arXiv subjects

Su-Ming Weng

Publications and source records attributed to Su-Ming Weng.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Chirped-Pulse Forward Raman Amplification in Nonuniform Plasmas

Light amplification via Raman scattering in plasma has been severely constrained by stringent phase matching conditions and the need for plasma uniformity. To overcome these limitations, we propose a forward Raman amplification scheme that employs a positively chirped seed pulse co-propagating with a pump pulse in a nonuniform plasma with an upramp density profile. We demonstrate that the phase detuning induced by plasma nonuniformity can be dynamically compensated, enabling broadband amplification across the entire spectral bandwidth of the seed pulse. Concurrently, the chirped pulse duration undergoes continuous compression as a result of the spatially varying dispersion of the plasma. Our theoretical model, incorporating the detuning term and supported by particle-in-cell simulations, elucidates the compensation mechanism. It is shown that a chirped seed pulse with an initial bandwidth ~10% can be directly amplified by a factor of 1e7 to an intensity exceeding 1e17W/cm2 within a picosecond timescale in a steep density ramp. This scheme establishes a new foundation for advancing plasma-based light amplification toward practical applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Fast radio bursts, magnetars and earthquakes: their "family feud"?

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration cosmic transients whose origin remains elusive. Competing models invoke either earthquake-like processes or flare-like mechanisms. To discriminate between these scenarios, we develop a novel diagnostic, the Pincus-Lyapunov diagram (PLD), to characterize the energetic transients in the stochasticity-chaos phase space. We compile burst sequences from five representative FRBs (FRB 20121102A, FRB 20190520B, FRB 20201124A, FRB 20220912A, and FRB 20240114A), together with those from magnetar flares (SGR J1550$-$5418, SGR J0501+4516, SGR 1806$-$20, SGR 1900+14, and SGR J1935+2154), pulsar glitches, solar flares, and earthquakes, and map them onto the PLD for comparative analysis. The resulting diagram shows that FRBs occupy a distinct region of the phase space. Specifically, a permutation test reveals a statistically significant difference in the distributions of magnetar flares and pulsar glitches compared to those of repeating FRBs ($p$-value $\simeq 0.05$). To examine whether temporal variations in source activity can shift a repeater's position in this phase space, we analyze the time evolution of the most prolific repeater, FRB~20240114A. For this repeating FRB, both Pincus Index and Lyapunov Exponent demonstrate statistically stable behaviour over the eight-month observation session, with Augmented Dickey--Fuller tests yielding $p \simeq 1.78\times10^{-3}$ and $9.91\times10^{-3}$, respectively. By assembling the most comprehensive dataset to date, our work indicates that the trigger mechanisms of repeating FRBs are likely to be distinct from those driving magnetar flares, pulsar glitches, solar flares, and earthquakes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

FAST Polarization Catalog of FRB 20240114A

Polarization measurements of fast radio bursts (FRBs) probe the magnetized plasma surrounding their central engines. FRB~20240114A is an exceptionally active repeating source, with 17,356 bursts detected between 2024 January 28 and 2025 May 30 by FAST, enabling time-resolved polarimetric studies. In this work, we present a polarimetric catalog of 6,131 bright bursts (with a signal-to-noise ratio S/N $\geq$ 20, 35.3% of the total sample), including arrival time (MJD$_{\text{topo}}$), dispersion measure (DM), burst width (W$_{\text{eff}}$), bandwidth, Faraday rotation measure (RM), linear and circular polarization degrees (DOL, DOC), and intrinsic polarization angle (PA$_0$). We detect a clear temporal evolution of RM: after an initial stable phase, it decreases linearly by $\sim$200 $\rm rad\ m^{-2}$ over 200 days, forming a bimodal distribution, whereas DM remains stable at 528.9 $\rm pc\ cm^{-3}$. The linear polarization fraction is generally high, with the 3$\sigma$ lower bound around 76%, while circular polarization is low, with 1,157 of 17,356 bursts (6.67%) having DOC $\geq$10%. We perform a power-law fit between $|\textrm{V}|$/I and $|\textrm{RM}|$, which yields an index of $-2.98 \pm 0.80$. It is found that the combined 2D distribution of L/I versus V/I remains stable, implying that the emission mechanism is largely invariant. Our PA$_0$ measurements show a broad, non-uniform distribution, implying a complex emission geometry. These results suggest that FRB~20240114A resides in a dynamically evolving magneto-ionic environment. This catalog provides a foundation for studies of repeating FRB progenitors and their environments.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Generation of high power spatially-structured laser pulses via forward Raman amplification in plasma

