Observation of Betatron X-Ray Radiation in a Self-Modulated Laser Wakefield Accelerator Driven with Picosecond Laser Pulses

F. Albert, N. Lemos, J. L. Shaw, B. B. Pollock, C. Goyon, W. Schumaker, A. M. Saunders, K. A. Marsh, A. Pak, J. E. Ralph, J. L. Martins, L. D. Amorim, R. W. Falcone, S. H. Glenzer, J. D. Moody, and C. Joshi
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 134801 – Published 31 March 2017

Abstract

We investigate a new regime for betatron x-ray emission that utilizes kilojoule-class picosecond lasers to drive wakes in plasmas. When such laser pulses with intensities of 5×1018W/cm2 are focused into plasmas with electron densities of 1×1019cm3, they undergo self-modulation and channeling, which accelerates electrons up to 200 MeV energies and causes those electrons to emit x rays. The measured x-ray spectra are fit with a synchrotron spectrum with a critical energy of 10–20 keV, and 2D particle-in-cell simulations were used to model the acceleration and radiation of the electrons in our experimental conditions.

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  • Received 31 August 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.134801

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Accelerators & BeamsPlasma Physics

Authors & Affiliations

F. Albert1,*, N. Lemos1,2, J. L. Shaw2,†, B. B. Pollock1, C. Goyon1, W. Schumaker3, A. M. Saunders4, K. A. Marsh2, A. Pak1, J. E. Ralph1, J. L. Martins5, L. D. Amorim2,5, R. W. Falcone4, S. H. Glenzer3, J. D. Moody1, and C. Joshi2

  • 1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, NIF and Photon Sciences, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550, USA
  • 2Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
  • 3SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford, California 94309, USA
  • 4Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 5GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal

  • *albert6@llnl.gov
  • Present address: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, 250 E River Rd, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.

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Issue

Vol. 118, Iss. 13 — 31 March 2017

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