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.     

Electron trajectory evaluation in laser-plasma interaction for effective output beam

Using the ellipsoidal cavity model, the quasi-monoenergetic electron output beam in laser-plasma interaction is described. By the cavity regime the quality of electron beam is improved in comparison with those generated from other methods such as periodic plasma wave field, spheroidal cavity regime and plasma channel guided acceleration. Trajectory of electron motion is described as hyperbolic, parabolic or elliptic paths. We find that the self-generated electron bunch has a smaller energy width and more effective gain in energy spectrum. Initial condition for the ellipsoidal cavity is determined by laser-plasma parameters. The electron trajectory is influenced by its position, energy and cavity electrostatic potential.     

Deducing the electron-beam diameter in a laser-plasma accelerator using x-ray betatron radiation

We investigate the properties of a laser-plasma electron accelerator as a bright source of keV x-ray radiation. During the interaction, the electrons undergo betatron oscillations and from the carefully measured x-ray spectrum the oscillation amplitude of the electrons can be deduced which decreases with increasing electron energies. From the oscillation amplitude and the independently measured x-ray source size of (1.8±0.3) μm we are able to estimate the electron bunch diameter to be (1.6±0.3) μm.     

1 kHz tabletop ultrashort hard x-ray source for time-resolved x-ray protein crystallography

We describe a compact, reliable, and high-average-power femtosecond x-ray source and its first application to diffraction on protein crystal. The setup relies on a homemade Ti: sapphire system delivering 12 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate, associated with a small vacuum chamber especially designed for laser-plasma interaction and x-ray applications. This device allows the generation of 5 x 10(9) photons/s/sr at 8 keV and optimized x-ray irradiation of the studied sample, which can be placed close to the source. We present the diffraction pattern of a protein crystal in a divergent beam geometry, which is a first step to a subpicosecond x-ray diffraction experiment.     

Long-scale jet formation with specularly reflected light in ultraintense laser-plasma interactions

Long-scale jetlike x-ray emission was observed in a 100-TW laser-plasma interaction. The jet was well collimated with a divergence of 30-40 mrad and continued from the target surface into underdense regions for a distance over 4 mm in the specular direction of the laser light. A two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation shows an electron acceleration with the specularly reflected laser light and collimation of the electron stream by a self-generated magnetic field, resulting in the electron jet to the direction of the specularly reflected light.     

Optimization of the beam quality in ionization injection by a tailoring gas profile

A new scheme is proposed to improve the electron beam quality of ionization-induced injection by tailoring gas profile in laser wakefield acceleration. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that the ionization-induced injection mainly occurs in high-density stage and automatically truncates in low-density stage due to the decrease of the wakefield potential difference. The beam loading can be compensated by the elongated beam resulting from the density transition stage. The beam quality can be improved by shorter injection distance and beam loading effect. A quasi-monoenergetic electron beam with a central energy of 258 Me V and an energy spread of 5.1% is obtained under certain laser–plasma conditions.     

Study of electron-beam propagation through preionized dense foam plasmas

The transport of an intense electron-beam produced by the Vulcan petawatt laser through dense plasmas has been studied by imaging with high resolution the optical emission due to electron transit through the rear side of coated foam targets. It is observed that the MeV-electron beam undergoes strong filamentation and the filaments organize themselves in a ringlike structure. This behavior has been modeled using particle-in-cell simulations of the laser-plasma interaction as well as of the transport of the electron beam through the preionized plasma. In the simulations the filamentary structures are reproduced and attributed to the Weibel instability.     

Analysis of characteristic X-ray generation induced by laser plasma electrons accelerated by an electric field

The results of experiments devoted to the study of spectral, spatial, and time characteristics of a spectrally bright point x-ray source based on a vacuum diode with a laser-plasma cathode and a titanium needle anode with a photon energy approximately equal to 4.5 keV are presented. The experimental results revealed a considerable difference between the electron emission from laser plasma in a strong electric field and the explosive electron emission and demonstrated the effectiveness of laser plasma as an electron source. The optimization of the laser radiation power density, the accelerating voltage, and the interelectrode spacing made it possible to create a point x-ray source whose spectral brightness exceeds available sources in the class of small-size pulse x-ray instruments (tubes with explosive cathodes). It has been proved experimentally that the maximum contrast of the characteristic lines of the anode material is attained in the case of an optimal choice of accelerating voltage. The x-ray source has the following parameters: (1) spectral brightness of the K-lines of titanium of the order of 10²¹ photons/cm² s sr keV; (2) emitting region size of 250 mm; and (3) laser pulse duration less than 20 ns.     