Spatially-structured light with tunable intensity, wavelength, and spatiotemporal profiles has demonstrated significant potentials for fundamental and applied science, including the ultrafast and high-field physics. Nevertheless, the generation or amplification of such light towards extremely high power remains challenging due to the limitations of conventional gain media. Building upon our recently proposed forward Raman amplification (FRA) mechanism [Lei et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 255001 (2025)], here we develop a universal plasma-based amplification scheme that is capable of generating high-power structured laser beams, including vortex, Bessel, and Airy beams. Through theoretical modeling and multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate that a near-infrared structured seed laser with an initial intensity of 1e12 W/cm2 can achieve 1e4~1e5-fold intensity amplification via FRA, and subsequently be self-compressed to sub-cycle duration with petawatt-level peak power. Benefiting from its exceptionally high amplification growth rate, the FRA process requires only femtosecond-scale interaction time and submillimeter propagation distance in plasma, effectively suppressing concomitant plasma instabilities. The high output intensity 1e17 W/cm2, compactness (<500 um), high temporal contrast, universal applicability to diverse structured beams, and relatively easy implementation with the co-propagating configuration combine to make the FRA a disruptive approach to the generation of petawatt-class spatially-structured light, enabling unprecedented applications in high-field physics and ultrafast science.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Towards the generation of petawatt near-infrared few-cycle light pulses via forward Raman amplification in plasma

Light amplification towards extremely high power in the infrared regime remains a significant challenge due to the lack of suitable gain media. Here we propose a new scheme to amplify a laser pulse with tunable wavelengths towards extremely high power via forward Raman amplification in plasma. Different from those previously proposed schemes based upon backward Raman or Brillouin amplification, our scheme involves a pump pulse and a seed pulse co-propagating in moderate density plasma, with the phase matching conditions for forward Raman scattering fulfilled. Due to their group velocity difference in plasma, the pump with a shorter wavelength and longer duration will chase the seed and transfer energy to the latter efficiently. Analytical models both for linear and nonlinear stages of amplification as well as particle-in-cell simulation show that by employing a 1.0 $\mathrm{\mu m}$ pump laser, a 1.8 $\mathrm{\mu m}$ seed pulse can be amplified $10^4$ times in its intensity, and then self-compressed to near-single-cycle. Our scheme shows the merits of high efficiency, high compactness, and relatively easy implementation with the co-propagating configuration, which may provide a unique route towards the petawatt few-cycle infrared laser pulses.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2024

Dense polarized positrons from beam-solid interactions

Relativistic positron sources with high spin polarization have important applications in nuclear and particle physics and many frontier fields. However, it is challenging to produce dense polarized positrons. Here we present a simple and effective method to achieve such a positron source by directly impinging a relativistic high-density electron beam on the surface of a solid target. During the interaction, a strong return current of plasma electrons is induced and subsequently asymmetric quasistatic magnetic fields as high as megatesla are generated along the target surface. This gives rise to strong radiative spin flips and multiphoton processes, thus leading to efficient generation of copious polarized positrons. With three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate the production of a dense highly-polarized multi-GeV positron beam with an average spin polarization above 40% and nC-scale charge per shot. This offers a novel route for the studies of laserless strong-field quantum electrodynamics physics and for the development of high-energy polarized positron sources.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Tail-wave-assisted Positron Acceleration in Nonlinear Laser Plasma Wakefields

Relativistic laser wakefield acceleration is characterized by an unsurpassed accelerating gradient, which is very suitable for electron acceleration over short distances and could be a promising candidate for next-generation compact accelerators. However, using this technique for positron acceleration is still challenging because positively charged particles are naturally defocused in nonlinear wakefields. Here we propose and numerically demonstrate a scheme to accelerate an externally injected positron beam in a nonlinear laser wakefield in a regime where a tail wave is formed behind density cusps of the wakefield. This tail wave can provide a focusing force in addition to longitudinal acceleration for the positrons. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that a trapping efficiency of positrons of nearly 100% in the nonlinear wakefield is possible. This scheme may open a simple way for compact positron acceleration to multi-100 MeV with terawatt-class laser systems at high repetition rates without the need for special laser modes and plasma structures.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Bunched proton acceleration from a laser-irradiated cone target

Laser-driven ion acceleration is an attractive technique for compact high-energy ion sources. Currently, among various physical and technical issues to be solved, the boost of ion energy and the reduction of energy spread represent the key challenges with this technique. Here we present a scheme to tackle these challenges by using a hundred-terawatt-class laser pulse irradiating a cone target. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that a large number of electrons are dragged out of the cone walls and accelerated to hundreds of MeV by the laser fields inside the cone. When these energetic dense electron beams pass through the cone target tip into vacuum, a very high bunching acceleration field, up to tens of TV/m, quickly forms. Protons are accelerated and simultaneously bunched by this field, resulting in quasi-monoenergetic proton beams with hundred MeV energy and low energy spread of ~2%. Results exploring the scaling of the proton beam energy with laser and target parameters are presented, indicating that the scheme is robust. This opens a new route for compact high-energy proton sources from fundamental research to biomedical applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Trapping and acceleration of spin-polarized positrons from $γ$ photon splitting in wakefields

