Experimental measurement of nonlinear plasma wake fields

We report direct high-resolution observation of nonlinear steepened plasma waves excited in the wake of an intense, self-pinched electron beam. Oscillations in both accelerating and deflecting fields are measured, and analyzed in the context of linear and nonlinear plasma-wave theory. The degree of nonlinearity in the wake fields is shown to be consistent with analytical predictions of the beam self-pinching. The impact of these results on plasma acceleration and focusing schemes is discussed.