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arXiv · 2101.01635

Ultrashort high energy electron bunches from tunable surface plasma waves driven with laser wavefront rotation

S. Marini·P. S. Kleij·F. Pisani·F. Amiranoff·M. Grech·A. Macchi·M. Raynaud·C. Riconda
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Abstract

We propose to use ultra-high intensity laser pulses with wavefront rotation (WFR) to produce short, ultra-intense surface plasma waves (SPW) on grating targets for electron acceleration. Combining a smart grating design with optimal WFR conditions identified through simple analytical modeling and particle-in-cell simulation allows to decrease the SPW duration (down to few optical cycles) and increase its peak amplitude. In the relativistic regime, for $I\lambda_0^2=3.4 \times 10^{19}{\rm W/cm^2\mu m^2}$, such SPW are found to accelerate high-charge (few 10's of pC), high-energy (up to 70 MeV) and ultra-short (few fs) electron bunches.

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S. Marini, P. S. Kleij, F. Pisani, F. Amiranoff, M. Grech, A. Macchi, M. Raynaud, C. Riconda. 2021-01-05. Ultrashort high energy electron bunches from tunable surface plasma waves driven with laser wavefront rotation. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.103.l021201

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