Optical Diagnostics of Laser Plasma Wakefield Experiments using 200 Terawatt Pulses

POSTER

Abstract

Understanding the electron injection mechanism in laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is a key to realizing GeV class electron acceleration. To study the interaction of 30 fs laser pulses with power up to 200 TW at the Hercules laser facility with LWFA plasmas various optical diagnostics were employed. The transverse optical probe has been utilized for shadowgraphy and interferometry in order to study laser propagation. The probe was also used as a faraday rotation diagnostic to measure self generated magnetic fields due to electron beam current. The magnetic fields measurements reveal the insight into the electron injection mechanism.

*This research was supported by NSF grant PHY-0114336.

Authors

  • F.J. Dollar

    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • Y. Horowitz

    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • Christopher McGuffey

    • University of Michigan
    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

  • Channing Huntington

    • University of Michigan
    • AOSS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • Takeshi Matsuoka

    • University of Michigan
    • FOCUS Center, CUOS, U. of M.
    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • Michigan Univ., USA
    • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

  • S. Bulanov

    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • V. Chvykov

    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • Galina Kalinchenko

    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • University of Michigan

  • Pascal Rousseau

    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • University of Michigan

  • Victor Yanovsky

    • University of Michigan
    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • R. Paul Drake

    • University of Michigan
    • Univ. of Michigan
    • AOSS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • Anatoly Maksimchuk

    • University of Michigan
    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

  • Karl Krushelnick

    • University of Michigan
    • FOCUS Center and CUOS, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI