Tunable synchrotron-like radiation from centimeter scale plasma channels.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Accelerator Physics

Background:

• Synchrotron radiation (SR) sources are crucial for scientific research and applications.
• Conventional SR facilities utilize large, costly linear accelerators and bending magnets.
• Existing SR sources face limitations in size, cost, and accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a compact, all-optical synchrotron-like radiation source.
• To explore the feasibility of laser-plasma acceleration for generating tunable SR.
• To demonstrate the potential for miniaturized, flexible SR facilities.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing laser-plasma acceleration in straight or curved plasma channels.
• Employing off-axial laser pulse injection to induce transverse oscillation of the laser centroid.
• Leveraging the resulting wiggler motion of the accelerating structure and trapped electrons.

Main Results:

• Generation of strong synchrotron-like radiation with tunable spectra.
• Demonstration of electron self-trapping and acceleration within the plasma channel.
• Theoretical possibility of a palmtop ring-shaped synchrotron using current laser technology.

Conclusions:

• A compact, all-optical synchrotron radiation source is achievable via laser-plasma acceleration.
• This technology offers high flexibility and tunability, overcoming limitations of conventional SR.
• Potential applications include complementing large-scale SR facilities and enabling new research avenues.