Publications

Overcoming the dephasing limit in laser-wakefield acceleration promises allow for significantly more favorable scaling laws of achievable electron energy and to enable the acceleration of electrons with energies of over 100 GeV in existing laser facilities. One of the most promising solutions for achieving dephasing-free acceleration relies on structuring light with an axiparabola and spatio-temporal couplings. Here we show an experimental setup that yields such a structured pulse and demonstrate its ability to tune the on-axis intensity propagation velocity. Furthermore, we show that the wakefield generated by such a pulse is able to maintain the coherent structures necessary for accelerating electrons to relativistic energies.

Time and space envelope, frequency and wavelength distributions, polarization, and phase are quantities that define the properties of laser light. Controlling them opens up strategies for manipulating the properties of atoms in various media. At relativistic intensity, matter is rapidly transformed into a plasma state, which is modifying the lasers propagation, its absorption enabling the generation of intense magnetic and electric fields. In this context, structured light presents exciting, promising, and challenging opportunities for research. This review article aims to explain the concepts of structured light, their applications to real experiments at relativistic intensities, practical considerations, and some scientific perspectives.

High-power laser systems have opened new frontiers in scientific research and have revolutionized various scientific fields, offering unprecedented capabilities for understanding fundamental physics and allowing unique applications. This paper details the successful commissioning of the 1 PW experimental area at the Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility in Romania, using both of the available laser arms. The experimental setup featured a short focal parabolic mirror to accelerate protons through the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism. Detailed experiments were conducted using various metallic and diamond-like carbon targets to investigate the dependence of the proton acceleration on different laser parameters. Furthermore, the paper discusses the critical role of the laser temporal profile in optimizing proton acceleration, supported by hydrodynamic simulations that are correlated with experimental outcomes. The findings underscore the potential of the ELI-NP facility to advance research in laser-plasma physics and contribute significantly to high-energy physics applications. The results of this commissioning establish a strong foundation for experiments by future users.

Laser-plasma acceleration is considered to be a promising candidate for compactly delivering high-energy high-quality electron beams. One of the most common methods for injecting plasma electrons into the wakefield structure is the shock front injection. Here we present the first direct visualization of the nonlinear laser wakefield dynamics resulting from a tilted shock front using the femtosecond relativistic electron microscopy technique. Our observations reveal the occurrence of a split in the wakefield, with the formation of an on-axis laser-driven wakefield and an off-axis beam-driven wakefield just after the passage through the hydrodynamic shock. Using experimental and three-dimensional numerical evidence, we identify the mechanism of this newly observed phenomenon as an off-axis electron injection from the tilted shock, which amplified the betatron oscillations of the bunch until its breakup. These results propel our comprehension of the intricate and nonlinear laser-plasma dynamics within the widely employed shock-front injection scheme, providing crucial information for high-quality beam generation in real-time operations.

This Technical Design Report presents a detailed description of all aspects of the LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experiment that will combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a high-intensity laser, to explore the uncharted terrain of strong-field quantum electrodynamics characterised by both high energy and high intensity, reaching the Schwinger field and beyond. The further implications for the search of physics beyond the Standard Model are also discussed.

With the usage of the postcompression technique, few-cycle joule-class laser pulses are nowadays available extending the state of the art of 100 TW-class laser working at 10 Hz repetition. In this Letter, we explore the potential of wakefield acceleration when driven with such pulses. The numerical modeling predicts that 50% of the laser pulse energy can be transferred into electrons with energy above 15 MeV, and with charge exceeding several nanocoulombs for the electrons at hundreds of MeV energy. In such a regime, the laser pulse depletes its energy to plasma rapidly driving a strong cavitated wakefield. The self-steepening effect induces a continuous prolongation of a bubble resulting in a massive continuous self-injection that explains the extremely high charge of the beam rending this approach suitable for promoting Bremsstrahlung emitter and generator of tertiary particles, including neutrons released through photonuclear reactions.

The interaction between relativistic intense laser pulses and near-critical-density targets has been sought after in order to increase the efficiency of laser-plasma energy coupling, particularly for laser-driven proton acceleration. To achieve the density regime for high-repetition-rate applications, one elusive approach is to use gas targets, provided that stringent target density profile requirements are met. These include reaching the critical plasma density while maintaining micron-scale density gradients. In this Letter, we present a novel scheme for achieving the necessary requirements using optical laser pulses to transversely shape the target and create a colliding shock wave in both planar and cylindrical geometries. Utilizing this approach, we experimentally demonstrated stable proton acceleration and achieved up to 5 MeV in a monoenergetic distribution and particle numbers above 108 Sr-1 MeV-1 using a 1.5 J energy on-target laser pulse. The Letter also reports for the first time an extend series of 200 consecutive shots that demonstrates the robustness of the approach and its maturity for applications. These results open the door for future work in controlling gas targets and optimizing the acceleration process for more energetic multipetawatt laser systems.

We present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, and straightforward approach for the spatio-spectral characterization of ultrashort pulses. This minimally intrusive method relies on placing a mask with specially arranged pinholes in the beam path before the focusing optic and retrieving the spectrally resolved laser wavefront from the speckle pattern produced at focus. We test the efficacy of this new method by accurately retrieving chromatic aberrations, such as pulse-front tilt (PFT), pulse-front curvature (PFC), and higher-order aberrations introduced by a spherical lens. The simplicity and scalability of this method, combined with its compatibility with single-shot operation, make it a strong complement to existing tools for high-intensity laser facilities.

This paper presents the first experimental realization of a scheme that allows for the tuning of the velocity of peak intensity of a focal spot with relativistic intensity. By combining a tunable pulse-front curvature with the axial intensity deposition characteristics of an axiparabola, an aspheric optical element, this system provides control over the dynamics of laser-wakefield accelerators. We demonstrate the ability to modify the velocity of peak intensity of ultrashort laser pulses to be superluminal or subluminal. The experimental results are supported by theoretical calculations and simulations, strengthening the case for the axiparabola as a pertinent strategy to achieve more efficient acceleration.

The exploration of new acceleration mechanisms for compactly delivering high-energy particle beams has gained great attention in recent years. One alternative that has attracted particular interest is the plasma-based wakefield accelerator, which is capable of sustaining accelerating fields that are more than three orders of magnitude larger than those of conventional radio-frequency accelerators. In this device, acceleration is generated by plasma waves that propagate at nearly light speed, driven by intense lasers or charged particle beams. Here, we report on the direct visualization of the entire plasma wake dynamics by probing it with a femtosecond relativistic electron bunch. This includes the excitation of the laser wakefield, the increase of its amplitude, the electron injection, and the transition to the beam-driven plasma wakefield. These experimental observations provide first-hand valuable insights into the complex physics of laser beamplasma interaction and demonstrate a powerful tool that can largely advance the development of plasma accelerators for real-time operation.

We present the first acceleration of electrons by an axiparabola-focused wakefield. This proof-of-concept experiment strengthens the argument for an axiparabola-based solution for dephasingless LWFA. We also show numerical simulations confirming the experimental results.

We introduce a novel method for spatio-spectral characterization of ultrashort pulses. Our custom iterative algorithm, capable of color separation, retrieves phase information from speckles generated through a specialized pinhole mask.

We study the stability of plasma wake wave and the properties of density-downramp injection in an electron-driven plasma accelerator. In this accelerator type, a short high-current electron bunch (generated by a conventional accelerator or a laser-wakefield acceleration stage) drives a strongly nonlinear plasma wake wave (blowout), and accelerated electrons are injected into it using a sharp density transition which leads to the elongation of the wake. The accelerating structure remains highly stable until the moment some electrons of the driver reach almost zero energy, which corresponds to the best interaction length for optimal driver-to-plasma energy transfer efficiency. For a particular driver, this efficiency can be optimised by choosing appropriate plasma density. Studying the dependence of the current of the injected bunch on driver and plasma parameters, we show that it does not depend on the density downramp length as long as the condition for trapping is satisfied. Most importantly, we find that the current of the injected bunch primarily depends on just one parameter which combines both the properties of the driver (its current and duration) and the plasma density.

