First Results from Hollow-Channel Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiments with Positron Beams at FACET

ORAL

Abstract

We report on the first results from a hollow-channel plasma wakefield acceleration experiment using positron beams at FACET. A meter-scale plasma channel is created by field ionizing lithium vapor using an intense laser pulse that has a transverse J8 Bessel profile. The plasma channel is roughly 600 $\mu$m in diameter and has unionized vapor at its center. A 20.35 GeV positron beam with spot size of roughly 50 $\mu$m was sent through the channel. We observed the transverse beam profile while varying the position of the beam relative to the channel. Our measurements clearly indicate that a plasma channel was formed. We characterize the strength of the wake and discuss plans for subsequent experiments.

*This work performed [in part] under DOE Contract DE-AC02-76SF00515 [and any other funding agencies].

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Authors

  • Spencer Gessner

    • SLAC
    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

  • Erik Adli

    • Oslo University
    • SLAC

  • James Allen

    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
    • SLAC

  • Christine Clarke

    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
    • SLAC

  • Chris Clayton

    • UCLA

  • Joel Frederico

    • SLAC

  • Selina Green

    • SLAC
    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

  • Mark Hogan

    • SLAC
    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

  • C. Joshi

    • University of California Los Angeles
    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • UCLA
    • Univ of California - Los Angeles

  • Michael Litos

    • SLAC
    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

  • K.A. Marsh

    • UCLA
    • Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • University of California Los Angeles

  • Sebastien Corde

    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
    • SLAC

  • N. Vafaei-Najafabadi

    • UCLA
    • University of California Los Angeles

  • Vitaly Yakimenko

    • Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
    • SLAC

  • Weiming An

    • UCLA