Second harmonic generation of high power Cosh-Gaussian beam in cold collisionless plasma

The purpose of this study is to explore the second harmonic generation (SHG) of a high power Cosh-Gaussian beam in cold collisionless plasma. The ponderomotive force causes carrier redistribution from high field to low field region in presence of a Cosh-Gaussian beam thereby producing density gradients in the transverse direction. The density gradients so produced the results in electron plasma wave (EPW) generation at the frequency of the input beam. The EPW interacts with the input beam resulting in the production of 2nd harmonics. WKB and paraxial approximations are employed for obtaining the 2nd order differential equation describing the behavior of the beam's spot size against normalized distance. The impact of well-established laser-plasma parameters on the behavior of the beam's spot size and SHG yield are also analyzed. The focusing behavior of the beam and SHG yield is enhanced with an increase in the density of plasma, the radius of the beam and the decentred parameter, and with a decrease in the intensity of the beam. The results of the current problem are really helpful for complete information of laser-plasma interaction physics.     

Observation of fine structures in laser-driven electron beams using coherent transition radiation

We have measured the coherent optical transition radiation emitted by an electron beam from laser-plasma interaction. The measurement of the spectrum of the radiation reveals fine structures of the electron beam in the range 400-1000 nm. These structures are reproduced using an electron distribution from a 3D particle-in-cell simulation and are attributed to microbunching of the electron bunch due to its interaction with the laser field. When the radiator is placed closer to the interaction point, spectral oscillations have also been recorded, signature of the interference of the radiation produced by two electron bunches delayed by 74 fs. The second electron bunch duration is shown to be ultrashort to match the intensity level of the radiation. Whereas transition radiation was used at longer wavelengths in order to estimate the electron bunch length, this study focuses on the ultrashort structures of the electron beam.     

Stimulated Emission of Gamma Photon from Ultrashort Pulse Intense Laser-Solid-Target Interaction

The efficient production of energetic γ photons is a significant physical process in the relativistic ultrashortpulse laser-plasma inducing photonuclear action. Based on the interaction of laser-solid-target, an analytical theory onstimulated γ photon emission from a hot electron firing the target-nucleus is developed by a relativistic full quantummethod. The emitting power or probability of γ photon in arbitrary space direction can be calculated for laser irradiatingsolid-target normally. It is valid only if the scatter-centre is immovable or its motion can be neglected compared withthat of the scattered electrons.     

Valley density profile for highly efficient x-ray lasers with good beam quality

A plasma with a valley density profile at the required electron density for high-gain operation of an x-ray laser could be obtained using a normally incident 300 ps laser pulse followed by a grazing-incident 300 ps laser pulse. Sudden heating of the valley plasma region by another grazing-incident 300 fs laser pulse would then yield a highly efficient x-ray laser beam with a deflecting angle of 2 mrad and a divergence angle of 4 mrad. Saturation operation of the x-ray laser beam at 32.6 nm could be achieved with a total pump energy of less than 100 mJ.     

Coherent interaction of electromagnetic pulses with two-level systems in the frequency range from superhigh frequencies (HTSC) to X-ray (FEL)

The coherent interaction of an electromagnetic field with the medium in those cases in which the current emission in matter can be described within the framework of the two-level quantum system is considered. The physical nature of such cases is quite different. The media may be two-level particles (atoms or molecules), superconducting planar structures (e.g., high-temperature superconductors, HTSC, or relativistic electron beams in a free-electron laser (FEL). Also, the dynamics of the electromagnetic field for the visible, microwave, and x-ray wavelength region can be described. A short review of the results is given in the section on two-level particle media. The results of studying the interaction of the field with the electron beams in an x-ray FEL and the field interaction with the HTSC medium are the first to be reported.Translated from Preprint No. 82, Lebedev Physics Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, 1990.     

Observation of the second harmonic in Thomson scattering from relativistic electrons

A free relativistic electron in an electromagnetic field is a pure case of a light-matter interaction. In the laboratory environment, this interaction can be realized by colliding laser pulses with electron beams produced from particle accelerators. The process of single photon absorption and reemission by the electron, so-called linear Thomson scattering, results in radiation that is Doppler shifted into the x-ray and gamma-ray regions. At elevated laser intensity, nonlinear effects should come into play when the transverse motion of the electrons induced by the laser beam is relativistic. In the present experiment, we achieved this condition and characterized the second harmonic of Thomson x-ray scattering using the counterpropagation of a 60 MeV electron beam and a subterawatt CO2 laser beam.     

