Resonantly laser-driven plasma waves for electron acceleration
- 1 April 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review E
- Vol. 51 (4), 3484-3497
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.51.3484
Abstract
A method for generating large-amplitude nonlinear plasma waves, which utilizes an optimized train of independently adjustable, intense laser pulses, is analyzed in one dimension both theoretically and numerically (using both Maxwell-fluid and particle-in-cell codes). Optimal pulse widths and interpulse spacings are computed for pulses with either square or finite-rise-time sine shapes. A resonant region of the plasma wave phase space is found where the plasma wave is driven most efficiently by the laser pulses. The width of this region, and thus the optimal finite-rise-time laser pulse width, was found to decrease with increasing background plasma density and plasma wave amplitude, while the nonlinear plasma wavelength, and thus the optimal interpulse spacing, increases. Also investigated are damping of the wave by trapped background electrons and the sensitivities of the resonance to variations in the laser and plasma parameters. Resonant excitation is found to be superior for electron acceleration to either beat-wave or single-pulse excitation because comparable plasma-wave amplitudes may be generated at lower plasma densities, reducing electron-phase detuning, or at lower laser intensities, reducing laser-plasma instabilities. Practical experimental methods for producing the required pulse trains are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Subpicosecond, electromagnetic pulses from intense laser-plasma interactionPhysical Review Letters, 1993
- Observation of modulational instability in Nd-laser beat-wave experimentsPhysical Review Letters, 1992
- Beat-wave excitation of plasma wave and observation of accelerated electronsPhysical Review Letters, 1992
- Relativistic wake-field generation by an intense laser pulse in a plasmaPhysics Letters A, 1990
- Nonlinear theory of intense laser-plasma interactionsPhysical Review Letters, 1990
- Nonlinear interaction of intense laser pulses in plasmasPhysical Review A, 1990
- Laser wakefield acceleration and relativistic optical guidingApplied Physics Letters, 1988
- Relativistic Plasma-Wave Excitation by Collinear Optical MixingPhysical Review Letters, 1985
- Laser Electron AcceleratorPhysical Review Letters, 1979
- Nonlinear Electron Oscillations in a Cold PlasmaPhysical Review B, 1959