| 1. |
- Aurand, Bastian, et al.
(author)
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A setup for studies of laser-driven proton acceleration at the Lund Laser Centre
- 2015
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In: Laser and Particle Beams. - 0263-0346. ; 33:1, s. 59-64
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on a setup for the investigation of proton acceleration in the regime of target normal sheath acceleration. The main interest here is to focus on stable laser beam parameters as well as a reliable target setup and diagnostics in order to do extensive and systematic studies on the acceleration mechanism. A motorized target alignment system in combination with large target mounts allows for up to 340 shots with high repetition rate without breaking the vacuum. This performance is used to conduct experiments with a split mirror setup exploring the effect of spatial and temporal separation between the pulses on the acceleration mechanism and on the resulting proton beam.
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| 2. |
- Burza, Matthias, et al.
(author)
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Laser wakefield acceleration using wire produced double density ramps
- 2013
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In: Physical Review Special Topics. Accelerators and Beams. - 1098-4402. ; 16:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel approach to implement and control electron injection into the accelerating phase of a laser wakefield accelerator is presented. It utilizes a wire, which is introduced into the flow of a supersonic gas jet creating shock waves and three regions of differing plasma electron density. If tailored appropriately, the laser plasma interaction takes place in three stages: Laser self-compression, electron injection, and acceleration in the second plasma wave period. Compared to self-injection by wave breaking of a nonlinear plasma wave in a constant density plasma, this scheme increases beam charge by up to 1 order of magnitude in the quasimonoenergetic regime. Electron acceleration in the second plasma wave period reduces electron beam divergence by approximate to 25%, and the localized injection at the density downramps results in spectra with less than a few percent relative spread. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.16.011301
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| 3. |
- Desforges, F. G., et al.
(author)
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Reproducibility of electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration in capillary tubes
- 2014
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In: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5087 .- 0168-9002. ; 740, s. 54-59
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The stability of accelerated electron beams produced by self injection of plasma electrons into the wakefield driven by a laser pulse guided inside capillary tubes is analyzed statistically in relation to laser and plasma parameters, and compared to results obtained in a gas jet. The analysis shows that reproducible electron beams are achieved with a charge of 66 pC +/- 11%, a FWHM beam divergence of 9 mrad +/- 14%, a maximum energy of 120 MeV +/- 10% and pointing fluctuations of 2.3 mrad using 10 mm long, 178 mu m diameter capillary tubes at an electron density of (10.0 +/- 1.5) x 10(18) cm(-3). Active stabilization of the laser pointing was used and laser parameters were recorded on each shot. Although the shot-to-shot laser energy fluctuations can account for a fraction of the electrons fluctuations, gas density fluctuations are suspected to be a more important source of instability. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Hansson, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Down-ramp injection and independently controlled acceleration of electrons in a tailored laser wakefield accelerator
- 2015
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In: Physical Review Special Topics. Accelerators and Beams. - 1098-4402. ; 18:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on a study on controlled injection of electrons into the accelerating phase of a plasma wakefield accelerator by tailoring the target density distribution using two independent sources of gas. The tailored density distribution is achieved experimentally by inserting a narrow nozzle, with an orifice diameter of only 400 mu m, into a jet of gas supplied from a 2 mm diameter nozzle. The combination of these two nozzles is used to create two regions of different density connected by a density gradient. Using this setup we show independent control of the charge and energy distribution of the bunches of accelerated electron as well as decreased shot-to-shot fluctuations in these quantities compared to self-injection in a single gas jet. Although the energy spectra are broad after injection, simulations show that further acceleration acts to compress the energy distribution and to yield peaked energy spectra.
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| 5. |
- Hansson, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Enhanced stability of laser wakefield acceleration using dielectric capillary tubes
- 2014
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In: Physical Review Special Topics. Accelerators and Beams. - 1098-4402. ; 17:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The stability of beams of laser wakefield accelerated electrons in dielectric capillary tubes is experimentally investigated. These beams are found to be more stable in charge and pointing than the corresponding beams of electrons accelerated in a gas jet. Electron beams with an average charge of 43 pC and a standard deviation of 14% are generated. The fluctuations in charge are partly correlated to fluctuations in laser pulse energy. The pointing scatter of the electron beams is measured to be as low as 0.8 mrad (rms). High laser beam pointing stability improved the stability of the electron beams.
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| 6. |
- Šmíd, M., et al.
(author)
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Highly efficient angularly resolving x-ray spectrometer optimized for absorption measurements with collimated sources
- 2017
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In: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : AIP Publishing. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 88:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly collimated betatron radiation from a laser wakefield accelerator is a promising tool for spectroscopic measurements. Therefore, there is a requirement to create spectrometers suited to the unique properties of such a source. We demonstrate a spectrometer which achieves an energy resolution of <5 eV at 9 keV (E/Delta;E>1800) and is angularly resolving the x-ray emission allowing the reference and spectrum to be recorded at the same time. The single photon analysis is used to significantly reduce the background noise. Theoretical performance of various configurations of the spectrometer is calculated by a ray-tracing algorithm. The properties and performance of the spectrometer including the angular and spectral resolution are demonstrated experimentally on absorption above the K-edge of a Cu foil backlit by a laser-produced betatron radiation x-ray beam.
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| 7. |
- Svendsen, Kristoffer, et al.
(author)
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Optimization of soft X-ray phase-contrast tomography using a laser wakefield accelerator
- 2018
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In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 26:26, s. 33930-33941
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray phase-contrast imaging allows for non-invasive analysis in low-absorbing materials, such as soft tissue. Its application in medical or materials science has yet to be realized on a wider scale due to the requirements on the X-ray source, demanding high flux and small source size. Laser wakefield accelerators generate betatron X-rays fulfilling these criteria and can be suitable sources for phase-contrast imaging. In this work, we present the first phase-contrast images obtained by using ionization injection-based laser wakefield acceleration, which results in a higher photon yield and smoother X-ray beam profile compared to self-injection. A peak photon yield of 1.9 × 1011 ph/sr and a source size of 3 μm were estimated. Furthermore, the current laser parameters produce an X-ray spectrum mainly in the soft X-ray range, in which laser-plasma based phase-contrast imaging had yet to be studied. The phase-contrast images of a Chrysopa lacewing resolve features on the order of 4 μm. These images are further used for a tomographic reconstruction and a volume rendering, showing details on the order of tens of μm.
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| 8. |
- Wahlström, Claes-Göran, et al.
(author)
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Supersonic jets of hydrogen and helium for laser wakefield acceleration
- 2016
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In: Physical Review Accelerators and Beams. - 2469-9888. ; 19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The properties of laser wakefield accelerated electrons in supersonic gas flows of hydrogen and helium are investigated. At identical backing pressure, we find that electron beams emerging from helium show large variations in their spectral and spatial distributions, whereas electron beams accelerated in hydrogen plasmas show a higher degree of reproducibility. In an experimental investigation of the relation between neutral gas density and backing pressure, it is found that the resulting number density for helium is ∼30% higher than for hydrogen at the same backing pressure. The observed differences in electron beam properties between the two gases can thus be explained by differences in plasma electron density. This interpretation is verified by repeating the laser wakefield acceleration experiment using similar plasma electron densities for the two gases, which then yielded electron beams with similar properties.
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