Title :
Plasma-based laser pulse control techniques for laser wakefield accelerators
Author :
Hubbard, R.F. ; Sprangle, P. ; Jones, T.G. ; Moore, Christopher I ; Ting, A. ; Hafizi, B. ; Kaganovich, D. ; Penano, J.R. ; Antonsen, T.M. ; Zigler, A. ; Mora, P.
Author_Institution :
Div. of Plasma Phys., Naval Res. Lab., Washington, DC
Abstract :
Possible plasma-based techniques for controlling or modifying the laser pulse in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) are examined, using laser propagation simulation codes. Laser pulse shortening or chopping prior to injection into a plasma guiding channel occurs when the peak laser power is slightly above the critical power for relativistic focusing. A channel-guided LWA may undergo further compression due to relativistic modulation effects. Multi-stage capillary discharges allow the channel density to be extended and tapered for optimal acceleration in future LWFA experiments
Keywords :
optical focusing; plasma light propagation; wakefield accelerators; laser pulse; laser wakefield accelerators; multi-stage capillary discharges; plasma-based laser pulse control techniques; relativistic modulation; Acceleration; Laser theory; Optical control; Optical propagation; Optical pulses; Plasma accelerators; Plasma density; Plasma simulation; Power lasers; Pulse modulation;
Conference_Titel :
Particle Accelerator Conference, 2001. PAC 2001. Proceedings of the 2001
Conference_Location :
Chicago, IL
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7191-7
DOI :
10.1109/PAC.2001.988321