We report on a uniquely designed high repetition rate relativistic laser-solid-plasma interaction platform, featuring the first simultaneous measurement of emitted high-order harmonics, relativistic electrons, and low divergence proton beams. This versatile setup enables detailed parametric studies of the particle and radiation spatio-spectral beam properties under a wide range of controlled interaction conditions, such as pulse duration and plasma density gradient. Its array of complementary diagnostics unlocks the potential to unravel interdependencies among the observables and should aid in further understanding the complex collective dynamics at play during laser-plasma interactions and in optimizing the secondary beam properties for applications.

The high intensities reached today by powerful lasers enable us to explore the interaction with matter in the relativistic regime, unveiling a fertile domain of modern science that is pushing far away the frontiers of plasma physics. In this context, refractive-plasma optics are being utilized in well established wave guiding schemes in laser plasma accelerators. However, their use for spatial phase control of the laser beam has never been successfully implemented, partly due to the complication in manufacturing such optics. We here demonstrate this concept which enables phase manipulation near the focus position, where the intensity is already relativistic. Offering such flexible control, high-intensity high-density interaction is becoming accessible, allowing for example, to produce multiple energetic electron beams with high pointing stability and reproducibility. Cancelling the refractive effect with adaptive mirrors at the far field confirms this concept and furthermore improves the coupling of the laser to the plasma in comparison to the null test case, with potential benefits in dense-target applications.

The development of plasma-based accelerators has enabled the generation of very high brightness electron bunches of femtosecond duration, micrometer size and ultralow emittance, crucial for emerging applications including ultrafast detection in material science, laboratory-scale free-electron lasers and compact colliders for high-energy physics. The precise characterization of the initial bunch parameters is critical to the ability to manipulate the beam properties for downstream applications. Proper diagnostic of such ultra-short and high charge density laser-plasma accelerated bunches, however, remains very challenging. Here we address this challenge with a novel technique we name as femtosecond ultrarelativistic electron microscopy, which utilizes an electron bunch from another laser-plasma accelerator as a probe. In contrast to conventional microscopy of using very low-energy electrons, the femtosecond duration and high electron energy of such a probe beam enable it to capture the ultra-intense space-charge fields of the investigated bunch and to reconstruct the charge distribution with very high spatiotemporal resolution, all in a single shot. In the experiment presented here we have used this technique to study the shape of a laser-plasma accelerated electron beam, its asymmetry due to the drive laser polarization, and its beam evolution as it exits the plasma. We anticipate that this method will significantly advance the understanding of complex beam-plasma dynamics and will also provide a powerful new tool for real-time optimization of plasma accelerators.

An efficient approach that considers a high-intensity twisted laser of moderate energy (few J) is proposed to generate collimated proton bunches with multi-10 MeV energies from a double-layer hydrogen target. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate the formation of a highly collimated and energetic (∼40 MeV) proton bunch, whose divergence is ∼6.5 times smaller compared to the proton bunch driven by a Gaussian laser containing the same energy. Supported by theoretical modeling of relativistic self-focusing in near-critical plasma, we establish a regime that allows for consistent acceleration of high-energetic proton bunches with low divergence under experimentally feasible conditions for twisted drivers.

We present a self-consistent theory of strongly nonlinear plasma wakefield (bubble or blowout regime of the wakefield) based on the energy conservation approach. Such wakefields are excited in plasmas by intense laser or particle beam drivers and are characterized by the expulsion of plasma electrons from the propagation axis of the driver. As a result, a spherical cavity devoid of electrons (called a \u201cbubble\u201d) and surrounded by a thin sheath made of expelled electrons is formed behind the driver. In contrast to the previous theoretical model [W. Lu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 165002 (2006)], the presented theory satisfies the energy conservation law, does not require any external fitting parameters, and describes the bubble structure and the electromagnetic field it contains with much higher accuracy in a wide range of parameters. The obtained results are verified by 3D particle-in-cell simulations.

Density downramp injection has been demonstrated to be an elegant and efficient approach for generating high-quality electron beams in laser wakefield accelerators. Recent studies have demonstrated the possibilities of generating electron beams with charges ranging from tens to hundreds of picocoulombs while maintaining good beam quality. However, the plasma and laser parameters in these studies have been limited to specific ranges or attention has been focused on separate physical processes such as beam loading, which affects the uniformity of the accelerating field and thus the energy spread of the trapped electrons, the repulsive force from the rear spike of the bubble, which reduces the transverse momentum p⊥ of the trapped electrons and results in small beam emittance, and the laser evolution when traveling in the plasma. In this work, we present a comprehensive numerical study of downramp injection in the laser wakefield, and we demonstrate that the current profile of the injected electron beam is directly correlated with the density transition parameters, which further affects the beam charge and energy evolution. By fine-tuning the plasma density parameters, electron beams with high charge (up to several hundreds of picocoulombs) and low energy spread (around 1% FWHM) can be obtained. All these results are supported by large-scale quasi-three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We anticipate that the electron beams with tunable beam properties generated using this approach will be suitable for a wide range of applications.

Free-electron lasers generate high-brilliance coherent radiation at wavelengths spanning from the infrared to the X-ray domains. The recent development of short-wavelength seeded free-electron lasers now allows for unprecedented levels of control on longitudinal coherence, opening new scientific avenues such as ultra-fast dynamics on complex systems and X-ray nonlinear optics. Although those devices rely on state-of-the-art large-scale accelerators, advancements on laser-plasma accelerators, which harness gigavolt-per-centimetre accelerating fields, showcase a promising technology as compact drivers for free-electron lasers. Using such footprint-reduced accelerators, exponential amplification of a shot-noise type of radiation in a self-amplified spontaneous emission configuration was recently achieved. However, employing this compact approach for the delivery of temporally coherent pulses in a controlled manner has remained a major challenge. Here we present the experimental demonstration of a laser-plasma accelerator-driven free-electron laser in a seeded configuration, where control over the radiation wavelength is accomplished. Furthermore, the appearance of interference fringes, resulting from the interaction between the phase-locked emitted radiation and the seed, confirms longitudinal coherence. Building on our scientific achievements, we anticipate a navigable pathway to extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths, paving the way towards smaller-scale free-electron lasers, unique tools for a multitude of applications in industry, laboratories and universities.

We present a novel, straightforward method for the characterization of spatiotemporal couplings in ultra-short laser pulses. The method employs far-field interferometry and inverse Fourier transform spectroscopy, built on the theoretical basis derived in this paper. It stands out in its simplicity: it requires few non-standard optical elements and simple analysis algorithms. This method was used to measure the space-time intensity of our 100 TW class laser and to test the efficacy of a refractive doublet as a suppressor of pulse front curvature (PFC). The measured low-order spatiotemporal couplings agreed with ray-tracing simulations. In addition, we demonstrate a one-shot measurement technique, derived from our central method, which allows for quick and precise alignment of the compressor by pulse front tilt (PFT) minimization and for optimal refractive doublet positioning for the suppression of PFC.

Plasma waves contribute to many fundamental phenomena, including astrophysics¹, thermonuclear fusion² and particle acceleration³. Such waves can develop in numerous ways, from classic Langmuir oscillations carried by electron thermal motion⁴, to the waves excited by an external force and travelling with a driver⁵. In plasma-based particle accelerators^3,6, a strong laser or relativistic particle beam launches plasma waves with field amplitude that follows the driver strength up to the wavebreaking limit^5,7, which is the maximum wave amplitude that a plasma can sustain. In this limit, plasma electrons gain sufficient energy from the wave to outrun it and to get trapped inside the wave bucket⁸. Theory and numerical simulations predict multi-dimensional wavebreaking, which is crucial in the electron self-injection process that determines the accelerator performances^9,10. Here we present a real-time experimental visualization of the laser-driven nonlinear relativistic plasma waves by probing them with a femtosecond high-energy electron bunch from another laser-plasma accelerator coupled to the same laser system. This single-shot electron deflectometry allows us to characterize nonlinear plasma wakefield with femtosecond temporal and micrometre spatial resolutions revealing features of the plasma waves at the breaking point.