Near-threshold electron impact excitation of ultraviolet-emitting levels of helium atoms

The excitation by electron impact of levels of helium atoms that decay by emission of ultraviolet light has been studied as a function of incident energy up to approximately the first ionization energy. The width (FWHM) of the energy spread of the incident beam was less than 30 meV. A crossed-beam interaction region was used and UV photons emitted approximately normally to the electron and gas beam directions were detected by a channel electron multiplier. Precautions were taken to avoid detection of scattered electrons and metastable atoms by the photon detector. The onset position of the lowest excited level was used in calibrating the incident energy scale. The energies of resonance structures in the cross-sections could therefore be obtained and are compared with the results of experiments detecting other products of the interaction.     

Generating optical orbital angular momentum in a high-gain free-electron laser at the first harmonic

A scheme to generate intense coherent light that carries orbital angular momentum (OAM) at the fundamental wavelength of an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL) is described. The OAM light is emitted as the dominant mode of the system until saturation provided that the helical microbunching imposed on the electron beam is larger than the shot-noise bunching that leads to self-amplified emission. Operating at the fundamental, this scheme is more efficient than alternate schemes that rely on harmonic emission, and can be applied to x-ray FELs without using external optical mode conversion elements.     

Monochromatic X-Ray Sources Based on Emitters Controlled by Laser Radiation

The results of study of frequency-tuned monochromatic x-ray source are reported. The source was developed on the basis of a vacuum diode with a laser-plasma cathode. The source proposed is particularly promising, if the range of x-ray energy higher than 5 keV is of interest. The source features a spectral brightness higher than 10¹⁹ photons/(cm²·s·sr·keV) and an x-ray pulse duration no larger than 10^?8 s. An electromagnetic model of such a cathode is proposed and evaluated in order to assess the feasibility of an x-ray source with a laser-plasma cathode of higher performance. The possibility of using a ferroelectric electron emitter is discussed.     

超强激光驱动的辐射反作用力效应与极化粒子加速

光强超过10~(22) W/cm~2的极端超强激光将光与物质的相互作用推进到辐射主导区域,激发高能伽马光子辐射,产生明显的辐射反作用力效应.辐射反作用力可以显著影响强场中带电粒子的动力学行为,并从根本上改变了极端强场区域的激光等离子体相互作用规律.如何理解和验证辐射反作用力效应是强场物理研究的核心内容之一.本文结合该方向的国内外研究进展,论述了辐射反作用力的经典形式与强场量子电动力学的理论计算与模拟方法,详细讨论了单粒子在强场中的反射、量子随机辐射、自旋-辐射耦合等效应,介绍了激光等离子体相互作用中的电子冷却、辐射俘获、高效伽马辐射等机制,并给出了目前辐射反作用力效应的实验验证方法与进展.针对自旋在强场量子电动力学方面的效应,介绍了激光加速产生极化粒子源的方法.     

Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging with a laser-plasma source and a color center detector

Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging of thin foils with known thickness is observed using an ultrafast laser-plasma source and a LiF crystal as detector. Measurements are well reproduced by a simple theoretical model. This technique can be exploited for high spatial resolution, wide field of view imaging in the soft x-ray region, and it is suitable for the characterization of thin objects with thicknesses ranging from hundreds down to tens of nanometers.     

导引磁场控制相对论速调管放大器电子束收集的方法

 通过改变磁场位形,利用粒子模拟方法,研究了相对论速调管放大器（RKA）中电子束收集位置对器件效率和工作稳定性的影响。合适的电子束收集位置对增加输出腔区束波作用强度、减小输出腔区强流电子束的空间电荷势能以及减少RKA中反射电子数量非常有利。对一个工作频率2.85 GHz的RKA的电子束收集方式进行了改进,在电子束参数为510 keV和8.1 kA,注入微波功率500 kW和导引磁场1.5 T时,模拟得到了1.4 GW的微波输出,效率33.7%,增益33.8 dB,改进电子束收集方式之前的模拟结果为输出功率1.1 GW,效率为26.3%。利用Surperfish设计了改进收集方式后所需的磁场位形,并导入粒子模拟程序进行了模拟,实现了对电子束收集位置的有效控制,输出效率为32%。