Title :
Extending plasma accelerators: guiding with capillary tubes
Author :
Cros, B. ; Courtois, C. ; Malka, G. ; Matthieussent, G. ; Marques, J.R. ; Dorchies, F. ; Amiranoff, F. ; Rebibo, S. ; Hamoniaux, G. ; Blanchot, N. ; Miquel, J.L.
Author_Institution :
LPGP UMR CNRS, Univ. de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
fDate :
8/1/2000 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
In order to extend plasma accelerators, the laser beam has to be guided inside gas or plasma over a distance of the order of the dephasing length, which is typically much larger than the diffraction length zR of the laser. A capillary tube can be used as a waveguide for high-intensity laser pulses over distances well in excess of zR. Experimental demonstration of monomode guiding over 100 zR of 1016 W/cm2 pulses has been obtained in evacuated capillary tubes (45-70-μm inner diameter). A drop of transmission has been observed when the intensity of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is high enough to ionize the capillary tube entrance. Propagation in helium gas-filled (10-40 mbar) capillary tubes has been studied at intensities up to 1016 W/cm2; a plasma column with on-axis density of the order of 1017 cm-3 has been created on a length of the order of 4 cm. The use of a capillary tube for an extended accelerator is discussed for the ease of linear, resonant excitation of plasma waves by laser wakefield
Keywords :
collective accelerators; plasma devices; plasma light propagation; superradiance; wakefield accelerators; He gas-filled capillary tubes; amplified spontaneous emission; capillary tube; capillary tube entrance; capillary tubes; dephasing length; evacuated capillary tubes; guiding; high-intensity laser pulses; laser beam; laser wakefield; linear resonant excitation; monomode guiding; plasma accelerators; plasma column; Diffraction; Gas lasers; Laser beams; Optical pulses; Particle beams; Plasma accelerators; Plasma waves; Pulse amplifiers; Spontaneous emission; Waveguide lasers;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