Proton beams with up to 100 pC bunch charge, 0.48 MeV cutoff energy, and divergence as low as 3° were generated from solid targets at kHz repetition rate by a few-mJ femtosecond laser under controlled plasma conditions. The beam spatial profile was measured using a small aperture scanning time-of-flight detector. Detailed parametric studies were performed by varying the surface plasma scale length from 8 to 80 nm and the laser pulse duration from 4 fs to 1.5 ps. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with observations and, together with an in-depth theoretical analysis of the acceleration mechanism, indicate that high repetition rate femtosecond laser technology could be used to produce few-MeV proton beams for applications.

We discuss the x-ray generation by electrons ac-celerated in the relativistic self-trapping regime of laser pulse propagation. It is shown that the secondary radiation has a high brightness. At the same time, this regime is accompanied by the particle interaction with a laser pulse that ensures partial polarization of synchrotron radiation and its nonisotropic angular distributions.

At the Weizmann Institute of Science, a new high-power-laser laboratory has been established that is dedicated to the fundamental aspects of lasermatter interaction in the relativistic regime and aimed at developing compact laser-plasma accelerators for delivering high-brightness beams of electrons, ions, and x rays. The HIGGINS laser system delivers two independent 100 TW beams and an additional probe beam, and this paper describes its commissioning and presents the very first results for particle and radiation beam delivery.

Higher dose rates, a trend for radiotherapy machines, can be beneficial in shortening treatment times for radiosurgery and mitigating the effects of motion. Recently, even higher doses (e.g., 100 times greater) have become targeted because of their potential to generate the FLASH effect (FE). We refer to these physical dose rates as ultra-high (UHDR). The complete relationship between UHDR and the FE is unknown. But UHDR systems are needed to explore the relationship further and to deliver clinical UHDR treatments, where indicated. Despite the challenging set of unknowns, the authors seek to make reasonable assumptions to probe how existing and developing technology can address the UHDR conditions needed to provide beam generation capable of producing the FE in preclinical and clinical applications. As a preface, this paper discusses the known and unknown relationships between UHDR and the FE. Based on these, different accelerator and ionizing radiation types are then discussed regarding the relevant UHDR needs. The details of UHDR beam production are discussed for existing and potential future systems such as linacs, cyclotrons, synchrotrons, synchrocyclotrons, and laser accelerators. In addition, various UHDR delivery mechanisms are discussed, along with required developments in beam diagnostics and dose control systems.

An axiparabola is a reflective aspherical optics that focuses a light beam into an extended focal line. The light intensity and group velocity profiles along the focus are adjustable through the proper design. The on-axis light velocity can be controlled, for instance, by adding spatio-temporal couplings via chromatic optics on the incoming beam. Therefore the energy deposition along the axis can be either subluminal or superluminal as required in various applications. This article first explores how the axiparabola design defines its properties in the geometric optics approximation. Then the obtained description is considered in numerical simulations for two cases of interest for laser-plasma acceleration. We show that the axiparabola can be used either to generate a plasma waveguide to overcome diffraction or for driving a dephasingless wakefield accelerator.

The fourth generation of synchrotron radiation sources, commonly referred to as the Free Electron Laser (FEL), provides an intense source of brilliant X-ray beams enabling the investigation of matter at the atomic scale with unprecedented time resolution. These sources require the use of conventional linear accelerators providing high electron beam performance. The achievement of chirped pulse amplification allowing lasers to be operated at the Terawatt range, opened the way for the Laser Plasma Acceleration (LPA) technique where high energy electron bunches with high current can be produced within a very short centimeter-scale distance. Such an advanced acceleration concept is of great interest to be qualified by an FEL application for compact X-ray light sources. We explore in this paper what the LPA specificities imply on the design of the undulator, part of the gain medium. First, the LPA concept and state-of-art are presented showing the different operation regimes and what electron beam parameters are likely to be achieved. The LPA scaling laws are discussed afterwards to better understand what laser or plasma parameters have to be adjusted in order to improve electron beam quality. The FEL is secondly discussed starting with the spontaneous emission, followed by the different FEL configurations, the electron beam transport to the undulator and finally the scaling laws and correction terms in the high gain case. Then, the different types of compact undulators that can be implemented for an LPA based FEL application are analyzed. Finally, examples of relevant experiments are reported by describing the transport beamline, presenting the spontaneous emission characteristics achieved so far and the future prospects.

In a dense gas plasma a short laser pulse propagates in a relativistic self-trapping mode, which enables the effective conversion of laser energy to the accelerated electrons. This regime sustains effective loading which maximizes the total charge of the accelerating electrons, that provides a large amount of betatron radiation. The three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate how such a regime triggers x-ray generation with 0.11 MeV photon energies, low divergence, and high brightness. It is shown that a 135-TW laser can be used to produce 3 × 1010 photons of >10 keV energy and a 1.2-PW laser makes it possible generating about 1012 photons in the same energy range. The laser-to-gamma energy conversion efficiency is up to 10−4 for the high-energy photons, ∼100 keV, while the conversion efficiency to the entire keV-range x rays is estimated to be a few tenths of a percent.

This Conceptual Design Report describes LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experimental campaign that aims to combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a powerful laser to explore the uncharted terrain of quantum electrodynamics characterised by both high energy and high intensity. We will reach this hitherto inaccessible regime of quantum physics by analysing high-energy electron-photon and photon-photon interactions in the extreme environment provided by an intense laser focus. The physics background and its relevance are presented in the science case which in turn leads to, and justifies, the ensuing plan for all aspects of the experiment: Our choice of experimental parameters allows (i) field strengths to be probed where the coupling to charges becomes non-perturbative and (ii) a precision to be achieved that permits a detailed comparison of the measured data with calculations. In addition, the high photon flux predicted will enable a sensitive search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The initial phase of the experiment will employ an existing 40 TW laser, whereas the second phase will utilise an upgraded laser power of 350 TW. All expectations regarding the performance of the experimental set-up as well as the expected physics results are based on detailed numerical simulations throughout.

We report the first simultaneous measurements of high-harmonic generation, accelerated electron and proton beams generated on relativistic plasma mirrors with controlled scale length using laser pulses with duration tunable from 27 fs to sub-4 fs.

With the recent advances in ultrahigh intensity lasers, exotic astrophysical phenomena can be investigated in laboratory environments. Collisionless shock in a plasma, prevalent in astrophysical events, is produced when a strong electric or electromagnetic force induces a shock structure in a time scale shorter than the collision time of charged particles. A near-critical-density (NCD) plasma, generated with an intense femtosecond laser, can be utilized to excite a collisionless shock due to its efficient and rapid energy absorption. We present electrostatic shock acceleration (ESA) in experiments performed with a high-density helium gas jet, containing a small fraction of hydrogen, irradiated with a 30 fs, petawatt laser. The onset of ESA exhibited a strong dependence on plasma density, consistent with the result of particle-in-cell simulations on relativistic plasma dynamics. The mass-dependent ESA in the NCD plasma, confirmed by the preferential reflection of only protons with two times the shock velocity, opens a new possibility of selective acceleration of ions by electrostatic shock.

