Benchmarking of hydrodynamic plasma waveguides for multi-GeV laser-driven electron acceleration
ORAL
Abstract
Hydrodynamic plasma waveguides initiated by optical field ionization (OFI) have recently become a key component of multi-GeV laser wakefield accelerators [1–4], We present comprehensive experimental and simulation-based characterization, applicable both to current multi-GeV experiments and future 100 GeV-scale laser plasma accelerators. Crucial to the simulations is the correct modeling of intense Bessel beam interaction with meter-scale gas targets [4], the results of which are used as initial conditions for hydrodynamic simulations [5,6]. The simulations are in good agreement with our experiments measuring plasma and neutral hydrogen density profiles using two-color short pulse interferometry, enabling realistic determination of the guided mode structure for application to laser-driven plasma accelerator design [7].
*This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DE-SC0015516, LaserNetUS DE-SC0019076/FWP#SCW1668, and DE-SC0011375), the National Science Foundation (PHY2010511), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the Muons for Science and Security Program. E. Rockafellow is supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 1840340).
–
Publication:[1] N. Lemos et al, Phys. Plasmas 20, 063102 (2013). [2] R. J. Shalloo et al, Phys. Rev. E 97, 053203 (2018). [3] B. Miao et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 074801 (2020). [4] L. Feder et al, Phys. Rev. Res. 2, 43173 (2020). [5] D. Gordon et al, NRL Memo. Rep. 6706 (2006). [6] S. M. Mewes et al, Phys. Rev. Res. 5, 033112 (2023). [7] B. Miao et al., under review, arXiv:2404.13632(2024)
