Influence of plasma density on the generation of 100’s MeV electrons via Direct Laser Acceleration*

The role of plasma density and quasi-static fields in the acceleration of electrons to many times the ponderomotive energies (exceeding 400 MeV) by high-energy, picosecond duration laser pulses via Direct Laser Acceleration (DLA) from underdense CH plasma was investigated. Experiments using the OMEGA EP laser facility and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations using the EPOCH code were performed. The existence of an optimal plasma density for the generation of high-energy, low-divergence electron beams is demonstrated. The role of quasi-static channel fields on electron energy enhancement, beam pointing and divergence elucidate the mechanisms and action of DLA at different plasma densities.