This report presents the conceptual design of a new European research infrastructure EuPRAXIA. The concept has been established over the last four years in a unique collaboration of 41 laboratories within a Horizon 2020 design study funded by the European Union. EuPRAXIA is the first European project that develops a dedicated particle accelerator research infrastructure based on novel plasma acceleration concepts and laser technology. It focuses on the development of electron accelerators and underlying technologies, their user communities, and the exploitation of existing accelerator infrastructures in Europe. EuPRAXIA has involved, amongst others, the international laser community and industry to build links and bridges with accelerator science through realising synergies, identifying disruptive ideas, innovating, and fostering knowledge exchange. The Eu-PRAXIA project aims at the construction of an innovative electron accelerator using laser- and electron-beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration that offers a significant reduction in size and possible savings in cost over current state-of-the-art radiofrequency-based accelerators. The foreseen electron energy range of one to five gigaelectronvolts (GeV) and its performance goals will enable versatile applications in various domains, e.g. as a compact free-electron laser (FEL), compact sources for medical imaging and positron generation, table-top test beams for particle detectors, as well as deeply penetrating X-ray and gamma-ray sources for material testing. EuPRAXIA is designed to be the required stepping stone to possible future plasma-based facilities, such as linear colliders at the high-energy physics (HEP) energy frontier. Consistent with a high-confidence approach, the project includes measures to retire risk by establishing scaled technology demonstrators. This report includes preliminary models for project implementation, cost and schedule that would allow operation of the full Eu-PRAXIA facility within 810 years.

The O I 777-nm triplet transition is often used for plasma density diagnostics. It is also employed in nonlinear optics setups for producing quasi-comb structures when pumped by a near-resonant laser field. Here, we apply computer simulations to situations of the radiating atom subjected to the plasma microfields, laser fields, and both perturbations together. Our results, in particular, resolve a controversy related to the spectral line anomalously broadened in some laser-produced plasmas. The importance of using time-dependent density matrix is discussed.

Figure 20.1 was not correct in the published article. The original article has been corrected. The published apologizes for the inconvenience.

We study numerically the mechanisms of proton acceleration in gas-foil targets driven by an ultraintense femtosecond laser pulse. The target consists of a near-critical-density hydrogen gas layer of a few tens of microns attached to a 2 μm-thick solid carbon foil with a contaminant thin proton layer at its back side. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that, at optimal gas density, the maximum energy of the contaminant protons is increased by a factor of ~4 compared with a single foil target. This improvement originates from the near-complete laser absorption into relativistic electrons in the gas. Several energetic electron populations are identified, and their respective effect on the proton acceleration is quantified by computing the electrostatic fields that they generate at the protons' positions. While each of those electron groups is found to contribute substantially to the overall accelerating field, the dominant one is the relativistic thermal bulk that results from the nonlinear wakefield excited in the gas, as analysed recently by Debayle et al. (New J. Phys., vol. 19, 2017, 123013). Our analysis also reveals the important role of the neighbouring ions in the acceleration of the fastest protons, and the onset of multidimensional effects caused by the time-increasing curvature of the proton layer.

We propose a new acceleration concept, based on the use of diffraction-free superluminal laser pulses, which allows to cope with the three phenomena that limit the beam energy in a laser-plasma accelerator.

Laser-plasma proton acceleration was investigated in the target normal sheath acceleration regime with a target composed of a gas layer and a thin foil. The laser's shape, duration, energy and frequency are modified as it propagates in the gas, altering the laser-solid interaction leading to proton acceleration. The modified properties of the laser were assessed by both numerical simulations and by measurements. The 3D particle-in-cell simulations have shown that a nearly seven-fold increase in peak intensity at the foil plane is possible. In the experiment, maximum proton energies showed high dependence on the energy transmission of the laser through the gas and a lesser dependence on the size and shape of the pulse. At high gas densities, where high intensity was expected, laser energy depletion and pulse distortion suppressed proton energies. At low densities, with the laser focused far behind the foil, self-focusing was observed and the gas showed a positive effect on proton energies. The promising results of this first exploration motivate further study of the target.

Acceleration of ultrathin foils by the laser radiation pressure promises a compact alternative to the conventional ion sources. Among the challenges on the way to practical realization, one fundamental is a strong transverse plasma instability, which develops density perturbations and breaks the acceleration. In this Letter, we develop a theoretical model supported by three-dimensional numerical simulations to explain the transverse instability growth from noise to wave breaking and its crucial effect on stopping the acceleration. The wave-broken nonlinear mode triggers rapid stochastic heating that finally explodes the target. Possible paths to mitigate this problem for getting efficient ion acceleration are discussed.

The Free Electron Laser (FEL) application of Laser Plasma Acceleration (LPA) requires the handling of the energy spread and divergence. The COXINEL manipulation line, designed and built at SOLEIL for this purpose, consists of high gradient quadrupoles for divergence handling and a decompression chicane for energy sorting, enabling FEL amplification with baseline parameters. Installed at Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee (LOA), it uses robust electrons generated and accelerated by ionization injection using a 30 TW laser. We report here on the work progress towards a FEL demonstration. The LPA measured electron beam characteristics deviates from the baseline reference case. After the installation of the equipment, the electron beam transport has first been optimized. The electron position and dispersion are independently adjusted. Then, undulator radiation has been measured. The spectral purity is controlled via the energy spread adjusted in the slit located in the chicane. FEL effect demonstration is within reach, with currently achieved performance on different LPA experiments.

Subluminal and superluminal light pulses have attracted considerable attention in recent decades(1-4), opening perspectives in telecommunications, optical storage and fundamental physics(5). Usually achieved in matter, superluminal propagation has also been demonstrated in vacuum with quasi-Bessel beams(6,7)or spatio-temporal couplings(8,9). Although, in the first case, the propagation was diffraction free, but with hardly controllable pulse velocities and limited to moderate intensities, in the second, high tunability was achieved, but with substantially lengthened pulse durations. Here we report a new concept that extends these approaches to relativistic intensities and ultrashort pulses by mixing spatio-temporal couplings and quasi-Bessel beams to independently control the light velocity and intensity. When used to drive a laser-plasma accelerator(10), this concept leads to a new regime that is dephasing free, where the electron beam energy gain increases by more than one order of magnitude.

An ultrafast intense laser pulse drives coherent wakefields of relativistic amplitude with a high phase velocity robustly supported by the plasma. The structures of wakes and sheaths in plasma are contrasted. While the large amplitude of wakefields involves collective resonant oscillations of the eigenmode of the entire population of plasma electrons, the wake phase velocity ~c and ultrafast nature of the laser pulse introduce the wake stability and rigidity. When the phase velocity decreases, wakefields turn into sheaths, which are more suitable for ion acceleration. This short review reports on 4 decades of discoveries on laser plasma accelerators.

Laser plasma acceleration (LPA) enables the generation of an up to several GeV electron beam with a short bunch length and high peak current within a centimeter scale. In view of undulator type light source applications, electron beam manipulation has to be applied. We report here on detailed electron beam transport for an LPA electron beam on the COXINEL test line, that consists of strong permanent quadrupoles to handle the electron beam divergence, a magnetic chicane to reduce the energy spread and a second set of quadrupoles for adjusting the focusing inside the undulator. After describing the measured LPA characteristics, we show that we can properly transport the electron beam along the line, thanks to several screens. We also illustrate the influence of the chromatic effects induced by the electron beam energy spread, both experimentally and numerically. We then study the sensitivity of the transport to the electron beam pointing and skewed quadrupolar components.

Undulator based synchrotron light sources and Free Electron Lasers (FELs) are valuable modern probes of matter with high temporal and spatial resolution. Laser Plasma Accelerators (LPAs), delivering GeV electron beams in few centimeters, are good candidates for future compact light sources. However the barriers set by the large energy spread, divergence and shot-to-shot fluctuations require a specific transport line, to shape the electron beam phase space for achieving ultrashort undulator synchrotron radiation suitable for users and even for achieving FEL amplification. Proof-of-principle LPA based undulator emission, with strong electron focusing or transport, does not yet exhibit the full specific radiation properties. We report on the generation of undulator radiation with an LPA beam based manipulation in a dedicated transport line with versatile properties. After evidencing the specific spatio-spectral signature, we tune the resonant wavelength within 200300 nm by modification of the electron beam energy and the undulator field. We achieve a wavelength stability of 2.6%. We demonstrate that we can control the spatio-spectral purity and spectral brightness by reducing the energy range inside the chicane. We have also observed the second harmonic emission of the undulator.

