Abstract
Laser-plasma acceleration is considered to be a promising candidate for compactly delivering high-energy high-quality electron beams. One of the most common methods for injecting plasma electrons into the wakefield structure is the shock front injection. Here we present the first direct visualization of the nonlinear laser wakefield dynamics resulting from a tilted shock front using the femtosecond relativistic electron microscopy technique. Our observations reveal the occurrence of a split in the wakefield, with the formation of an on-axis laser-driven wakefield and an off-axis beam-driven wakefield just after the passage through the hydrodynamic shock. Using experimental and three-dimensional numerical evidence, we identify the mechanism of this newly observed phenomenon as an off-axis electron injection from the tilted shock, which amplified the betatron oscillations of the bunch until its breakup. These results propel our comprehension of the intricate and nonlinear laser-plasma dynamics within the widely employed shock-front injection scheme, providing crucial information for high-quality beam generation in real-time operations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | L012041 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Physical Review Research |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 25 Feb 2025 |
Funding
Acknowledgments. This work was supported by The Schwartz/Reisman Center for Intense Laser Physics, by a research grant from the Benoziyo Endowment Fund for the Advancement of Science, by the Israel Science Foundation, Minerva, Wolfson Foundation, by the Schilling Foundation, by R. Lapon, by Dita and Yehuda Bronicki, and by the Helmholtz association. Y.W. acknowledges support from the Key Basic Research Program of Henan Province for Universities (No. 25ZX002) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grants No. XDB0530000, No. XDB0530100, and No. XDB0530200). The simulations were carried out at the HZDR Cluster. Y.W. and E.Y.L. conceived the idea and designed the setup. E.Y.L., S.T., Y.W., and D.R. together carried out the experiment with support from E.K. and V.M. E.Y.L. analyzed the data and performed the simulations with help from Y.W., and with help from D.R. for the hydrodynamic simulations. E.Y.L. and Y.W. wrote the paper. All authors discussed extensively the results and commented on the manuscript. V.M. provided overall guidance to the project.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Physics and Astronomy