arXiv subjects

S. Corde

Publications and source records attributed to S. Corde.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Interferometry for full temporal reconstruction of laser-plasma accelerator-based seeded free electron lasers

The spectacular development of Laser-Plasma Accelerators (LPA) appears very promising for a free electron laser application. The handling of the inherent properties of those LPA beams already allowed controlled production of LPA-based spontaneous undulator radiation. Stepping further, we here unveil that the forthcoming LPA-based seeded FELs will present singular spatio-spectral distributions. Relying on numerical simulations and simple analytical models, we show how those interferometric patterns can be exploited to retrieve, in single-shot, the spectro-temporal content and source point properties of the FEL pulses.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2019

Hybrid LWFA $\vert$ PWFA Staging as a Beam Energy and Brightness Transformer : Conceptual Design and Simulations

We present a conceptual design for a hybrid laser-to-beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator. In this setup, the output beams from a laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerator (LWFA) stage are used as input beams of a new beam-driven plasma accelerator (PWFA) stage. In the PWFA stage a new witness beam of largely increased quality can be produced and accelerated to higher energies. The feasibility and the potential of this concept is shown through exemplary particle-in-cell simulations. In addition, preliminary simulation results for a proof-of-concept experiment at HZDR (Germany) are shown.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2018

Direct observation of plasma waves and dynamics induced by laser-accelerated electron beams

Plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) is a novel acceleration technique with promising prospects for both particle colliders and light sources. However, PWFA research has so far been limited to a few large-scale accelerator facilities world-wide. Here, we present first results on plasma wakefield generation using electron beams accelerated with a 100-TW-class Ti:Sa laser. Due to their ultrashort duration and high charge density, the laser-accelerated electron bunches are suitable to drive plasma waves at electron densities in the order of $10^{19}$ cm$^{-3}$. We capture the beam-induced plasma dynamics with femtosecond resolution using few-cycle optical probing and, in addition to the plasma wave itself, we observe a distinctive transverse ion motion in its trail. This previously unobserved phenomenon can be explained by the ponderomotive force of the plasma wave acting on the ions, resulting in a modulation of the plasma density over many picoseconds. Due to the scaling laws of plasma wakefield generation, results obtained at high plasma density using high-current laser-accelerated electron beams can be readily scaled to low-density systems. Laser-driven PWFA experiments can thus act as miniature models for their larger, conventional counterparts. Furthermore, our results pave the way towards a novel generation of laser-driven PWFA, which can potentially provide ultra-low emittance beams within a compact setup.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2018

Measurement of transverse wakefields induced by a misaligned positron bunch in a hollow channel plasma accelerator

Hollow channel plasma wakefield acceleration is a proposed method to provide high acceleration gradients for electrons and positrons alike: a key to future lepton colliders. However, beams which are misaligned from the channel axis induce strong transverse wakefields, deflecting beams and reducing the collider luminosity. This undesirable consequence sets a tight constraint on the alignment accuracy of the beam propagating through the channel. Direct measurements of beam misalignment-induced transverse wakefields are therefore essential for designing mitigation strategies. We present the first quantitative measurements of transverse wakefields in a hollow plasma channel, induced by an off-axis 20 GeV positron bunch, and measured with another 20 GeV lower charge trailing positron probe bunch. The measurements are largely consistent with theory.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2015

Evidence for high-energy and low-emittance electron beams using ionization injection of charge in a plasma wakefield accelerator

Ionization injection in a plasma wakefield accelerator was investigated experimentally using two lithium plasma sources of different lengths. The ionization of the helium gas, used to confine the lithium, injects electrons in the wake. After acceleration, these injected electrons were observed as a distinct group from the drive beam on the energy spectrometer. They typically have a charge of tens of pC, an energy spread of a few GeV, and a maximum energy of up to 30 GeV. The emittance of this group of electrons can be many times smaller than the initial emittance of the drive beam. The energy scaling for the trapped charge from one plasma length to the other is consistent with the blowout theory of the plasma wakefield.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2013

Probing electron acceleration and X-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerator

While laser-plasma accelerators have demonstrated a strong potential in the acceleration of electrons up to giga-electronvolt energies, few experimental tools for studying the acceleration physics have been developed. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for probing the acceleration process. A second laser beam, propagating perpendicular to the main beam is focused in the gas jet few nanosecond before the main beam creates the accelerating plasma wave. This second beam is intense enough to ionize the gas and form a density depletion which will locally inhibit the acceleration. The position of the density depletion is scanned along the interaction length to probe the electron injection and acceleration, and the betatron X-ray emission. To illustrate the potential of the method, the variation of the injection position with the plasma density is studied.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

Angular momentum evolution in laser-plasma accelerators

The transverse properties of an electron beam are characterized by two quantities, the emittance which indicates the electron beam extend in the phase space and the angular momentum which allows for non-planar electron trajectories. Whereas the emittance of electron beams produced in laser- plasma accelerator has been measured in several experiments, their angular momentum has been scarcely studied. It was demonstrated that electrons in laser-plasma accelerator carry some angular momentum, but its origin was not established. Here we identify one source of angular momentum growth and we present experimental results showing that the angular momentum content evolves during the acceleration.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

