[en] High intensity, short pulse lasers can be used to accelerate electrons to ultra-relativistic energies via laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) [T. Tajima and J. M. Dawson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 43, 267 (1979)]. Recently, it was shown that separating the injection and acceleration processes into two distinct stages could prove beneficial in obtaining stable, high energy electron beams [Gonsalves et al., Nat. Phys. 7, 862 (2011); Liu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 035001 (2011); Pollock et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 045001 (2011)]. Here, we use a stereolithography based 3D printer to produce two-stage gas targets for LWFA experiments on the HERCULES laser system at the University of Michigan. We demonstrate substantial improvements to the divergence, pointing stability, and energy spread of a laser wakefield accelerated electron beam compared with a single-stage gas cell or gas jet target

[en] X-rays generated by the betatron oscillations of electrons in a nonlinear plasma wakefield have been proposed to be useful for a range of applications. In this study, the scaling of the x-ray fluence and energy with electron beam properties and laser power are studied and the application of the x-rays for imaging additive manufactured (3D printed) test objects is investigated. The scalings confirm a strong increase in x-ray fluence with laser power and the imaging shows strong fringe contrast due to the micron scale source size. (paper)

[en] Understanding the scaling of laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is crucial to the design of potential future systems. A number of computational and theoretical studies have predicted scalings with laser power for various parameters, but experimental studies have typically been limited to small parameter ranges. Here, we detail extensive measurements of LWFA experiments conducted over a considerable range in power from 20 to 110 TW, which allows for a greater plasma density range and for a large number of data points. These measurements include scalings of the electron beam charge and maximum energy as functions of density as well as injection threshold density, beam charge, and total beam energy as functions of laser power. The observed scalings are consistent with theoretical understandings of operation in the bubble regime.

[en] Laser-plasma interaction experiments using a 70 TW short-pulse laser were conducted to investigate the properties of electron beams produced from laser wakefield acceleration. In addition to narrow divergence electron beams in excess of 200 MeV, lower energy components of the electron beam were observed to have an annular emission pattern with much larger divergence. This ring-shaped component of the beam is up to several MeV in energy and gives rise to a corresponding increase in the divergence of bremsstrahlung x-rays while producing more background radiation. Scaling measurements of the emission angle of the beam with respect to plasma density were also made. From 3D numerical simulations of the interaction, it is shown that this phenomenon results from energetic electrons in the laser-driven wakefield which are not trapped by the plasma wave, but which can still obtain some longitudinal momentum from the interaction. (paper)

[en] Using high-energy (∼0.5 GeV) electron beams generated by laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), bremsstrahlung radiation was created by interacting these beams with various solid targets. Secondary processes generate high-energy electrons, positrons, and neutrons, which can be measured shot-to-shot using magnetic spectrometers, short half-life activation, and Compton scattering. Presented here are proof-of-principle results from a high-resolution, high-energy gamma-ray spectrometer capable of single-shot operation, and high repetition rate activation diagnostics. We describe the techniques used in these measurements and their potential applications in diagnosing LWFA electron beams and measuring high-energy radiation from laser-plasma interactions

[en] Here, we report on the first experimental observation of a current-driven instability developing in a quasineutral matter-antimatter beam. Strong magnetic fields (≥ 1T) are measured, via means of a proton radiography technique, after the propagation of a neutral electron-positron beam through a background electron-ion plasma. The experimentally determined equipartition parameter of ε_B ≈ 10^-3 is typical of values inferred from models of astrophysical gamma-ray bursts, in which the relativistic flows are also expected to be pair dominated. The data, supported by particle-in-cell simulations and simple analytical estimates, indicate that these magnetic fields persist in the background plasma for thousands of inverse plasma frequencies. The existence of such long-lived magnetic fields can be related to analog astrophysical systems, such as those prevalent in lepton-dominated jets.

[en] Experimental studies of electrons produced in a laser wakefield accelerator indicate trapping initiated by ionization of target gas atoms. Targets composed of helium and controlled amounts of various gases were found to increase the beam charge by as much as an order of magnitude compared to pure helium at the same electron density and decrease the beam divergence from 5.1±1.0 to 2.9±0.8 mrad. The measurements are supported by particle-in-cell modeling including ionization. This mechanism should allow generation of electron beams with lower emittance and higher charge than in preionized gas.

[en] The interaction of high intensity short pulse laser beams with plasmas can accelerate electrons to energies in excess of a GeV. These electron beams can subsequently be used to generate short-lived particles such as positrons, muons, and pions. In recent experiments, we have made the first measurements of pion production using 'all optical' methods. In particular, we have demonstrated that the interaction of bremsstrahlung generated by laser driven electron beams with aluminum atoms can produce the long lived isotope of magnesium (²⁷Mg) which is a signature for pion (π ⁺) production and subsequent muon decay. Using a 300 TW laser pulse, we have measured the generation of 150 ± 50 pions per shot. Finally, we show that the energetic electron beam is a source of an intense, highly directional neutron beam resulting from (γ, n) reactions which contributes to the ²⁷Mg measurement as background via the (n, p) process. Authors:

[en] Experimental results are presented from studies of the ionization injection process in laser wakefield acceleration using the Hercules laser with laser power up to 100 TW. Gas jet targets consisting of gas mixtures reduced the density threshold required for electron injection and increased the maximum beam charge. Gas mixture targets produced smooth beams even at densities which would produce severe beam breakup in pure He targets and the divergence was found to increase with gas mixture pressure.

[en] We show that x-rays from a recently demonstrated table top source of bright, ultrafast, coherent synchrotron radiation [Kneip et al., Nat. Phys. 6, 980 (2010)] can be applied to phase contrast imaging of biological specimens. Our scheme is based on focusing a high power short pulse laser in a tenuous gas jet, setting up a plasma wakefield accelerator that accelerates and wiggles electrons analogously to a conventional synchrotron, but on the centimeter rather than tens of meter scale. We use the scheme to record absorption and phase contrast images of a tetra fish, damselfly and yellow jacket, in particular highlighting the contrast enhancement achievable with the simple propagation technique of phase contrast imaging. Coherence and ultrafast pulse duration will allow for the study of various aspects of biomechanics.