highlighting the unique short-term prospects for intense radiation sources based on laser-driven plasma accelerators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wim Leemans
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory LOASIS Program, Accelerator and Fusion Research Division Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
van Tilborg J, Schroeder CB, Filip CV, Tóth C, Geddes CGR, Fubiani G, Huber R, Kaindl RA, Esarey E, Leemans WP. Temporal characterization of femtosecond laser-plasma-accelerated electron bunches using terahertz radiation. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2006; 96:014801. [PMID: 16486463 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.96.014801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2005] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The temporal profile of relativistic laser-plasma-accelerated electron bunches has been characterized. Coherent transition radiation at THz frequencies, emitted at the plasma-vacuum boundary, was measured through electro-optic sampling. Frequencies up to the crystal detection limit of 4 THz were observed. Comparison between data and theory indicates that THz radiation from bunches with structure shorter than approximately = 50 fs (root-mean-square) is emitted. The measurement demonstrates both shot-to-shot stability of the laser-plasma accelerator and femtosecond synchronization between bunch and probe beam.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J van Tilborg
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|