Effects of laser polarization in the expansion of plasma waveguides

Lemos, Nuno; Grismayer, Thomas; Cardoso, L. A.; Geada, J.; Figueira, Gonçalo; Dias, J. M.

doi:10.1063/1.4825228

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…We note that previous authors [39,40] have demon-strated the formation of short (4 mm long) plasma channels by OFI of hydrogen and helium. However, the channels demonstrated in that work had high axial electron densities of n e (0) 1 × 10 18 cm −3 , and the authors do not appear to have considered the use of this approach to generate long, low density channels, as we propose and demonstrate here.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels

et al. 2018

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We present experiments and numerical simulations which demonstrate that fully ionized, low-density plasma channels could be formed by hydrodynamic expansion of plasma columns produced by optical field ionization. Simulations of the hydrodynamic expansion of plasma columns formed in hydrogen by an axicon lens show the generation of 200 mm long plasma channels with axial densities of order n_{e}(0)=1×10^{17}cm^{-3} and lowest-order modes of spot size W_{M}≈40μm. These simulations show that the laser energy required to generate the channels is modest: of order 1 mJ per centimeter of channel. The simulations are confirmed by experiments with a spherical lens which show the formation of short plasma channels with 1.5×10^{17}cm^{-3}≲n_{e}(0)≲1×10^{18}cm^{-3} and 61μm≳W_{M}≳33μm. Low-density plasma channels of this type would appear to be well suited as multi-GeV laser-plasma accelerator stages capable of long-term operation at high pulse repetition rates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels

et al. 2018

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“…The simulations were confirmed by experiments which showed the formation of short plasma channels generated at the focus of a spherical lens. We note that Lemos et al [26,27] have generated short n e (0) ≈ 1 × 10 18 cm −3 HOFI channels produced by a spherical lens and have demonstrated guiding of low-intensity (1 × 10 15 W cm −2 ) laser pulses over 4 Rayleigh ranges [28].…”

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confidence: 72%

Low-density hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels generated with an axicon lens

Shalloo

Arran

Picksley

et al. 2019

Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams

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We demonstrate optical guiding of high-intensity laser pulses in long, low density hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized (HOFI) plasma channels. An axicon lens is used to generate HOFI plasma channels with on-axis electron densities as low as ne(0) = 1.5 × 10 17 cm −3 and matched spot sizes in the range 20 µm WM 40 µm. Control of these channel parameters via adjustment of the initial cell pressure and the delay after the arrival of the channel-forming pulse is demonstrated. For laser pulses with a peak axial intensity of 4 × 10 17 W cm −2 , highly reproducible, high-quality guiding over more than 14 Rayleigh ranges is achieved at a pulse repetition rate of 5 Hz, limited by the available channel-forming laser and vacuum pumping system. Plasma channels of this type would seem to be well suited to multi-GeV laser wakefield accelerators operating in the quasi-linear regime.Many applications of high-intensity laser-plasma interactions require the propagation of high-intensity laser pulses through plasmas which are orders of magnitude longer than the Rayleigh range. One example of particular current interest is the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) [1], in which a laser pulse with an intensity of order 10 18 W cm −2 propagates though a plasma, driving a trailing density wave. The electric fields generated within this plasma wave are of the order of the wave-breaking field E 0 = m e ω p c/e, where ω p = (n e e 2 /m e ǫ 0 ) 1/2 and n e is the electron density [2,3]. For plasma densities in the range n e = 10 17 −10 18 cm −3 , E 0 ≈ 30 − 100 GV m −1 , which is several orders of magnitude higher than the fields generated in radio-frequency machines.Plasma accelerators can drive compact sources of femtosecond-duration [4-6] radiation via betatron emission [7,8], undulator radiation [9, 10], and Thomson scattering [11][12][13], with many potential applications in ultrafast science. In the longer term they could provide a building block for future high-energy particle colliders [14].For LWFAs operating in the quasilinear regime [2], the energy gain per stage varies as W ∝ E 0 L acc ∝ 1/n e , and the required length of the stage varies as L acc ∝ 1/n 3/2 e . Hence reaching higher energy gains requires the drive laser to propagate over longer lengths of lower density plasma.To date, the highest reported electron energy generated in a LWFA is 7.8 GeV, which was achieved by guiding intense laser pulses through a 200-mm-long plasma channel with an axial electron density of 2.7 × 10 17 cm 3 [15].Laser-plasma accelerators providing 10 GeV energy gain per stage will require laser guiding through 100s of millimetres of plasma of electron density n e ≈ 10 17 cm −3 [16,17]. Further, for many of the applications identified above it will be necessary to operate at pulse repetition rates, f rep , several orders of magnitude above the few hertz typical of today's GeV-scale LWFAs.To date, the workhorse waveguide for LWFAs has been the capillary discharge waveguide [18,19]. Capillary discharge waveguides have generated plasma channels up to 150...

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“…This allows the generation of plasma channels of significantly lower density. We note that Lemos et al have also investigated hydrodynamic channels generated by fieldionized plasmas [32][33][34], and recently Smartsev et al used an axiparabola to generate 10 mm long channels of this type [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Guiding of high-intensity laser pulses in 100-mm-long hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels

Picksley

Alejo

Cowley

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams

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Hydrodynamic optically-field-ionized (HOFI) plasma channels up to 100 mm long are investigated. Optical guiding is demonstrated of laser pulses with a peak input intensity of 6 × 10 17 W cm −2 through 100 mm long plasma channels with on-axis densities measured interferometrically to be as low as n e0 ¼ ð1.0 AE 0.3Þ × 10 17 cm −3. Guiding is also observed at lower axial densities, which are inferred from magneto-hydrodynamic simulations to be approximately 7 × 10 16 cm −3. Measurements of the power attenuation lengths of the channels are shown to be in good agreement with those calculated from the measured transverse electron density profiles. To our knowledge, the plasma channels investigated in this work are the longest, and have the lowest on-axis density, of any free-standing waveguide demonstrated to guide laser pulses with intensities above >10 17 W cm −2 .

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Effects of laser polarization in the expansion of plasma waveguides

Cited by 19 publications

References 22 publications

Hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels

Hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels

Low-density hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels generated with an axicon lens

Guiding of high-intensity laser pulses in 100-mm-long hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized plasma channels

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