Observation of longitudinal and transverse self-injections in laser-plasma accelerators

Laser-plasma accelerators can produce high quality electron beams, up to giga-electronvolts in energy, from a centimeter scale device. The properties of the electron beams and the accelerator stability are largely determined by the injection stage of electrons into the accelerator. The simplest mechanism of injection is self-injection, in which the wakefield is strong enough to trap cold plasma electrons into the laser wake. The main drawback of this method is its lack of shot-to-shot stability. Here we present experimental and numerical results that demonstrate the existence of two different self-injection mechanisms. Transverse self-injection is shown to lead to low stability and poor quality electron beams, because of a strong dependence on the intensity profile of the laser pulse. In contrast, longitudinal injection, which is unambiguously observed for the first time, is shown to lead to much more stable acceleration and higher quality electron beams.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

Femtosecond x rays from laser-plasma accelerators

Relativistic interaction of short-pulse lasers with underdense plasmas has recently led to the emergence of a novel generation of femtosecond x-ray sources. Based on radiation from electrons accelerated in plasma, these sources have the common properties to be compact and to deliver collimated, incoherent and femtosecond radiation. In this article we review, within a unified formalism, the betatron radiation of trapped and accelerated electrons in the so-called bubble regime, the synchrotron radiation of laser-accelerated electrons in usual meter-scale undulators, the nonlinear Thomson scattering from relativistic electrons oscillating in an intense laser field, and the Thomson backscattered radiation of a laser beam by laser-accelerated electrons. The underlying physics is presented using ideal models, the relevant parameters are defined, and analytical expressions providing the features of the sources are given. Numerical simulations and a summary of recent experimental results on the different mechanisms are also presented. Each section ends with the foreseen development of each scheme. Finally, one of the most promising applications of laser-plasma accelerators is discussed: the realization of a compact free-electron laser in the x-ray range of the spectrum. In the conclusion, the relevant parameters characterizing each sources are summarized. Considering typical laser-plasma interaction parameters obtained with currently available lasers, examples of the source features are given. The sources are then compared to each other in order to define their field of applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

All-optical Compton gamma-ray source

One of the major goals of research for laser-plasma accelerators is the realization of compact sources of femtosecond X-rays. In particular, using the modest electron energies obtained with existing laser systems, Compton scattering a photon beam off a relativistic electron bunch has been proposed as a source of high-energy and high-brightness photons. However, laser-plasma based approaches to Compton scattering have not, to date, produced X-rays above 1 keV. Here, we present a simple and compact scheme for a Compton source based on the combination of a laser-plasma accelerator and a plasma mirror. This approach is used to produce a broadband spectrum of X-rays extending up to hundreds of keV and with a 10,000-fold increase in brightness over Compton X-ray sources based on conventional accelerators. We anticipate that this technique will lead to compact, high-repetition-rate sources of ultrafast (femtosecond), tunable (X- through gamma-ray) and low-divergence (~1 degree) photons from source sizes on the order of a micrometre.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Betatron emission as a diagnostic for injection and acceleration mechanisms in laser-plasma accelerators

Betatron x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators is a promising compact source that may be an alternative to conventional x-ray sources, based on large scale machines. In addition to its potential as a source, precise measurements of betatron emission can reveal crucial information about relativistic laser-plasma interaction. We show that the emission length and the position of the x-ray emission can be obtained by placing an aperture mask close to the source, and by measuring the beam profile of the betatron x-ray radiation far from the aperture mask. The position of the x-ray emission gives information on plasma wave breaking and hence on the laser non-linear propagation. Moreover, the measurement of the longitudinal extension helps one to determine whether the acceleration is limited by pump depletion or dephasing effects. In the case of multiple injections, it is used to retrieve unambiguously the position in the plasma of each injection. This technique is also used to study how, in a capillary discharge, the variations of the delay between the discharge and the laser pulse affect the interaction. The study reveals that, for a delay appropriate for laser guiding, the x-ray emission only occurs in the second half of the capillary: no electrons are injected and accelerated in the first half.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Tuning the electron energy by controlling the density perturbation position in laser plasma accelerators

A density perturbation produced in an underdense plasma was used to improve the quality of electron bunches produced in the laser-plasma wakefield acceleration scheme. Quasi-monoenergetic electrons were generated by controlled injection in the longitudinal density gradients of the density perturbation. By tuning the position of the density perturbation along the laser propagation axis, a fine control of the electron energy from a mean value of 60 MeV to 120 MeV has been demonstrated with a relative energy-spread of 15 +/- 3.6%, divergence of 4 +/- 0.8 mrad and charge of 6 +/- 1.8 pC.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Quasi-monoenergetic electron beams production in a sharp density transition

