A5047481441- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Particle Accelerators and Free-Electron Lasers
- Laser-induced spectroscopy and plasma
- Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications
- Particle accelerators and beam dynamics
- Pulsed Power Technology Applications
- Laser Design and Applications
- Advanced X-ray Imaging Techniques
- Magnetic confinement fusion research
- High-pressure geophysics and materials
- Plasma Diagnostics and Applications
- Rocket and propulsion systems research
- Energetic Materials and Combustion
- Advanced Surface Polishing Techniques
- Gyrotron and Vacuum Electronics Research
- Photocathodes and Microchannel Plates
- Particle Detector Development and Performance
- Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Advanced Combustion Engine Technologies
- Space Satellite Systems and Control
- Ion-surface interactions and analysis
- Spacecraft Design and Technology
- Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies
- Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics
- Carbon Nanotubes in Composites
University of Strathclyde
2015-2024
Cockcroft Institute
2017-2024
Sci-Tech Daresbury
2017-2024
Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
2016-2024
University of Glasgow
2023
Tech-X Corporation (United States)
2022
National University of Singapore
2022
Centre for Quantum Technologies
2022
Universität Hamburg
2013-2016
Particle Beam Lasers (United States)
2011-2015
Laser-driven, quasimonoenergetic electron beams of up to approximately 200 MeV in energy have been observed from steady-state-flow gas cells. These emitted within a low-divergence cone 2.1+/-0.5 mrad FWHM display unprecedented shot-to-shot stability (2.5% rms), pointing (1.4 and charge (16% rms) owing highly reproducible gas-density profile the interaction volume. Laser-wakefield acceleration cells this type provides simple reliable source relativistic electrons suitable for applications...
Beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration using low-ionization-threshold gas such as Li is combined with laser-controlled electron injection via ionization of high-ionization-threshold He. The He electrons are released low transverse momentum in the focus copropagating, nonrelativistic-intensity laser pulse directly inside accelerating or focusing phase blowout. This concept paves way for generation sub-$\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$-size, ultralow-emittance, highly tunable bunches, thus...
Abstract This report presents the conceptual design of a new European research infrastructure EuPRAXIA. The concept has been established over last four years in unique collaboration 41 laboratories within Horizon 2020 study funded by Union. EuPRAXIA is first project that develops dedicated particle accelerator based on novel plasma acceleration concepts and laser technology. It focuses development electron accelerators underlying technologies, their user communities, exploitation existing...
We report experimental results on laser-driven electron acceleration with low divergence. The beam was generated by focussing 750 mJ, 42 fs laser pulses into a gas-filled capillary discharge waveguide at densities in the range between 10 18 and 19 cm 3 . Quasi-monoenergetic bunches energies as high 500 MeV have been detected, features reaching up to 1 GeV, albeit large shot-to-shot fluctuations. A more stable regime higher bunch charge (20-45 pC) less energy (200-300 MeV) could also be...
Highly collimated, quasimonoenergetic multi-MeV electron bunches were generated by the interaction of tightly focused, 80-fs laser pulses in a high-pressure gas jet. These monoenergetic are characteristic wakefield acceleration highly nonlinear wave breaking regime, which was previously thought to be accessible only much shorter thinner plasmas. In our experiment, initially long pulse modified underdense plasma match necessary conditions. This picture is confirmed semianalytical scaling laws...
We report on an electron accelerator based few-cycle (8 fs full width at half maximum) laser pulses, with only 40 mJ energy per pulse, which constitutes a previously unexplored parameter range in laser-driven acceleration. The produced spectra are monoenergetic the tens-of-MeV and virtually free of low-energy electrons thermal spectrum. beam has typical divergence 5--10 mrad. is routinely operated 10 Hz promising source for several applications. Scalability driver repetition rate implies...
We report on new charge calibrations and linearity tests with high-dynamic range for eight different scintillating screens typically used the detection of relativistic electrons from laser-plasma based acceleration schemes. The absolute calibration was done picosecond electron bunches at ELBE linear accelerator in Dresden. lower limit our setup most sensitive screen (KODAK Biomax MS) 10 fC/mm(2). showed a photon-to-charge dependency over several orders magnitude. An onset saturation effects...
A method based on laser wakefield acceleration with controlled ionization injection triggered by another frequency-tripled is proposed, which can produce electron bunches low energy spread. As two color pulses copropagate in the background plasma, peak amplitude of combined field modulated time and space during propagation due to plasma dispersion. Ionization occurs when exceeds a certain threshold. The threshold exceeded for limited duration periodically at different distances, leading...
Abstract Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens GeV m −1 with generation ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated spread—an obstacle key applications such as...
The Horizon 2020 Project EuPRAXIA ("European Plasma Research Accelerator with eXcellence In Applications") is preparing a conceptual design report of highly compact and cost-effective European facility multi-GeV electron beams using plasma as the acceleration medium. accelerator will be based on laser and/or beam driven approach used for photon science, high-energy physics (HEP) detector tests, other applications such X-ray sources medical imaging or material processing. started in November...
