Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 83: Beschleunigerphysik VI

T 83.3: Talk

Monday, March 15, 2010, 17:15–17:30, HG ÜR 8

Evolution of Electron-Bunch Parameters during Laser-Wakefield Acceleration — •Antonia Popp^1,2, Raphael Weingartner^1,2, Jens Osterhoff^1,3, Matthias Fuchs^1,2, Johannes Wenz¹, Matthias Heigoldt¹, Shao-Wei Chou¹, Andreas Maier¹, Konstantin Khrennikov¹, Zsuzsanna Major^1,2, Florian Grüner^1,2, Ferenc Krausz^1,2, and Stefan Karsch^1,2 — ¹Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany — ²Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany — ³LOASIS Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA

In several proof-of-principle experiments it has been demonstrated that laser-wakefield acceleration of relativistic electrons could be a promising complement to conventional accelerator systems for certain applications. Despite major improvements of the beam quality over the last years, laser-accelerated electron bunches still have not reached the parameters and controllability eventually indispensable for their employment in e.g. X-ray generation.

In the presented work the evolution of the electron bunch properties during the acceleration process is studied. By changing the acceleration distance using a variable-length gas cell, the bunch is extracted in different phases. Thus it is possible both to gain better insight into the underlying physics and to optimize and to a certain degree even control the final electron beam parameters. The experimental results are supported by full-scale three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.