Laser-accelerated protons have a great potential for innovative experiments in radiation biology due to the sub-picosecond pulse duration and high dose rate achievable. However, the broad angular divergence makes them not optimal for applications with stringent requirements on dose homogeneity and total flux at the irradiated target. The strategy otherwise adopted to increase the homogeneity is to increase the distance between the source and the irradiation plane or to spread the beam with flat scattering systems or through the transport system itself. Such methods considerably reduce the proton flux and are not optimal for laser-accelerated protons. In this paper we demonstrate the use of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to design an optimal non-flat scattering system to shape the beam and efficiently flatten the transversal dose distribution at the irradiated target. The system is placed in the magnetic transport system to take advantage of the presence of chromatic focusing elements to further mix the proton trajectories. The effect of a flat scattering system placed after the transport system is also presented for comparison. The general structure of the GA and its application to the shaping of a laser-accelerated proton beam are presented, as well as its application to the optimisation of dose distribution in a water target in air.

The Horizon 2020 project EuPRAXIA (European Plasma Research Accelerator with eXcellence In Applications) is producing a conceptual design report for a highly compact and cost-effective European facility with multi-GeV electron beams accelerated using plasmas. EuPRAXIA will be set up as a distributed Open Innovation platform with two construction sites, one with a focus on beam-driven plasma acceleration (PWFA) and another site with a focus on laser-driven plasma acceleration (LWFA). User areas at both sites will provide access to free-electron laser pilot experiments, positron generation and acceleration, compact radiation sources, and test beams for high-energy physics detector development. Support centres in four different countries will complement the pan-European implementation of this infrastructure.

During the past few years high-order harmonic generation (HHG) has opened up the field of ultrafast spectroscopy to an ever larger community by providing a table-top and affordable femtosecond extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft-x-ray source. In particular, the field of femtomagnetism has largely benefited from the development of these sources. However, the use of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as a probe of magnetization, the most versatile and reliable one, has been constrained by the lack of polarization control at HHG sources, so studies have relied on more specific magneto-optical effects. Even the recent developments on the generation of elliptically polarized harmonics have only resulted in a few time-resolved experiments relying on this powerful technique since they add complexity to already-difficult measurements. In this article we show how to easily probe magnetization dynamics with linearly polarized EUV or soft-x-ray light with a versatility similar to XMCD by exploiting the Faraday effect. Static and time-resolved measurements of the Faraday effect are presented around the Co M edges. Using simple theoretical considerations, we show how to retrieve the samples magnetization dynamics from the Faraday rotation and ellipticity transients. Ultrafast demagnetization dynamics of a few nanometers in Co-based samples are measured with this method in out-of-plane as well as in-plane magnetization configurations, showing its great potential for the study of femtomagnetism.

Laser plasma acceleration (LPA) [1] with up to several GeV beam in very short distance appears very promising. The Free Electron Laser (FEL), though very challenging, can be viewed as a qualifying application of these new emerging LPAs. The energy spread and divergence, larger than from conventional accelerators used for FEL, have to be manipulated to answer the FEL requirements. On the test COXINEL experiment [24] line, "QUAPEVA" permanent magnet quadrupoles of variable strength [5, 6] handle the emittance growth and a decompression chicane reduces the slice energy spread, enabling FEL amplification for baseline reference parameters [2]. A beam pointing alignment compensation method enables to properly transport the electrons along the line, with independent adjustments of position and dispersion [7]. The measured undulator spontaneous emission radiated exhibits the typical undulator radiation pattern, and usual features (a tunabilit small linewidth).

Diffraction puts a fundamental limit on the distance over which a light beam can remain focused. For about 30 years, several techniques to overcome this limit have been demonstrated. Here, we propose a reflective optics, namely, the axiparabola, that allows to extend the production of \u201cdiffraction-free\u201d beams to high-peak-power and broadband laser pulses. We first describe the properties of this aspheric optics. We then analyze and compare its performances in numerical simulations and in experiments. Finally, we use it to produce a plasma waveguide that can guide an intense laser pulse over 10 millimeters.

Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer management. The improvement of spatial dose distribution in the tumor volume by minimizing the dose deposited in the healthy tissues have been a major concern during the last decades. Temporal aspects of dose deposition are yet to be investigated. Laser-plasma-based particle accelerators are able to emit pulsed-proton beams at extremely high peak dose rates (~10 ⁹ Gy/s) during several nanoseconds. The impact of such dose rates on resistant glioblastoma cell lines, SF763 and U87-MG, was compared to conventionally accelerated protons and X-rays. No difference was observed in DNA double-strand breaks generation and cells killing. The variation of the repetition rate of the proton bunches produced an oscillation of the radio-induced cell susceptibility in human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells, which appeared to be related to the presence of the PARP1 protein and an efficient parylation process. Interestingly, when laser-driven proton bunches were applied at 0.5 Hz, survival of the radioresistant HCT116 p53 ^−/− cells equaled that of its radiosensitive counterpart, HCT116 WT, which was also similar to cells treated with the PARP1 inhibitor Olaparib. Altogether, these results suggest that the application modality of ultrashort bunches of particles could provide a great therapeutic potential in radiotherapy.

Laser plasma acceleration (LPA) capable of providing femtosecond and GeV electron beams in cm scale distances brings a high interest for different applications, such as free electron laser and future colliders. Nevertheless, LPA high divergence and energy spread require an initial strong focus to mitigate the chromatic effects. The reliability, in particular with the pointing fluctuations, sets a real challenge for the control of the dispersion along the electron beam transport. We examine here how the magnetic defects of the first strong quadrupoles, in particular, the skew terms, can affect the brightness of the transported electron beam, in the case of the COXINEL transport line, designed for manipulating the electron beam properties for a free electron laser application. We also show that the higher the initial beam divergence, the larger the degradation. Experimentally, after having implemented a beam pointing alignment compensation method enabling us to adjust the position and dispersion independently, we demonstrate that the presence of non-negligible skew quadrupolar components induces a transversal spread and tilt of the beam, leading to an emittance growth and brightness reduction. We are able to reproduce the measurements with beam transport simulations using the measured electron beam parameters.

A new scheme for a laser-driven proton accelerator based on a sharply tailored near-critical-density plasma target is proposed. The designed plasma profile allows for the laser channeling of the dense plasma, which triggers a two-stage acceleration of protons-first accelerated by the laser acting as a snowplow in plasma, and then by the collisionless shock launched from the sharp density downramp. Thanks to laser channeling in the near-critical plasma, the formed shock is radially small and collimated. This allows it to generate a significant space-charge field, which acts as a monochromator, defocusing the lower energy protons while the highest ones remain collimated. Our theoretical and numerical analysis demonstrates production of high-energy proton beams with few tens of percent energy spread, few degrees divergence angle and charge up to few nC. With a PW-class ultrashort laser this scheme predicts the generation of such high quality proton beams with energies up to several hundreds of MeV.

The energy spread in laser wakefield accelerators is primarily limited by the energy chirp introduced during the injection and acceleration processes. Here, we propose the use of longitudinal density tailoring to reduce the beam chirp at the end of the accelerator. Experimental data sustained by quasi-3D particle-in-cell simulations show that broadband electron beams can be converted to quasimonoenergetic beams of ≤10% energy spread while maintaining a high charge of more than 120 pC. In the linear and quasilinear regimes of wakefield acceleration, the method could provide even lower, subpercent level, energy spread.

