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L. Boulton

Publications and source records attributed to L. Boulton.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Slice Emittance Preservation and Focus Control in a Passive Plasma Lens

Strong, symmetrically focusing plasma lenses are promising for accommodating the small beams associated with plasma-based accelerators and collider final foci. However, while focusing with active and passive plasma lenses has been experimentally demonstrated, compatibility with high-brightness beams relevant for applications has not. In this work, we show experimentally that passive plasma lenses can preserve free-electron-laser-quality slice emittance while focusing two orders of magnitude more strongly than quadrupole magnets, and that the focal parameters can be controlled.

physics.acc-ph

Ion-motion simulations of a plasma-wakefield experiment at FLASHForward

In plasma-based acceleration, an ultra-relativistic particle bunch$\unicode{x2014}$or an intense laser beam$\unicode{x2014}$is used to expel electrons from its propagation path, forming a wake that is devoid of electrons. The ions, being significantly more massive, are often assumed to be stationary. However, both theory and simulations suggest that any sufficiently dense electron bunch can trigger ion motion, and its effect must be taken into account. We simulate beam-driven plasma wakefields to identify key features$\unicode{x2014}$such as longitudinally dependent emittance growth$\unicode{x2014}$that could be observed in an experiment using plasma and beam parameters from the FLASHForward facility at DESY.

physics.acc-ph

Energy Depletion and Re-Acceleration of Driver Electrons in a Plasma-Wakefield Accelerator

For plasma-wakefield accelerators to fulfil their potential for cost effectiveness, it is essential that their energy-transfer efficiency be maximized. A key aspect of this efficiency is the near-complete transfer of energy, or depletion, from the driver electrons to the plasma wake. Achieving full depletion is limited by the process of re-acceleration, which occurs when the driver electrons decelerate to non-relativistic energies, slipping backwards into the accelerating phase of the wakefield and being subsequently re-accelerated. Such re-acceleration is unambiguously observed here for the first time. At this re-acceleration limit, we measure a beam driver depositing (57 $\pm$ 3)\% of its energy into a 195-mm-long plasma. Combining this driver-to-plasma efficiency with previously measured plasma-to-beam and expected wall-plug-to-driver efficiencies, our result suggests that plasma-wakefield accelerators can in principle reach or even exceed the energy-transfer efficiency of conventional accelerators.

physics.acc-ph

Emittance preservation in a plasma-wakefield accelerator

Radio-frequency particle accelerators are engines of discovery, powering high-energy physics and photon science, but are also large and expensive due to their limited accelerating fields. Plasma-wakefield accelerators (PWFAs) provide orders-of-magnitude stronger fields in the charge-density wave behind a particle bunch travelling in a plasma, promising particle accelerators of greatly reduced size and cost. However, PWFAs can easily degrade the beam quality of the bunches they accelerate. Emittance, which determines how tightly beams can be focused, is a critical beam quality in for instance colliders and free-electron lasers, but is particularly prone to degradation. We demonstrate, for the first time, emittance preservation in a high-gradient and high-efficiency PWFA while simultaneously preserving charge and energy spread. This establishes that PWFAs can accelerate without degradation$\unicode{x2014}$essential for energy boosters in photon science and multistage facilities for compact high-energy particle colliders.

physics.acc-ph

Longitudinally resolved measurement of energy-transfer efficiency in a plasma-wakefield accelerator

Energy-transfer efficiency is an important quantity in plasma-wakefield acceleration, especially for applications that demand high average power. Conventionally, the efficiency is measured using an electron spectrometer; an invasive method that provides an energy-transfer efficiency averaged over the full length of the plasma accelerator. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a novel diagnostic utilizing the excess light emitted by the plasma after a beam-plasma interaction, which yields noninvasive, longitudinally resolved measurements of the local energy-transfer efficiency from the wake to the accelerated bunch; here, as high as (58 $\pm$ 3)%. This method is suitable for online optimization of individual stages in a future multistage plasma accelerator, and enables experimental studies of the relation between efficiency and transverse instability in the acceleration process.

