Microcoulomb-Class Self-Modulated Laser Wakefield Accelerator on OMEGA EP

ORAL

Abstract

Self-modulated laser wakefield accelerators (SMLWFA's) driven by picosecond-scale, kilojoule-class lasers enable particle beams and x-ray sources that could be coupled to experiments driven by large-scale, high-energy lasers such as the OMEGA laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) or the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We report on the development of a SMLWFA platform for the OMEGA EP Laser System at LLE. This platform is the first laser-plasma accelerator driven by a short-pulse, kilojoule-class laser (OMEGA EP) connected to a high-energy-density-science (HEDS) driver (OMEGA). Initial experiments demonstrated electron beams with electron energies exceeding 200 MeV, divergences as low as 32 mrad, charge exceeding 700 nC, and laser-to-electron conversion efficiencies up to 11{\%}. The total charge in the electron beam is found to scale with both $a_{\mathrm{0}}$ and plasma density. These electron beams are, to our knowledge, the highest-charge electron beams produced from a laser-plasma accelerator and show promise as a path to MeV-class radiography sources and improved flux for broadband sources of interest at HEDS facilities.

*This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Awards DE-SC0017950 and DE-SC0016253, the National Science Foundation under Award PHY-1705224, and the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0003856.

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Authors

  • Jessica Shaw

    • Laboratory of Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester

  • Gerrit Bruhaug

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester

  • Manfred Ambat

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester

  • Max McKie

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester

  • J.P. Palastro

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester
    • U. of Rochester, Laboratory laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • D.H. Froula

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester
    • University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester, New York 14623, USA

  • Marco Romo-Gonzalez

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics University of Rochester and California State U. Stanislaus

  • Nuno Lemos

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • LLNL

  • Félicie Albert

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • LLNL

  • Paul King

    • LLNL
    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • LLNL and U. Texas Austin