In radiation pressure ion acceleration (RPA) research, the transverse stability within laser plasma interaction has been a long-standing, crucial problem over the past decades. In this paper, we present a one-dimensional two-fluid theory extended from a recent work Wan et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 234801 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.117.234801 to clearly clarify the origin of the intrinsic transverse instability in the RPA process. It is demonstrated that the purely growing density fluctuations are more likely induced due to the strong coupling between the fast oscillating electrons and quasistatic ions via the ponderomotive force with spatial variations. The theory contains a full analysis of both electrostatic (ES) and electromagnetic modes and confirms that the ES mode actually dominates the whole RPA process at the early linear stage. By using this theory one can predict the mode structure and growth rate of the transverse instability in terms of a wide range of laser plasma parameters. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are systematically carried out to verify the theory and formulas in different regimes, and good agreements have been obtained, indicating that the electron-ion coupled instability is the major factor that contributes the transverse breakup of the target in RPA process.

Recent progress in laser-driven plasma acceleration now enables the acceleration of electrons to several gigaelectronvolts. Taking advantage of these novel accelerators, ultrashort, compact, and spatially coherent x-ray sources called betatron radiation have been developed and applied to high-resolution imaging. However, the scope of the betatron sources is limited by a low energy efficiency and a photon energy in the 10 s of kiloelectronvolt range, which for example prohibits the use of these sources for probing dense matter. Here, based on three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we propose an original hybrid scheme that combines a low-density laser-driven plasma accelerator with a high-density beam-driven plasma radiator, thereby considerably increasing the photon energy and the radiated energy of the betatron source. The energy efficiency is also greatly improved, with about 1% of the laser energy transferred to the radiation, and the γ-ray photon energy exceeds the megaelectronvolt range when using a 15 J laser pulse. This high-brilliance hybrid betatron source opens the way to a wide range of applications requiring MeV photons, such as the production of medical isotopes with photonuclear reactions, radiography of dense objects in the defense or industrial domains, and imaging in nuclear physics.

With gigaelectron-volts per centimetre energy gains and femtosecond electron beams, laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is a promising candidate for applications, such as ultrafast electron diffraction, multistaged colliders and radiation sources (betatron, compton, undulator, free electron laser). However, for some of these applications, the beam performance, for example, energy spread, divergence and shot-to-shot fluctuations, need a drastic improvement. Here, we show that, using a dedicated transport line, we can mitigate these initial weaknesses. We demonstrate that we can manipulate the beam longitudinal and transverse phase-space of the presently available LWFA beams. Indeed, we separately correct orbit mis-steerings and minimise dispersion thanks to specially designed variable strength quadrupoles, and select the useful energy range passing through a slit in a magnetic chicane. Therefore, this matched electron beam leads to the successful observation of undulator synchrotron radiation after an 8m transport path. These results pave the way to applications demanding in terms of beam quality.

Generation of high-quality electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration requires optimization of initial experimental parameters. We present here the dependence of accelerated electron beams on the temporal profile of a driving PW laser, the density, and length of an interacting medium. We have optimized the initial parameters to obtain 2.8 GeV quasi-monoenergetic electrons which can be applied further to the development of compact electron accelerators and radiations sources.

We demonstrate experimentally the control of the polarization (ellipticity and polarization axis) of femtosecond high-order harmonics. The method relies on a two-color (ω - 2ω) configuration, where both ω and 2ω generating fields have linear polarizations with a variable crossing angle. We correlate our measurements with the conservation rules of energy and linear momentum accounting for harmonic generation in a two-color field. We evidence that the generation process, and especially the number of ω and 2ω photons absorbed for generating a given harmonic, strongly depends on the crossing angle. Finally, relying on a simple formalism, we derive analytical formulæ for calculating both polarization axis and ellipticity of the separate harmonics. The model corroborates our results and represents a base for future investigations.

Density transition (or shock-front) injection is a technique to obtain high quality electron beams in laser wakefield acceleration. This technique, which requires no additional laser pulse, is easy to implement and is receiving increasing interest. In addition to its performances, its setup realized with a blade inserted in a gas jet allows a certain flexibility in controlling the density transition shape, whose effects on the beam quality have been studied theoretically and experimentally. We report the results of particle-in-cell simulations where the laser energy is systematically varied for different shapes of the density transition. Our study shows how the laser energy affects the injection process, increasing the injected charge and influencing the other beam characteristics (e.g. energy and duration).

We investigate the electron heating induced by a relativistic-intensity laser pulse propagating through a near-critical plasma. Using particle-in-cell simulations, we show that a specific interaction regime sets in when, due to the energy depletion caused by the plasma wakefield, the laser front profile has steepened to the point of having a length scale close to the laser wavelength. Wave breaking and phase mixing have then occurred, giving rise to a relativistically hot electron population following the laser pulse. This hot electron flow is dense enough to neutralize the cold bulk electrons during their backward acceleration by the wakefield. This neutralization mechanism delays, but does not prevent the breaking of the wakefield: the resulting phase mixing converts the large kinetic energy of the backward-flowing electrons into thermal energy greatly exceeding the conventional ponderomotive scaling at laser intensities >10(21) W cm(-2) and gas densities around 10% of the critical density. We develop a semi-numerical model, based on the Akhiezer-Polovin equations, which correctly reproduces the particle-in-cell-predicted electron thermal energies over a broad parameter range. Given this good agreement, we propose a criterion for full laser absorption that includes field-induced ionization. Finally, we show that our predictions still hold in a two-dimensional geometry using a realistic gas profile.

Technology based on high-peak-power lasers has the potential to provide compact and intense radiation sources for a wide range of innovative applications. In particular, electrons that are accelerated in the wakefield of an intense laser pulse oscillate around the propagation axis and emit X-rays. This betatron source, which essentially reproduces the principle of a synchrotron at the millimeter scale, provides bright radiation with femtosecond duration and high spatial coherence. However, despite its unique features, the usability of the betatron source has been constrained by its poor control and stability. In this article, we demonstrate the reliable production of X-ray beams with tunable polarization. Using ionization-induced injection in a gas mixture, the orbits of the relativistic electrons emitting the radiation are reproducible and controlled. We observe that both the signal and beam profile fluctuations are significantly reduced and that the beam pointing varies by less than a tenth of the beam divergence. The polarization ratio reaches 80%, and the polarization axis can easily be rotated. We anticipate a broad impact of the source, as its unprecedented performance opens the way for new applications.

The goal of this paper is twofold: first, we demonstrate shock generation with ultra-short (24 fs) and low-energy (J) laser pulse, following the energy deposition in the target by fast electrons; second, we show that such shocks can be used to provide information on compressed matter. For a target with 50 mu m thickness we have clearly inferred the formation of a shock wave with pressure >= 100 Mbar. We have also measured the color temperature of the emitting target rear side at breakout time (T approximate to 0.6 eV), which is in good agreement with predictions from equation-of-state models (SESAME tables) and hydrodynamic simulations.

The achievable energy and the stability of accelerated electron beams have been the most critical issues in laser wakefield acceleration. As laser propagation, plasma wave formation and electron acceleration are highly nonlinear processes, the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is extremely sensitive to initial experimental conditions. We propose a simple and elegant waveform control method for the LWFA process to enhance the performance of a laser electron accelerator by applying a fully optical and programmable technique to control the chirp of PW laser pulses. We found sensitive dependence of energy and stability of electron beams on the spectral phase of laser pulses and obtained stable 2-GeV electron beams from a 1-cm gas cell of helium. The waveform control technique for LWFA would prompt practical applications of centimeter-scale GeV-electron accelerators to a compact radiation sources in the x-ray and gamma-ray regions.

The Horizon 2020 Project EuPRAXIA ("European Plasma Research Accelerator with eXcellence In Applications") is preparing a conceptual design report of a highly compact and cost-effective European facility with multi-GeV electron beams using plasma as the acceleration medium. The accelerator facility will be based on a laser and/or a beam driven plasma acceleration approach and will be used for photon science, high-energy physics (HEP) detector tests, and other applications such as compact X-ray sources for medical imaging or material processing. EuPRAXIA started in November 2015 and will deliver the design report in October 2019. EuPRAXIA aims to be included on the ESFRI roadmap in 2020.

