| 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. |
- Desforges, F. G., et al.
(author)
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Analysis of Electron Injection in Laser Wakefield Acceleration Using Betatron Emission in Capillary Tubes
- 2015
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In: Laser Acceleration of Electrons, Protons, and Ions III; and Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Beams of Particles III. - : SPIE. - 1996-756X .- 0277-786X. ; 9514, s. 95140-95140
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The dynamics of ionization-induced electron injection in the high density (similar to 1.2 x 10(19)cm(-3)) regime of Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) was investigated by analyzing betatron X-ray emission inside dielectric capillary tubes. A comparative study of the electron and betatron X-ray properties was performed for both self-injection and ionization-induced injection. Direct experimental evidence of early onset of ionization-induced injection into the plasma wave was obtained by mapping the X-ray emission zone inside the plasma. Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations showed that the early onset of ionization-induced injection, due to its lower trapping threshold, suppresses self-injection of electrons. An increase of X-ray fluence by at least a factor of two was observed in the case of ionization-induced injection due to an increased trapped charge compared to self-injection mechanism.
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| 3. |
- Dromey, B, et al.
(author)
-
Picosecond metrology of laser-driven proton bursts.
- 2016
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tracking primary radiation-induced processes in matter requires ultrafast sources and high precision timing. While compact laser-driven ion accelerators are seeding the development of novel high instantaneous flux applications, combining the ultrashort ion and laser pulse durations with their inherent synchronicity to trace the real-time evolution of initial damage events has yet to be realized. Here we report on the absolute measurement of proton bursts as short as 3.5±0.7 ps from laser solid target interactions for this purpose. Our results verify that laser-driven ion acceleration can deliver interaction times over a factor of hundred shorter than those of state-of-the-art accelerators optimized for high instantaneous flux. Furthermore, these observations draw ion interaction physics into the field of ultrafast science, opening the opportunity for quantitative comparison with both numerical modelling and the adjacent fields of ultrafast electron and photon interactions in matter.
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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. |
- 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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