Efficient Electron Acceleration and MeV Photon Radiation in Relativistically Transparent Magnetic Filaments

ORAL

Abstract

In relativistically transparent interactions, lasers with intensity above 1020 W/cm2 drive relativistic current filaments with ultrastrong azimuthal magnetic fields in classically overdense plasmas. These magnetic fields trap electrons, which are directly accelerated by the laser pulse to hundreds of MeV and efficiently radiate MeV-scale photons by synchrotron radiation. We present scaling laws that describe the radiated photon energy and radiation efficiency of this process, and the results of initial experiments to test this phenomenon at the Texas Petawatt Laser (TPW). The analytical scaling laws are validated by 3-D particle-in-cell simulations in two regimes of focal radius. Radiation efficiency is predicted to exceed 10% for laser intensity above 6×1021 W/cm2. Experiments at TPW using moderate laser intensity (1021 W/cm2) demonstrate the predicted signatures of electron acceleration and x-ray radiation from a subset of microchannel targets filled with low-density CH foam. Optimization of this ultrafast photon source for applications in high-energy-density, nuclear, and high-field physics is discussed.

*This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0003856.

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Publication: H. G. Rinderknecht et al., "Relativistically Transparent Magnetic Filaments: Scaling Laws, Initial Results and Prospects for Strong-Field QED Studies," Physics Archive, https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.02662 (2021).

Presenters

  • Hans Rinderknecht

    • University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics - Rochester
    • Lab for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester
    • University of Rochester

Authors

  • Hans Rinderknecht

    • University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics - Rochester
    • Lab for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester
    • University of Rochester

  • Gerrit Bruhaug

    • LLE Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • Matthew Van Dusen-Gross

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • Mingsheng Wei

    • University of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • Kathleen Weichman

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

  • John P Palastro

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

  • Alexey Arefiev

    • University of California, San Diego
    • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0411, USA

  • Tao Wang

    • University of California, San Diego

  • Alejandro Laso Garcia

    • Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

  • Toma Toncian

    • Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

  • Hernan J Quevedo

    • University of Texas at Austin

  • Todd Ditmire

    • University of Texas at Austin

  • Domenico Doria

    • Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics
    • ELI-NP

  • Klaus Spohr

    • ELI-NP

  • Jarrod Williams

    • General Atomics

  • Alex Haid

    • General Atomics
    • GA