arXiv subjects

J. S. Wurtele

Publications and source records attributed to J. S. Wurtele.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Entropy mode driven gas optics

We propose a novel class of gaseous diffractive optical elements created by imprinting an entropy mode in a gas. Previous approaches to gaseous diffractive optics relied on the simultaneous excitation of a standing acoustic wave and an entropy mode to produce one-dimensional periodic structures. However, the presence of acoustic oscillations in the gas imposes stringent constraints on some operational parameters of these optical elements, such as their lifetime and diffraction angle. In this work, we introduce a new approach that eliminates the acoustic mode, relying solely on the entropy mode. This enables control of the lifetime and temporal profile of gaseous optical elements, and also allows the creation of arbitrary structures with greater contrast, including non-periodic patterns such as chirped gratings or lenses. This approach should allow operation over a wider parameter space, including larger diffraction angles and compatibility with laser pulse durations ranging from femtoseconds to microseconds.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Control of autoresonant plasma beat-wave wakefield excitation

Autoresonant phase-locking of the plasma wakefield to the beat frequency of two driving lasers offers advantages over conventional wakefield acceleration methods, since it requires less demanding laser parameters and is robust to variations in the target plasma density. Here, we investigate the kinetic and nonlinear processes that come into play during autoresonant plasma beat-wave acceleration of electrons, their impact on the field amplitude of the accelerating structure, and on acceleration efficiency. Particle-in-Cell simulations show that the process depends on the plasma density in a non-trivial way but can be reliably modeled under specific conditions. Beside recovering previous fluid results in the deeply underdense plasma limit, we demonstrate that robust field excitation can be achieved within a fully kinetic self-consistent modeling. By adjusting the laser properties, we can amplify the electric field to the desired level, up to wave-breaking, and efficiently accelerate particles; we provide suggestions for optimized laser and plasma parameters. This versatile and efficient acceleration scheme, producing electrons from tens to hundreds of MeV energies, holds promise for a wide range of applications in research industry and medicine.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Design and Performance of a Novel Low Energy Multi-Species Beamline for the ALPHA Antihydrogen Experiment

The ALPHA Collaboration, based at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator, has recently implemented a novel beamline for low-energy ($\lesssim$ 100 eV) positron and antiproton transport between cylindrical Penning traps that have strong axial magnetic fields. Here, we describe how a combination of semianalytical and numerical calculations were used to optimise the layout and design of this beamline. Using experimental measurements taken during the initial commissioning of the instrument, we evaluate its performance and validate the models used for its development. By combining data from a range of sources, we show that the beamline has a high transfer efficiency, and estimate that the percentage of particles captured in the experiments from each bunch is (78 $\pm$ 3)% for up to $10^{5}$ antiprotons, and (71 $\pm$ 5)% for bunches of up to $10^{7}$ positrons.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2021

Limit on the Electric Charge of Antihydrogen

The ALPHA collaboration has successfully demonstrated the production and the confinement of cold antihydrogen, $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$. An analysis of trapping data allowed a stringent limit to be placed on the electric charge of the simplest antiatom. Charge neutrality of matter is known to a very high precision, hence a neutrality limit of $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ provides a test of CPT invariance. The experimental technique is based on the measurement of the deflection of putatively charged $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ in an electric field. The tendency for trapped $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ atoms to be displaced by electrostatic fields is measured and compared to the results of a detailed simulation of $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ dynamics in the trap. An extensive survey of the systematic errors is performed, with particular attention to those due to the silicon vertex detector, which is the device used to determine the $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ annihilation position. The limit obtained on the charge of the $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ atom is \mbox{$ Q = (-1.3\pm1.8\pm0.4)\times10^{-8}$}, representing the first precision measurement with $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2020

Variational Principle for Spontaneous Wiggler and Synchrotron Radiation

Within the framework of a Hilbert space theory, we develop a maximum-``power'' variational principle (MPVP) applicable to classical spontaneous electromagnetic radiation from relativistic electron beams or other prescribed classical current sources. A simple proof is summarized for the case of three-dimensional fields propagating in vacuum, and specialization to the important case of paraxial optics is also discussed. The techniques have been developed to model undulator radiation from relativistic electron beams, but are more broadly applicable to synchrotron or other radiation problems, and may generalize to certain structured media. We illustrate applications with a simple, mostly analytic example involving spontaneous undulator radiation (requiring a few additional approximations), as well as a mostly numerical example involving x-ray generation via high harmonic generation in sequenced undulators

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2020

Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) Magnetometry with a Plasma Reservoir