The quality of laser wakefield accelerated electrons beams is strongly determined by the physical mechanism exploited to inject electrons in the wakefield. One of the techniques used to improve the beam quality is the density transition injection, where the electron trapping occurs as the laser pulse passes a sharp density transition created in the plasma. Although this technique has been widely demonstrated experimentally, the literature lacks theoretical and numerical studies on the effects of all the transition parameters. We thus report and discuss the results of a series of particle in cell (PIC) simulations where the density transition height and downramp length are systematically varied, to show how the electron beam parameters and the injection mechanism are affected by the density transition parameters.

The study of radiation biology on laser-based accelerators is most interesting due to the unique irradiation conditions they can produce, in terms of peak current and duration of the irradiation. In this paper we present the implementation of a beam transport system to transport and shape the proton beam generated by laser-target interaction for in vitro irradiation of biological samples. A set of four permanent magnet quadrupoles is used to transport and focus the beam, efficiently shaping the spectrum and providing a large and relatively uniform irradiation surface. Real time, absolutely calibrated, dosimetry is installed on the beam line, to enable shot-to-shot control of dose deposition in the irradiated volume. Preliminary results of cell sample irradiation are presented to validate the robustness of the full system.

The system described in this work is meant to be a prototype of a more performing one that will be installed at ELI-Beamlines in Prague for the collection of ions produced after the interaction Laser-target, [2]. It has been realized by the researchers of INFN-LNS (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) and SIGMAPHI, a French company, using a system of Permanent Magnet Quadrupoles (PMQs), [1]. The final system that will be installed in Prague is designed for protons and carbons up to 60MeV/u, around 10 times more than the energies involved in the present work. The prototype, shown in this work, has been tested in collaboration with the SAPHIR experimental facility group at LOA (Laboratoire d'Optique Applique) in Paris using a 200 TW Ti:Sapphire laser system. The purpose of this work is to validate the design and the performances of this large and compact bore system and to characterize the beam produced after the interaction laser-target and its features. Moreover, the optics simulations have been compared with a real beam shape on a GAF Chromic film. The procedure used during the experimental campaign and the most relevant results are reported here demonstrating a good agreement with the simulations and a good control on the beam optics.

The motion control of relativistic electrons with lasers allows for an efficient and elegant way to map the space with ultra-intense electric-field components, which, in turn, permits a unique improvement of the electron beam parameters. This perspective addresses the recent laser plasma accelerator experiments related to the phase space engineering of electron beams in a plasma medium performed at LOA.

Laser wakefield acceleration permits the generation of ultra-short, high-brightness relativistic electron beams on a millimeter scale. While those features are of interest for many applications, the source remains constraint by the poor stability of the electron injection process. Here we present results on injection and acceleration of electrons in pure nitrogen and argon. We observe stable, continuous ionization-induced injection of electrons into the wakefield for laser powers exceeding a threshold of 7 TW. The beam charge scales approximately with the laser energy and is limited by beam loading. For 40 TW laser pulses we measure a maximum charge of almost 1 nC per shot, originating mostly from electrons of less than 10 MeV energy. The relatively low energy, the high charge and its stability make this source well-suited for applications such as non-destructive testing. Hence, we demonstrate the production of energetic radiation via bremsstrahlung conversion at 1 Hz repetition rate. In accordance with GEANT4 Monte-Carlo simulations, we measure a gamma-ray source size of less than 100 mu m for a 0.5 mm tantalum converter placed at 2 mm from the accelerator exit. Furthermore we present radiographs of image quality indicators.

We briefly summarize the contributions that have been presented in the 5 working group 1 (WG1) sessions dedicated to electron beam from plasmas. 

Ion acceleration from intense (I lambda(2) > 1018 Wcm(-2) mu m(2)) laser-plasma interaction is experimentally studied within a wide range of He gas densities. Focusing an ultrashort pulse (duration. ion plasma period) on a newly designed submillimetric gas jet system, enabled us to inhibit total evacuation of electrons from the central propagation channel reducing the radial ion acceleration associated with ponderomotive Coulomb explosion, a mechanism predominant in the long pulse scenario. New ion acceleration mechanism have been unveiled in this regime leading to non-Maxwellian quasi monoenergetic features in the ion energy spectra. The emitted nonthermal ion bunches show a new scaling of the ion peak energy with plasma density. The scaling identified in this new regime differs from previously reported studies.

Laser-based accelerators are gaining interest in recent years as an alternative to conventional machines [1]. In the actual ion acceleration scheme, energy and angular spread of the laser-driven beams are the main limiting factors for beam applications and different solutions for dedicated beam-transport lines have been proposed [2, 3]. In this context a system of Permanent Magnet Quadrupoles (PMQs) has been realized [4] by INFN-LNS (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) researchers, in collaboration with SIGMAPHI company in France, to be used as a collection and pre-selection system for laser driven proton beams. This system is meant to be a prototype to a more performing one [5] to be installed at ELI-Beamlines for the collection of ions. The final system is designed for protons and carbons up to 60 MeV/u. In order to validate the design and the performances of this large bore, compact, high gradient magnetic system prototype an experimental campaign have been carried out, in collaboration with the group of the SAPHIR experimental facility at LOA (Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee) in Paris using a 200 TW Ti:Sapphire laser system. During this campaign a deep study of the quadrupole system optics has been performed, comparing the results with the simulation codes used to determine the setup of the PMQ system and to track protons with realistic TNSA-like divergence and spectrum. Experimental and simulation results are good agreement, demonstrating the possibility to have a good control on the magnet optics. The procedure used during the experimental campaign and the most relevant results are reported here.

Recent results on laser wakefield acceleration in tailored plasma channels have underlined the importance of controlling the density profile of the gas target. In particular, it was reported that the appropriate density tailoring can result in improved injection, acceleration, and collimation of laser-accelerated electron beams. To achieve such profiles, innovative target designs are required. For this purpose, we have reviewed the usage of additive layer manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, in order to produce gas jet nozzles. Notably we have compared the performance of two industry standard techniques, namely, selective laser sintering (SLS) and stereolithography (SLA). Furthermore we have used the common fused deposition modeling to reproduce basic gas jet designs and used SLA and SLS for more sophisticated nozzle designs. The nozzles are characterized interferometrically and used for electron acceleration experiments with the SALLE JAUNE terawatt laser at Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee. 

The energy gain in laser wakefield accelerators is limited by dephasing between the driving laser pulse and the highly relativistic electrons in its wake. Since this phase depends on both the driver and the cavity length, the effects of dephasing can be mitigated with appropriate tailoring of the plasma density along propagation. Preceding studies have discussed the prospects of continuous phase-locking in the linear wakefield regime. However, most experiments are performed in the highly non-linear regime and rely on self-guiding of the laser pulse. Due to the complexity of the driver evolution in this regime, it is much more difficult to achieve phase locking. As an alternative, we study the scenario of rapid rephasing in sharp density transitions, as was recently demonstrated experimentally. Starting from a phenomenological model, we deduce expressions for the electron energy gain in such density profiles. The results are in accordance with particle-in-cell simulations, and we present gain estimations for single and multiple stages of rephasing. Published by AIP Publishing.

The laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) presently provides electron beams with a typical current of a few kA, a bunch length of a few fs, energy in the few hundred MeV to several GeV range, a divergence of typically 1 mrad, an energy spread of the order of 1%, and a normalized emittance of the order of pi.mm. mrad. One of the first applications could be to use these beams for the production of radiation: undulator emission has been observed but the rather large energy spread (1%) and divergence (1 mrad) prevent straightforward free-electron laser (FEL) amplification. An adequate beam manipulation through the transport to the undulator is then required. The key concept proposed here relies on an innovative electron beam longitudinal and transverse manipulation in the transport towards an undulator: a 'demixing' chicane sorts the electrons according to their energy and reduces the spread from 1% to one slice of a few parts per thousand and the effective transverse size is maintained constant along the undulator (supermatching) by a proper synchronization of the electron beam focusing with the progress of the optical wave. A test experiment for the demonstration of FEL amplification with an LPA is under preparation. Electron beam transport follows different steps with strong focusing with permanent magnet quadrupoles of variable strength, a demixing chicane with conventional dipoles, and a second set of quadrupoles for further focusing in the undulator. The FEL simulations and the progress of the preparation of the experiment are presented.

