LMI Seminar: Manipulating Electrons with Intense Lasers

Abstract:

Laser Plasma Accelerators (LPA) rely on the control of the electronic motion with intense laser pulses [1]. The manipulation of electrons with intense lasers allows a fine mapping of the longitudinal and radial components of giant electric fields with values that can exceed hundreds of GV/m [2], 10 000 times larger than the one used in conventional accelerators. With such control is now possible to realize laser plasma accelerators for producing ultra-short and ultra-bright energetic particle and radiation beams. To illustrate the beauty of laser plasma accelerators I will show one can improve the quality of the electron beam, its stability [3] and its energy gain [4], or by playing with the radial field one can reduce its divergence [5].

I’ll then show how by controlling the quiver motion of relativistic electrons intense and bright X-rays beams are produced in a compact and elegant way [6-8]. Finally, I’ll show some examples of applications.

[1] V. Malka, Europhysics Letters, 115 (2016) 54001

[2] V. Malka et al., Science 22, 298, Nov. (2002)

[3] E. Guillaume et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 155002 (2015)

[4] C. Thaury Scientific Report, 10.1038, srep16310, Nov. 9 (2015)

[5] C. Thaury et al., Nature Comm. 6, 6860 (2015)

[6] K. Ta Phuoc et al., Nature Photonics 6, 308-311 (2012)

[7] S. Corde et al., Review of Modern Phys. 85 (2013)

[8] I. Andriyash et al., Nature Comm. 5, 4736 (2014)