Abstract
Thanks to their compactness and unique properties, laser-wakefield accelerators are currently considered for several innovative applications. However, many of these applications-and especially those that require beam transport-are hindered by the large divergence of laser-accelerated beams. Here we propose a collimating concept that relies on the strong radial electric field of the laser-wakefield to reduce this divergence. This concept utilizes an additional gas jet, placed after the laser-wakefield accelerator. When the laser pulse propagates through this additional gas jet, it drives a wakefield which can refocus the trailing electron bunch. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that this approach can reduce the divergence by at least a factor of 3 for realistic electron bunches.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 121301 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Physical Review Special Topics-Accelerators And Beams |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 12 Dec 2014 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)