Using a laser plasma accelerator, experiments with a 80 TW and 30 fs laser pulse demonstrated quasi-monoenergetic electron spectra with maximum energy over 0.4 GeV. This is achieved using a supersonic He gas jet and a sharp density ramp generated by a high intensity laser crossing pre-pulse focused 3 ns before the main laser pulse. By adjusting this crossing pre-pulse position inside the gas jet, among the laser shots with electron injection more than 40% can produce quasi-monoenergetic spectra. This could become a relatively straight forward technique to control laser wakefield electron beams parameters.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Controlled Betatron X-Ray Radiation from Tunable Optically Injected Electrons

The features of Betatron x-ray emission produced in a laser-plasma accelerator are closely linked to the properties of the relativistic electrons which are at the origin of the radiation. While in interaction regimes explored previously the source was by nature unstable, following the fluctuations of the electron beam, we demonstrate in this Letter the possibility to generate x-ray Betatron radiation with controlled and reproducible features, allowing fine studies of its properties. To do so, Betatron radiation is produced using monoenergetic electrons with tunable energies from a laser-plasma accelerator with colliding pulse injection [J. Faure et al., Nature (London) 444, 737 (2006)]. The presented study provides evidence of the correlations between electrons and x-rays, and the obtained results open significant perspectives toward the production of a stable and controlled femtosecond Betatron x-ray source in the keV range.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Mapping the X-Ray Emission Region in a Laser-Plasma Accelerator

The x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators can be a powerful tool to understand the physics of relativistic laser-plasma interaction. It is shown here that the mapping of betatron x-ray radiation can be obtained from the x-ray beam profile when an aperture mask is positioned just beyond the end of the emission region. The influence of the plasma density on the position and the longitudinal profile of the x-ray emission is investigated and compared to particle-in-cell simulations. The measurement of the x-ray emission position and length provides insight on the dynamics of the interaction, including the electron self-injection region, possible multiple injection, and the role of the electron beam driven wakefield.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Single shot phase contrast imaging using laser-produced Betatron x-ray beams

Development of x-ray phase contrast imaging applications with a laboratory scale source have been limited by the long exposure time needed to obtain one image. We demonstrate, using the Betatron x-ray radiation produced when electrons are accelerated and wiggled in the laser-wakefield cavity, that a high quality phase contrast image of a complex object (here, a bee), located in air, can be obtained with a single laser shot. The Betatron x-ray source used in this proof of principle experiment has a source diameter of 1.7 microns and produces a synchrotron spectrum with critical energy E_c=12.3 +- 2.5 keV and 10^9 photons per shot in the whole spectrum.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Comment on "Scalings for radiation from plasma bubbles" [Phys. Plasmas 17, 056708 (2010)]

Thomas has recently derived scaling laws for X-ray radiation from electrons accelerated in plasma bubbles, as well as a threshold for the self-injection of background electrons into the bubble [A. G. R. Thomas, Phys. Plasmas 17, 056708 (2010)]. To obtain this threshold, the equations of motion for a test electron are studied within the frame of the bubble model, where the bubble is described by prescribed electromagnetic fields and has a perfectly spherical shape. The author affirms that any elliptical trajectory of the form x'^2/γ_p^2 + y'^2 = R^2 is solution of the equations of motion (in the bubble frame), within the approximation p'_y^2/p'_x^2 \ll 1. In addition, he highlights that his result is different from the work of Kostyukov et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 175003 (2009)], and explains the error committed by Kostyukov-Nerush-Pukhov-Seredov (KNPS). In this comment, we show that numerically integrated trajectories, based on the same equations than the analytical work of Thomas, lead to a completely different result for the self-injection threshold, the result published by KNPS [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 175003 (2009)]. We explain why the analytical analysis of Thomas fails and we provide a discussion based on numerical simulations which show exactly where the difference arises. We also show that the arguments of Thomas concerning the error of KNPS do not hold, and that their analysis is mathematically correct. Finally, we emphasize that if the KNPS threshold is found not to be verified in PIC (Particle In Cell) simulations or experiments, it is due to a deficiency of the model itself, and not to an error in the mathematical derivation.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Plasma wave undulator for laser-accelerated electrons

Laser-plasma accelerators have become compact sources of ultrashort electron bunches at energies up to the gigaelectronvolt range thanks to the remarkable progress made over the past decade. A direct application of these electron bunches is the production of short pulse x-ray radiation sources. In this letter, we study a fully optically driven x-ray source based on the combination of a laser-plasma accelerator and a plasma wave undulator. The longitudinal electric field of a laser-generated plasma wave is used to wiggle electrons transversally. The period of this plasma undulator being equal to the plasma wavelength, tunable photon energies in the 10 keV range can be achieved with electron energies in the 100-200 MeV range. Considering a 10s TW class femtosecond laser system, undulators with a strength parameter K~0.5 and with about ten periods can be combined with a laser-plasma accelerator, resulting in several 10^-2 emitted x-ray photons per electron.

physics.plasm-ph↗