Coupling Effects in Multistage Laser Wake-field Acceleration of Electrons

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Particle Accelerators
• Laser-driven Acceleration

Background:

• Staging laser wake-field acceleration is crucial for developing advanced electron accelerators.
• Achieving stable, reproducible acceleration fields and overcoming dephasing length are key challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the temporal and spatial coupling of pre-accelerated electron bunches for staging.
• To demonstrate efficient electron injection into successive laser pulse wake fields.

Main Methods:

• Generation of dense, stable, narrow energy band electron beams (<3% energy spread) with ~1.6 pC charge and ~10 MeV energy from a laser plasma cathode.
• Utilizing cumulative focusing in a low-density preplasma, leveraging the Budker-Bennett effect.
• Comparison of measured electron beam characteristics with multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated efficient injection of electrons into the booster wake field, even over long distances.
• Characterized electron beams with stable, narrow energy bands suitable for staging.
• Experimental results showed good agreement with particle-in-cell simulations.

Conclusions:

• Staging laser wake-field acceleration is a viable technique for high-energy, jitter-free electron accelerators.
• Cumulative focusing in preplasma facilitates efficient electron bunch injection for staging.
• The demonstrated method supports the development of compact and high-performance laser-driven accelerators.