Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

Study on the electron acceleration in the interaction of two relativistic laser beams with under-dense plasma

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

S.A. Ghasemi
M. Pishdast
J. Yazdanpanah

Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, P.O. Box: 14399-51113, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2022.1358
Abstract
This paper applied two intense relativistic beams to low-density plasma under different conditions. The effect of the distance and the angle between these two beams on the acceleration of electrons were investigated. The simulations showed that when the distance between two beams is zero, and there is no relative angle between them, after some adequate amount of time, it seems that a powerful beam travels through the entire plasma, increasing the acceleration length of the electrons and their kinetic energy. The best overlap occurs between the pulses at and , naturally, the hot electrons will have the highest temperature and the highest cut-off energy. On the other hand, as the pulse distance increases, the useful overlap decreases (the total amplitude of the laser fields decreases). Consequently, the temperature of the hot electrons will reduce. The results showed that the conditions  and  the rate of pulse erosion, and the increase in the kinetic energy of the electrons are slightly greater than the non-zero angles, which can be due to the excitation of the stronger plasma waves.

Highlights

1. M. Pishdast, J. Yazdanpanah, S.A. Ghasemi, Electron acceleration by an intense laser pulse inside a density profile induced by non-linear pulse evolution, Laser Part, Beams, 36, 41-48 (2018).

 

2. S.A. Ghasemi, M. Pishdast, J. Yazdanpanah, Numerical investigation of plasma heating during the entrance of an intense short laser pulse into a density profile, Laser Phys, 30, 016001 (2020).

 

3. A.P.L. Robinson, A.V. Arefiev, D. Neely, Generating “Superponderomotive” Electrons due to a Non-Wake-Field Interaction between a Laser Pulse and a Longitudinal Electric Field, Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 065002 (2013).

 

4. A. Pukhov, Z.M. Sheng, J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Particle acceleration in relativistic laser channels, Phys. Plasmas, 6, 2847 (1999).

 

5. B. Liu, et al., Generating Overcritical Dense Relativistic Electron Beams via Self-Matching Resonance Acceleration, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 045002 (2013).

 

6. W.P. Leemans, et al., GeV electron beams from a centimetre-scale accelerator, Nat. Phys. 2, 696 (2006).

 

7. E. Esarey, C.B. Schroeder, W.P. Leemans, Physics of laser-driven plasma-based electron accelerators, Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1229 (2009).

 

8. W.P. Leemans, et al. Multi-GeV Electron Beams from Capillary-Discharge-Guided Subpetawatt Laser Pulses in the Self-Trapping Regime, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 245002 (2014).

 

9. A. Pukhov, Z.M. Sheng, J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Particle acceleration in relativistic laser channels, Phys. Plasmas, 6, 2847 (1999).

 

10. C. Gahn, et al., Multi-MeV Electron Beam Generation by Direct Laser Acceleration in High-Density Plasma Channels, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4772 (1999).

 

11. T.W. Huang, et al., Electron acceleration induced by interaction of two relativistic laser pulses in underdense plasmas, Phys. Rev. E. 98, 053207 (2018).

 

12. L. Yang, et al., High-charge energetic electron bunch generated by intersecting laser pulses, Phys. Plasmas, 20, 033102 (2013).

 

13. E. Wallin, A. Gonoskov, M. Marklund, Radiation emission from braided electrons in interacting wakefields, Phys. Plasmas, 24, 093101 (2017).

 

14. https://smileipic.github.io/Smilei/index.html.

 

15. J. Derouillat, et al. SMILEI: a collaborative, open-source, multi-purpose particle-in-cell code for plasma simulation, Comput. Phys. Commun. 222, 351-373 (2018).

Keywords

Electron acceleration
Laser-plasma interaction
Electron kinetic energy
1. M. Pishdast, J. Yazdanpanah, S.A. Ghasemi, Electron acceleration by an intense laser pulse inside a density profile induced by non-linear pulse evolution, Laser Part, Beams, 36, 41-48 (2018).
 
2. S.A. Ghasemi, M. Pishdast, J. Yazdanpanah, Numerical investigation of plasma heating during the entrance of an intense short laser pulse into a density profile, Laser Phys, 30, 016001 (2020).
 
3. A.P.L. Robinson, A.V. Arefiev, D. Neely, Generating “Superponderomotive” Electrons due to a Non-Wake-Field Interaction between a Laser Pulse and a Longitudinal Electric Field, Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 065002 (2013).
 
4. A. Pukhov, Z.M. Sheng, J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Particle acceleration in relativistic laser channels, Phys. Plasmas, 6, 2847 (1999).
 
5. B. Liu, et al., Generating Overcritical Dense Relativistic Electron Beams via Self-Matching Resonance Acceleration, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 045002 (2013).
 
6. W.P. Leemans, et al., GeV electron beams from a centimetre-scale accelerator, Nat. Phys. 2, 696 (2006).
 
7. E. Esarey, C.B. Schroeder, W.P. Leemans, Physics of laser-driven plasma-based electron accelerators, Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1229 (2009).
 
8. W.P. Leemans, et al. Multi-GeV Electron Beams from Capillary-Discharge-Guided Subpetawatt Laser Pulses in the Self-Trapping Regime, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 245002 (2014).
 
9. A. Pukhov, Z.M. Sheng, J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Particle acceleration in relativistic laser channels, Phys. Plasmas, 6, 2847 (1999).
 
10. C. Gahn, et al., Multi-MeV Electron Beam Generation by Direct Laser Acceleration in High-Density Plasma Channels, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4772 (1999).
 
11. T.W. Huang, et al., Electron acceleration induced by interaction of two relativistic laser pulses in underdense plasmas, Phys. Rev. E. 98, 053207 (2018).
 
12. L. Yang, et al., High-charge energetic electron bunch generated by intersecting laser pulses, Phys. Plasmas, 20, 033102 (2013).
 
13. E. Wallin, A. Gonoskov, M. Marklund, Radiation emission from braided electrons in interacting wakefields, Phys. Plasmas, 24, 093101 (2017).
 
14. https://smileipic.github.io/Smilei/index.html.
 
15. J. Derouillat, et al. SMILEI: a collaborative, open-source, multi-purpose particle-in-cell code for plasma simulation, Comput. Phys. Commun. 222, 351-373 (2018).
Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
Volume 43, Issue 1 - Serial Number 99
January 2022
Pages 136-145

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