Abstract Plasma wakefield accelerators are capable of sustaining gigavolt-per-centimeter accelerating fields, surpassing the electric breakdown threshold in state-of-the-art accelerator modules by 3-4 orders magnitude. Beam-driven wakefields offer particularly attractive conditions for generation and acceleration high-quality beams. However, this scheme relies on kilometer-scale accelerators. Here, we report demonstration a millimeter-scale plasma powered laser-accelerated electron We...
Laser-plasma wakefield-based electron accelerators are expected to deliver ultrashort bunches with unprecedented peak currents. However, their actual pulse duration has never been directly measured in a single-shot experiment. We present measurements of the such by means THz time-domain interferometry. With data obtained using 0.5 J, 45 fs, 800 nm laser and ZnTe-based electro-optical setup, we demonstrate laser-accelerated, quasimonoenergetic [best fit 32 fs (FWHM) 90% upper confidence level...
Electron beam quality is paramount for X-ray pulse production in free-electron-lasers (FELs). State-of-the-art linear accelerators (linacs) can deliver multi-GeV electron beams with sufficient hard X-ray-FELs, albeit requiring km-scale setups, whereas plasma-based produce on metre-scale distances, and begin to reach qualities EUV FELs. Here we show, that from plasma photocathodes many orders of magnitude brighter than state-of-the-art be generated wakefield (PWFAs), then extracted, captured,...
An ultracompact laser-plasma-generated, fs-scale electron double bunch system can be injected into a high-density driver/witness-type plasma wakefield accelerator afterburner stage to boost the witness electrons monoenergetically energies far beyond twice their initial energy on GeV scale. The combination of conservation monoenergetic phase-space structure and fs duration with radial electric fields ${E}_{r}\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GV}/\mathrm{m}$ leads dramatic...
The characterization of the absolute number electrons generated by laser wakefield acceleration often relies on absolutely calibrated FUJI imaging plates (IP), although their validity in regime extreme peak currents is untested. Here, we present an extensive study dependence sensitivity BAS-SR and BAS-MS IP to picosecond electron bunches varying charge up 60 pC, performed at accelerator ELBE, making use about three orders magnitude higher intensity than prior studies. We demonstrate that...
Abstract Space radiation is a great danger to electronics and astronauts onboard space vessels. The spectral flux of electrons, protons ions for example in the belts inherently broadband, but this feature hard mimic with conventional sources. Using laser-plasma-accelerators, we reproduced relativistic, broadband belt laboratory, used man-made test hardness electronics. Such close mimicking lab builds on inherent ability laser-plasma-accelerators directly produce Maxwellian-type particle...
We present experimental results on a plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) driven by high-current electron beams from laser (LWFA). In this staged setup stable and high quality (low divergence low energy spread) are generated at an optically-generated hydrodynamic shock in the PWFA. The stability of produced that arrangement PWFA stage is comparable to both single-stage accelerators conventional accelerators. Simulations support intrinsic insensitivity PWFAs driver fluctuations can be...
Particle pulses generated by laser-plasma interaction are characterized ultrashort duration, high particle density, and sometimes a very strong accompanying electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Therefore, beam diagnostics different from those known classical accelerators such as synchrotrons or linacs required. Easy to use single-shot techniques favored, which must be insensitive towards the EMP associated stray light of all frequencies, taking into account comparably low repetition rates which, at...
We present a laser-ionized, beam-driven, passive thin plasma lens that operates in the nonlinear blowout regime. This provides axisymmetric focusing for relativistic electron beams at strengths unobtainable by magnetic devices. It is tunable, compact, and it imparts little to no spherical aberrations. The combination of these features make more attractive than other types lenses highly divergent beams. A case study built on beam matching into wakefield accelerator SLAC National Accelerator...
Plasma wakefield accelerators can be driven either by intense laser pulses (LWFA) or particle beams (PWFA). A third approach that combines the complementary advantages of both types plasma accelerator has been established with increasing success over last decade and is called hybrid LWFA→PWFA. Essentially, a compact LWFA exploited to produce an energetic, high-current electron beam as driver for subsequent PWFA stage, which, in turn, phase-constant, inherently laser-synchronized,...
Abstract Simultaneous self-focusing and compression of ultrashort weakly-relativistic Laguerre–Gaussian laser pulses in dense plasma is investigated theoretically numerically. A simple theoretical model developed used to identify parameter regimes interest, then three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are carried out examine the physics detail. Rapid observed, leading pulse collapse even for energy at ten millijoule level. Long-lived ring-shaped post-soliton structures left location...
A novel, flexible method of witness electron bunch generation in plasma wakefield accelerators is described. quasistationary region ignited by a focused laser pulse prior to the arrival wave. This localized, shapeable optical torch causes strong distortion blowout during passage driver bunch, leading collective alteration trajectories and controlled injection. optically steered injection more faster when compared hydrodynamically gas density transition methods.Received 27 February...