Electron acceleration by laser wakefield and x-ray emission at moderate intensity and density in long plasmas

H. E. Ferrari (1) , A. F. Lifschitz (2) , G. Maynard (3) , B. Cros (4)

1 Centro Atómico Bariloche [Argentine]
2 LOA - Laboratoire d'optique appliquée
3 LPGP - Laboratoire de physique des gaz et des plasmas
4 LAERO - Laboratoire d'aérologie

The dynamics of electron acceleration by laser wakefield and the associated x-rays emission in long plasmas are numerically investigated for parameters close to the threshold of laser self-focusing. The plasma length is set by the use of dielectric capillary tubes that confine the gas and the laser energy. Electrons self-injection and acceleration to the 170 MeVs are obtained for densities as low as 5 × 1018 cm−3 and a moderate input intensity (0.77 × 1018 W/cm2). The associated x-ray emission at the exit of the capillary tube is shown to be an accurate diagnostic of the electrons self-injection and acceleration process.

Domaines: Physique [physics]; Physique des accélérateurs [physics.acc-ph]; Optique [physics.optics]; Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]

H. E. Ferrari, A. F. Lifschitz, G. Maynard, B. Cros. Electron acceleration by laser wakefield and x-ray emission at moderate intensity and density in long plasmas. Physics of Plasmas, 2011, 18 (8), pp.083108. ⟨10.1063/1.3624771⟩. ⟨hal-01164320⟩