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arXiv · 2202.08226

Electron acceleration by laser plasma wedge interaction

S. Marini·P. S. Kleij·M. Grech·M. Raynaud·C. Riconda
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Abstract

A new electron acceleration mechanism is identified that develops when a relativistically intense laser irradiates the wedge of an over-dense plasma. This induces a diffracted electromagnetic wave with a significant longitudinal electric field that accelerates electrons from the plasma over long distances to relativistic energies. Well collimated, highly-charged (nC) electron bunches with energies up to 100's MeV are obtained using a laser beam with $I λ_0^2 =3.5\times 10^{19}\,{\rm W μm^2/cm^2}$. Multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, supported by a simple analytical model, confirm the efficiency and robustness of the proposed acceleration scheme.

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S. Marini, P. S. Kleij, M. Grech, M. Raynaud, C. Riconda. 2022-02-16. Electron acceleration by laser plasma wedge interaction. https://arxiv.org/abs/2202.08226

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