Reproducibility of electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration in capillary tubes

• 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.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Acceleratorfysik och instrumentering (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Accelerator Physics and Instrumentation (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Laser wakefield

Laser plasma accelerator

Electron acceleration

Capillary tube

Electron beans stability

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)