Aachen PK 2003 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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P: Plasmaphysik

P I: HV I

P I.1: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 18. März 2003, 10:30–11:00, FO1

Energy efficiency of laser wakefield acceleration — •Albert Reitsma — University of Strathclyde, Department of Physics, 107 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland

In the first part of this talk, a short overview is given of a recently started UK-based laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) research program. The aim of this program is to demonstrate that a free-electron laser (FEL) can be driven by a laser wakefield accelerator. The principle of LWFA is that an electron bunch can be accelerated on the plasma wave that is excited behind a short, intense laser pulse that propagates inside a plasma. The advantage of plasma-based accelerators above conventional RF-driven vacuum accelerators is that they can be much smaller: the accelerating gradients can be much higher because they are not limited by vacuum breakdown. Applied to FEL, this offers the possibility to create a compact, tunable short-wavelength radiation source.

In the second part of the talk, some aspects of LWFA are discussed in more detail. In particular, a theoretical investigation of the energy conversion efficiency is presented. Crucial parameters are the laser pulse intensity, the electron bunch charge and the electron bunch injection phase. The laser intensity determines the fraction of the initial laser pulse energy that is converted into wakefield energy, while the bunch charge and injection phase determine how much energy the bunch can take from the wakefield. Finally, the possibility of combining high efficiency and low final energy spread (which is important for driving an FEL) is discussed.