Energetic spin-polarized positrons are extremely demanded for forefront researches, such as $e^- e^+$ collider physics, but making compact positron sources is still very challenging. Here we put forward an efficient scheme of trapping and acceleration of polarized positrons in plasma wakefields. Seed electrons colliding with a bichromatic laser create polarized $γ$ photons which then split into $e^- e^+$ pairs via nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process with an average (partial) positron polarization above 30\% (70\%). Over 70\% positrons are trapped and accelerated in recovered wakefields driven by a hollow electron beam, obtaining an energy gain of 3.5 GeV/cm with slight depolarization. This scheme provides a potential for constructing compact and economical positron sources for future applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2018

Collimated GeV attosecond electron-positron bunches from a plasma channel driven by 10 PW lasers

High-energy positrons and bright γ-ray sources are unique both for fundamental research and practical applications. However, GeV electron-positron pair jets and γ-ray flashes are still hardly produced in laboratories. Here we demonstrate that, by irradiating two 10 PW-scale laser pulses onto a near-critical density plasma channel, highly-directional GeV electron-positron pairs and bright γ-ray beams can be efficiently generated. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that GeV positron jets show high density (8*10^21/cm^3), attosecond duration (400 as) and a divergence angle of 14°. Additionally, ultrabright (2*10^25 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1%BW) collimated attosecond (370 as) γ-ray flashes with a laser energy conversion efficiency of 5.6% are emitted. Once realized in experiment, it may open up new possibilities for a wide variety of applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2018

Generation of GeV positron and γ-photon beams with controllable angular momentum by intense lasers

Although several laser-plasma-based methods have been proposed for generating energetic electrons, positrons and γ-photons, manipulation of their microstructures is still challenging, and their angular momentum control has not yet been achieved. Here, we present and numerically demonstrate an all-optical scheme to generate bright GeV γ-photon and positron beams with controllable angular momentum by use of two counter-propagating circularly-polarized lasers in a near-critical-density plasma. The plasma acts as a "switching medium", where the trapped electrons first obtain angular momentum from the drive laser pulse and then transfer it to the γ-photons via nonlinear Compton scattering. Further through the multiphoton Breit-Wheeler process, dense energetic positron beams are efficiently generated, whose angular momentum can be well controlled by laser-plasma interactions. This opens up a promising and feasible way to produce ultra-bright GeV γ-photons and positron beams with desirable angular momentum for a wide range of scientific research and applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2016

A compact tunable polarized X-ray source based on laser-plasma helical undulators

Laser wakefield accelerators have great potential as the basis for next generation compact radiation sources because their accelerating gradients are three orders of magnitude larger than traditional accelerators. However, X-ray radiation from such devices still lacks of tunability, especially the intensity and polarization distribution. Here we propose a tunable polarized radiation source from a helical plasma undulator based on plasma channel guided wakefield accelerator. When a laser pulse is initially incident with a skew angle relative to the channel axis, the laser and accelerated electrons experience collective spiral motions, which leads to elliptically polarized synchrotron-like radiation with flexible tunability on radiation intensity, spectra and polarization. We demonstrate that a radiation source with millimeter size and peak brilliance of $2\times10^{19} photons/s/mm^{2}/mrad^{2}/0.1%$ bandwidth can be made with moderate laser and electron beam parameters. This brilliance is comparable with the third generation of synchrotron radiation facilities running at similar photon energies, suggesting that laser plasma based radiation sources are promising for advanced applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2016

Plasma optical modulators for intense lasers

Optical modulators can be made nowadays with high modulation speed, broad bandwidth, while being compact, owing to the recent advance in material science and microfabrication technology. However, these optical modulators usually work for low intensity light beams. Here, we present an ultrafast, plasma-based optical modulator, which can directly modulate high power lasers with intensity up to 10^16 W/cm^2 level to produce an extremely broad spectrum with a fractional bandwidth over 100%, extending to the mid-infrared regime in the low-frequency side. This concept relies on two co-propagating laser beams in a sub-mm-scale underdense plasma, where a drive laser pulse first excites an electron plasma wave in its wake while a following carrier laser beam is modulated by the plasma wave. The laser and plasma parameters suitable for the modulator to work are presented. Such optical modulators may enable new applications in the high field physics.

physics.plasm-ph↗