The local magnetic field in a Penning-Malmberg trap is found by measuring the temperatures that result when electron plasmas are illuminated by microwaves pulses. Multiple heating resonances are observed as the pulse frequencies are swept. The many resonances are due to electron bounce and plasma rotation sidebands. The heating peak corresponding to the cyclotron frequency resonance is identified to determine the magnetic field. A new method for quickly preparing low density electron plasmas for destructive temperature measurements enables a rapid and automated scan of microwave frequencies. This technique can determine the magnetic field to high precision, obtaining an absolute accuracy better than $1\,\mathrm{ppm}$, and a relative precision of $26\,\mathrm{ppb}$. One important application is in situ magnetometry for antihydrogen-based tests of charge-parity-time symmetry and of the weak equivalence principle

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2017

Network of sensitive magnetometers for urban studies

The magnetic signature of an urban environment is investigated using a geographically distributed network of fluxgate magnetometers deployed in and around Berkeley, California. The system hardware and software are described and results from initial operation of the network are reported. The sensors sample the vector magnetic field with a 4 kHz resolution and are sensitive to fluctuations below 0.1 $\textrm{nT}/\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$. Data from separate stations are synchronized to around $\pm100$ $μ{s}$ using GPS and computer system clocks. Data from all sensors are automatically uploaded to a central server. Anomalous events, such as lightning strikes, have been observed. A wavelet analysis is used to study observations over a wide range of temporal scales up to daily variations that show strong differences between weekend and weekdays. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is identified as the most dominant signal from these observations and a superposed epoch analysis is used to study and extract the BART signal. Initial results of the correlation between sensors are also presented.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Electron Plasmas Cooled by Cyclotron-Cavity Resonance

We observe that high-Q electromagnetic cavity resonances increase the cyclotron cooling rate of pure electron plasmas held in a Penning-Malmberg trap when the electron cyclotron frequency, controlled by tuning the magnetic field, matches the frequency of standing wave modes in the cavity. For certain modes and trapping configurations, this can increase the cooling rate by factors of ten or more. In this paper, we investigate the variation of the cooling rate and equilibrium plasma temperatures over a wide range of parameters, including the plasma density, plasma position, electron number, and magnetic field.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2014

Using stochastic acceleration to place experimental limits on the charge of antihydrogen

Assuming hydrogen is charge neutral, CPT invariance demands that antihydrogen also be charge neutral. Quantum anomaly cancellation also demands that antihydrogen be charge neutral. Standard techniques based on measurements of macroscopic quantities of atoms cannot be used to measure the charge of antihydrogen. In this paper, we describe how the application of randomly oscillating electric fields to a sample of trapped antihydrogen atoms, a form of stochastic acceleration, can be used to place experimental limits on this charge.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2014

In situ electromagnetic field diagnostics with an electron plasma in a Penning-Malmberg trap

We demonstrate a novel detection method for the cyclotron resonance frequency of an electron plasma in a Penning-Malmberg trap. With this technique, the electron plasma is used as an in situ diagnostic tool for measurement of the static magnetic field and the microwave electric field in the trap. The cyclotron motion of the electron plasma is excited by microwave radiation and the temperature change of the plasma is measured non-destructively by monitoring the plasma's quadrupole mode frequency. The spatially-resolved microwave electric field strength can be inferred from the plasma temperature change and the magnetic field is found through the cyclotron resonance frequency. These measurements were used extensively in the recently reported demonstration of resonant quantum interactions with antihydrogen.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Antihydrogen and mirror-trapped antiproton discrimination: Discriminating between antihydrogen and mirror-trapped antiprotons in a minimum-B trap

Recently, antihydrogen atoms were trapped at CERN in a magnetic minimum (minimum-B) trap formed by superconducting octupole and mirror magnet coils. The trapped antiatoms were detected by rapidly turning off these magnets, thereby eliminating the magnetic minimum and releasing any antiatoms contained in the trap. Once released, these antiatoms quickly hit the trap wall, whereupon the positrons and antiprotons in the antiatoms annihilated. The antiproton annihilations produce easily detected signals; we used these signals to prove that we trapped antihydrogen. However, our technique could be confounded by mirror-trapped antiprotons, which would produce seemingly-identical annihilation signals upon hitting the trap wall. In this paper, we discuss possible sources of mirror-trapped antiprotons and show that antihydrogen and antiprotons can be readily distinguished, often with the aid of applied electric fields, by analyzing the annihilation locations and times. We further discuss the general properties of antiproton and antihydrogen trajectories in this magnetic geometry, and reconstruct the antihydrogen energy distribution from the measured annihilation time history.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2011

