2006 48th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics
Monday–Friday, October 30–November 3 2006;
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Session FR1: Review: Holographic Snapshots of Laser Wakefields
8:00 AM–9:00 AM,
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
Room: Grand Salon A-F
Chair: Patric Muggli, University of Southern California
Abstract ID: BAPS.2006.DPP.FR1.1
Abstract: FR1.00001 : Holographic Snapshots of Laser Wakefields*
8:00 AM–9:00 AM
Preview Abstract
Author:
Michael Downer
(University of Texas at Austin)
Tabletop plasma accelerators driven by intense ultrashort laser pulses or
charged-particle bunches can now produce GeV-range electron beams and
femtosecond x-ray and gamma-ray pulses, providing compact radiation sources
for application in medicine, nuclear engineering, materials science and
high-energy physics. In these accelerators, electrons surf on $>$100 GeV/m
electric fields (thousands of times stronger than in conventional
accelerators) generated within plasma structures (e.g. electron plasma
waves, ``bubbles'' devoid of electrons) propagating behind the driving
pulse. Because of their microscopic size and luminal velocity, however,
critical features of these structures that determine the energy, energy
spread, collimation and charge of the accelerated beam have eluded direct
single-shot observation, inhibiting progress in producing high quality beams
and in correlating beam properties with wake structure. Here we demonstrate
single shot visualization of laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) structures
for the first time, using Frequency Domain Holography (FDH), a technique
designed to image structures propagating near light speed. Our holographic
``snapshots'' capture the evolution of multiple wake periods, and resolve
wavefront curvature seen previously only in simulations. These previously
invisible features underlie wave breaking, electron injection and focusing
within the wake, the key determinants of beam quality. We reconstruct wake
morphology in real-time, providing experimental feedback and optimization.
Beyond accelerators, we anticipate that FDH will provide an unprecedented
visualization and feedback capability for structures created in diverse
laser- and particle-plasma interactions, including fast ignition for laser
fusion and plasma-based amplification and compresssion of ultra-intense
laser pulses.
*Supported by DOE grant DE-FG03-96ER40954 and NSF grant PHY-0114336.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2006.DPP.FR1.1