physics.acc-ph

Progress of the FLASHForward X-2 high-beam-quality, high-efficiency plasma-accelerator experiment

FLASHForward is an experimental facility at DESY dedicated to beam-driven plasma-accelerator research. The X-2 experiment aims to demonstrate acceleration with simultaneous beam-quality preservation and high energy efficiency in a compact plasma stage. We report on the completed commissioning, first experimental results, ongoing research topics, as well as plans for future upgrades.

physics.acc-ph

Ultrahigh brightness beams from plasma photoguns

Plasma photocathodes open a path towards tunable production of well-defined, compact electron beams with normalized emittance and brightness many orders of magnitude better than state-of-the-art. Such beams could have a far-reaching impact on applications such as light sources, but also open up new vistas on high energy physics and high field physics. We report on challenges and details of the proof-of-concept demonstration of a plasma photocathode in 90$^\circ$ geometry at SLAC FACET within the "E-210: Trojan Horse" program. Using this experience, alongside theoretical and simulation-supported advances, we discuss the upcoming "E-310: Trojan Horse-II" program at FACET-II.

physics.acc-ph

Existence of a Supersymmetric Massless Ground State of the $SU(N)$ Matrix Model globally on its Valleys

In this work we consider the existence and uniqueness of the ground state of the regularized Hamiltonian of the Supermembrane in dimensions $D= 4,\,5,\,7$ and 11, or equivalently the $SU(N)$ Matrix Model. That is, the 0+1 reduction of the 10-dimensional $SU(N)$ Super Yang-Mills Hamiltonian. This ground state problem is associated with the solutions of the inner and outer Dirichlet problems for this operator, and their subsequent smooth patching (glueing) into a single state. We have discussed properties of the inner problem in a previous work, therefore we now investigate the outer Dirichlet problem for the Hamiltonian operator. We establish existence and uniqueness on unbounded valleys defined in terms of the bosonic potential. These are precisely those regions where the bosonic part of the potential is less than a given value $V_0$, which we set to be arbitrary. The problem is well posed, since these valleys are preserved by the action of the $SU(N)$ constraint. We first show that their Lebesgue measure is finite, subject to restrictions on $D$ in terms of $N$. We then use this analysis to determine a bound on the fermionic potential which yields the coercive property of the energy form. It is from this, that we derive the existence and uniqueness of the solution. As a by-product of our argumentation, we show that the Hamiltonian, restricted to the valleys, has spectrum purely discrete with finite multiplicity. Remarkably, this is in contrast to the case of the unrestricted space, where it is well known that the spectrum comprises a continuous segment. We discuss the relation of our work with the general ground state problem and the question of confinement in models with strong interactions.

hep-th

Measure of the potential valleys of the supermembrane theory

We analyse the measure of the regularized matrix model of the supersymmetric potential valleys, $Ω$, of the Hamiltonian of non zero modes of supermembrane theory. This is the same as the Hamiltonian of the BFSS matrix model. We find sufficient conditions for this measure to be finite, in terms the spacetime dimension. For $SU(2)$ we show that the measure of $Ω$ is finite for the regularized supermembrane matrix model when the transverse dimensions in the light cone gauge $\mathrm{D}\geq 5$. This covers the important case of seven and eleven dimensional supermembrane theories, and implies the compact embedding of the Sobolev space $H^{1,2}(Ω)$ onto $L^2(Ω)$. The latter is a main step towards the confirmation of the existence and uniqueness of ground state solutions of the outer Dirichlet problem for the Hamiltonian of the $SU(N)$ regularized $\mathrm{D}=11$ supermembrane, and might eventually allow patching with the inner solutions.