Confinement of antihydrogen for 1000 seconds

Atoms made of a particle and an antiparticle are unstable, usually surviving less than a microsecond. Antihydrogen, made entirely of antiparticles, is believed to be stable, and it is this longevity that holds the promise of precision studies of matter-antimatter symmetry. We have recently demonstrated trapping of antihydrogen atoms by releasing them after a confinement time of 172 ms. A critical question for future studies is: how long can anti-atoms be trapped? Here we report the observation of anti-atom confinement for 1000 s, extending our earlier results by nearly four orders of magnitude. Our calculations indicate that most of the trapped anti-atoms reach the ground state. Further, we report the first measurement of the energy distribution of trapped antihydrogen which, coupled with detailed comparisons with simulations, provides a key tool for the systematic investigation of trapping dynamics. These advances open up a range of experimental possibilities, including precision studies of CPT symmetry and cooling to temperatures where gravitational effects could become apparent.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2011

Centrifugal separation and equilibration dynamics in an electron-antiproton plasma

Charges in cold, multiple-species, non-neutral plasmas separate radially by mass, forming centrifugally-separated states. Here, we report the first detailed measurements of such states in an electron-antiproton plasma, and the first observations of the separation dynamics in any centrifugally-separated system. While the observed equilibrium states are expected and in agreement with theory, the equilibration time is approximately constant over a wide range of parameters, a surprising and as yet unexplained result. Electron-antiproton plasmas play a crucial role in antihydrogen trapping experiments.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Alpha Antihydrogen Experiment

ALPHA is an experiment at CERN, whose ultimate goal is to perform a precise test of CPT symmetry with trapped antihydrogen atoms. After reviewing the motivations, we discuss our recent progress toward the initial goal of stable trapping of antihydrogen, with some emphasis on particle detection techniques.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

Evaporative Cooling of Antiprotons to Cryogenic Temperatures

We report the application of evaporative cooling to clouds of trapped antiprotons, resulting in plasmas with measured temperature as low as 9~K. We have modeled the evaporation process for charged particles using appropriate rate equations. Good agreement between experiment and theory is observed, permitting prediction of cooling efficiency in future experiments. The technique opens up new possibilities for cooling of trapped ions and is of particular interest in antiproton physics, where a precise \emph{CPT} test on trapped antihydrogen is a long-standing goal.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2010

Antihydrogen formation dynamics in a multipolar neutral anti-atom trap

Antihydrogen production in a neutral atom trap formed by an octupole-based magnetic field minimum is demonstrated using field-ionization of weakly bound anti-atoms. Using our unique annihilation imaging detector, we correlate antihydrogen detection by imaging and by field-ionization for the first time. We further establish how field-ionization causes radial redistribution of the antiprotons during antihydrogen formation and use this effect for the first simultaneous measurements of strongly and weakly bound antihydrogen atoms. Distinguishing between these provides critical information needed in the process of optimizing for trappable antihydrogen. These observations are of crucial importance to the ultimate goal of performing CPT tests involving antihydrogen, which likely depends upon trapping the anti-atom.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2009

Quantum Mechanical Treatment of Transit-Time Optical Stochastic Cooling of Muons

Ultra-fast stochastic cooling would be desirable in certain applications, for example, in order to boost final luminosity in a muon collider or neutrino factory, where short particle lifetimes severely limit the total time available to reduce beam phase space. But fast cooling requires very high-bandwidth amplifiers so as to limit the incoherent heating effects from neighboring particles. A method of transit-time optical stochastic cooling has been proposed which would employ high-gain, high-bandwidth, solid-state lasers to amplify the spontaneous radiation from the charged particle bunch in a strong-field magnetic wiggler. This amplified light is then fed back onto the same bunch inside a second wiggler, with appropriate phase delay to effect cooling. But before amplification, the usable signal from any one particle is quite small, on average much less than one photon per pass, suggesting that the radiation should be treated quantum mechanically, and raising doubts as to whether this weak signal even contains sufficient phase information necessary for cooling, and whether it can be reliably amplified to provide the expected cooling on each pass. A careful examination of the dynamics, where the radiation and amplification processes are treated quantum mechanically, indicates that fast cooling is in principle possible, with cooling rates which essentially agree with classical calculations, provided that the effects of the unavoidable amplifier noise are included. Thus, quantum mechanical uncertainties do not present any insurmountable obstacles to optical cooling, but do establish a lower limit on cooling rates and achievable emittances.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2008

A novel antiproton radial diagnostic based on octupole induced ballistic loss

We report results from a novel diagnostic that probes the outer radial profile of trapped antiproton clouds. The diagnostic allows us to determine the profile by monitoring the time-history of antiproton losses that occur as an octupole field in the antiproton confinement region is increased. We show several examples of how this diagnostic helps us to understand the radial dynamics of antiprotons in normal and nested Penning-Malmberg traps. Better understanding of these dynamics may aid current attempts to trap antihydrogen atoms.

physics.atom-ph↗