hep-th

The ground state of the D=11 supermembrane and matrix models on compact regions

We establish a general framework for the analysis of boundary value problems of matrix models at zero energy on compact regions. We derive existence and uniqueness of ground state wavefunctions for the mass operator of the $D=11$ regularized supermembrane theory, that is the $\mathcal{N}=16$ supersymmetric $SU(N)$ matrix model, on balls of finite radius. Our results rely on the structure of the associated Dirichlet form and a factorization in terms of the supersymmetric charges. They also rely on the polynomial structure of the potential and various other supersymmetric properties of the system.

hep-th

Massless ground state for a compact SU(2) matrix model in 4D

We show the existence and uniqueness of a massless supersymmetric ground state wavefunction of a SU(2) matrix model in a bounded smooth domain with Dirichlet boundary conditions. This is a gauge system and we provide a new framework to analyze the quantum spectral properties of this class of supersymmetric matrix models subject to constraints which can be generalized for arbitrary number of colors.

hep-th

Arguments towards the construction of a matrix model groundstate

We discuss the existence and uniqueness of wavefunctions for inhomogenoeus boundary value problems associated to x^2y^2-type matrix model on a bounded domain of R^2. Both properties involve a combination of the Cauchy-Kovalewski Theorem and a explicit calculations.

hep-th

On the groundstate of octonionic matrix models in a ball

In this work we examine the existence and uniqueness of the groundstate of a SU(N)x G2 octonionic matrix model on a bounded domain of R^N. The existence and uniqueness argument of the groundstate wavefunction follows from the Lax-Milgram theorem. Uniqueness is shown by means of an explicit argument which is drafted in some detail.

hep-th

On the quality of complementary bounds for eigenvalues

A concrete formulation of the Lehmann-Maehly-Goerisch method for semi-definite self-adjoint operators with compact resolvent is considered. Precise rates of convergence are determined in terms of how well the trial spaces capture the spectral subspace of the operator. Optimality of the choice of a shift parameter which is intrinsic to the method is also examined. The main theoretical findings are illustrated by means of a few numerical experiments involving one-dimensional Schrodinger operators.

math.SP

The supermembrane with central charges:(2+1)-D NCSYM, confinement and phase transition

The spectrum of the bosonic sector of the D=11 supermembrane with central charges is shown to be discrete and with finite multiplicities, hence containing a mass gap. The result extends to the exact theory our previous proof of the similar property for the SU(N) regularised model and strongly suggest discreteness of the spectrum for the complete Hamiltonian of the supermembrane with central charges. This theory is a quantum equivalent to a symplectic non-commutative super-Yang-Mills in 2+1 dimensions, where the space-like sector is a Riemann surface of positive genus. In this context, it is argued how the theory in 4D exhibits confinement in the N=1 supermembrane with central charges phase and how the theory enters in the quark-gluon plasma phase through the spontaneous breaking of the centre. This phase is interpreted in terms of the compactified supermembrane without central charges.

hep-th

Exact discretness and mass gap of N=1 symplectic Yang-Mills from M-theory

In this note we summarize some of the results found recently in hep-th/0609054. We show the pure discretness of the non-perturbative quantum spectrum of a symplectic Yang-Mills theory defined on a Riemann surface of positive genus, living in a target space that, in particular, can be 4D. This theory corresponds to the membrane with central charges. The presence of the central charge induces a confinement in the phase at zero temperature. When the energy rises, the center of the group breaks and the theory enters in a quark-plasma phase after a topological transition, corresponding to the N=4 wrapped supermembrane.

hep-th

Discreteness of the spectrum of the compactified D=11 supermembrane with non-trivial winding

We analyze the Hamiltonian of the compactified D=11 supermembrane with non-trivial central charge in terms of the matrix model constructed recently by some of the authors. Our main result provides a rigorous proof that the quantum Hamiltonian of the supersymmetric model has compact resolvent and thus its spectrum consists of a discrete set of eigenvalues with finite multiplicity.

hep-th