Laser-driven ion acceleration by intense, ultra-short, laser pulse has received increasing attention in recent years, and the availability of much compact and versatile ions sources motivates the study of laser-driven sources of energetic neutral atoms. We demonstrate the production of a neutral and directional beam of hydrogen and carbon atoms up to 200 keV per nucleon, with a peak flow of 2.7 x 10(13) atom s(-1). Laser accelerated ions are neutralized in a pulsed, supersonic argon jet with tunable density between 1.5 x 10(17) cm(-3) and 6 x 10(18) cm(-3). The neutralization efficiency has been measured by a time-of-flight detector for different argon densities. An optimum is found, for which complete neutralization occurs. The neutralization rate can be explained only at high areal densities (> 1 x 10(17) cm(-2)) by single electron charge transfer processes. These results suggest a new perspective for the study of neutral production by laser and open discussion of neutralization at a lower density.

The International Laser Plasma Accelerators Workshop, LPAW 2015 held in Guadeloupe between May 1015 (2015), attracted more than 140 participants (including 58 Permanents, 23 post-docs, 34 PhD students, 4 Graduate students, and 18 accompanying persons) from laboratories and facilities all around the world. The workshop allowed the leading groups in the field of laser plasma accelerator to present and discuss their work.

All-optical Compton sources are innovative, compact devices to produce high energy femtosecond x-rays. Here we present results on a single-pulse scheme that uses a plasma mirror to reflect the drive beam of a laser plasma accelerator and to make it collide with the highly-relativistic electrons in its wake. The accelerator is operated in the self-injection regime, producing quasi-monoenergetic electron beams of around 150 MeV peak energy. Scattering with the intense femtosecond laser pulse leads to the emission of a collimated high energy photon beam. Using continuum-attenuation filters we measure significant signal content beyond 100 keV and with simulations we estimate a peak photon energy of around 500 keV. The source divergence is about 13 mrad and the pointing stability is 7 mrad. We demonstrate that the photon yield from the source is sufficiently high to illuminate a centimeter-size sample placed 90 centimeters behind the source, thus obtaining radiographs in a single shot.

The advent of X-ray free-electron lasers has granted researchers an unprecedented access to the ultrafast dynamics of matter on the nanometre scale(1-3). Aside from being compact, seeded plasma-based soft X-ray lasers (SXRLs) turn out to be enticing as photon-rich(4) sources (up to 10(15) per pulse) that display high-quality optical properties(5,6). Hitherto, the duration of these sources was limited to the picosecond range(7), which consequently restricts the field of applications. This bottleneck was overcome by gating the gain through ultrafast collisional ionization in a high-density plasma generated by an ultraintense infrared pulse (a few 10(18) W cm(-2)) guided in an optically pre-formed plasma waveguide. For electron densities that ranged from 3 x 10(18) cm(-3) to 1.2 x 10(20) cm(-3), the gain duration was measured to drop from 7 ps to an unprecedented value of about 450 fs, which paves the way to compact and ultrafast SXRL beams with performances previously only accessible in large-scale facilities.

Ionization injection is a simple and efficient method to trap an electron beam in a laser plasma accelerator. Yet, because of a long injection length, this injection technique leads generally to the production of large energy spread electron beams. Here, we propose to use a shock front transition to localize the injection. Experimental results show that the energy spread can be reduced down to 10 MeV and that the beam energy can be tuned by varying the position of the shock. This simple technique leads to very stable and reliable injection even for modest laser energy. It should therefore become a unique tool for the development of laser-plasma accelerators.

An important limit for energy gain in laser-plasma wakefield accelerators is the dephasing length, after which the electron beam reaches the decelerating region of the wakefield and starts to decelerate. Here, we propose to manipulate the phase of the electron beam in the wakefield, in order to bring the beam back into the accelerating region, hence increasing the final beam energy. This rephasing is operated by placing an upward density step in the beam path. In a first experiment, we demonstrate the principle of this technique using a large energy spread electron beam. Then, we show that it can be used to increase the energy of monoenergetic electron beams by more than 50%.

While large efforts have been devoted to improving the quality of electron beams from laser plasma accelerators, often to the detriment of the charge, many applications do not require very high quality but high-charge beams. Despite this need, the acceleration of largely charged beams has been barely studied. Here we explore both experimentally and numerically the physics of highly loaded wakefield acceleration. We find that the shape of the electron spectra is strikingly independent of the laser energy, due to the emergence of a saturation effect induced by beamloading. A transition from quasi-Maxwellian spectra at high plasma densities to flatter spectra at lower densities is also found, which is shown to be produced by the wakefield driven by the electron bunch itself after the laser depletion.

The scheme of the x-ray free electron laser based on the optical undulator created by two overlapped transverse laser beams is analyzed. A kinetic theoretical description and an ad hoc numerical model are developed to account for the finite energy spread, angular divergence, and the spectral properties of the electron beam in the optical lattice. The theoretical findings are compared to the results of the one- and three-dimensional numerical modeling with the spectral free electron laser code PLARES.

The onset and evolution of magnetic fields in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas is determined by several mechanisms(1), including instabilities(2,3), dynamo effects(4,5) and ultrahigh-energy particle flows through gas, plasma(6,7) and interstellar media(8,9). These processes are relevant over a wide range of conditions, from cosmic ray acceleration and gamma ray bursts to nuclear fusion in stars. The disparate temporal and spatial scales where each process operates can be reconciled by scaling parameters that enable one to emulate astrophysical conditions in the laboratory. Here we unveil a new mechanism by which the flow of ultra-energetic particles in a laser-wakefield accelerator strongly magnetizes the boundary between plasma and non-ionized gas. We demonstrate, from time-resolved large-scale magnetic-field measurements and full-scale particle-in-cell simulations, the generation of strong magnetic fields up to 10-100 tesla (corresponding to nT in astrophysical conditions). These results open new paths for the exploration and modelling of ultrahigh-energy particle-driven magnetic-field generation in the laboratory.

Laser-plasma technology promises a drastic reduction of the size of high-energy electron accelerators. It could make free-electron lasers available to a broad scientific community and push further the limits of electron accelerators for high-energy physics. Furthermore, the unique femtosecond nature of the source makes it a promising tool for the study of ultrafast phenomena. However, applications are hindered by the lack of suitable lens to transport this kind of high-current electron beams mainly due to their divergence. Here we show that this issue can be solved by using a laser-plasma lens in which the field gradients are five order of magnitude larger than in conventional optics. We demonstrate a reduction of the divergence by nearly a factor of three, which should allow for an efficient coupling of the beam with a conventional beam transport line.

Recent advances in high-harmonic generation gave rise to soft X-ray pulses with higher intensity, shorter duration and higher photon energy. One of the remaining shortages of this source is its restriction to linear polarization, since the yield of generation of elliptically polarized high harmonics has been low so far. We here show how this limitation is overcome by using a cross-polarized two-colour laser field. With this simple technique, we reach high degrees of ellipticity (up to 75%) with efficiencies similar to classically generated linearly polarized harmonics. To demonstrate these features and to prove the capacity of our source for applications, we measure the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) effect of nickel at the M-2,M-3 absorption edge around 67 eV. There results open up the way towards femtosecond time-resolved experiments using high harmonics exploiting the powerful element-sensitive XMCD effect and resolving the ultrafast magnetization dynamics of individual components in complex materials.

Free-electron lasers (FELs) are a unique source of light, particularly in the x-ray domain. After the success of FELs based on conventional acceleration using radio-frequency cavities, an important challenge is the development of FELs based on electron bunching accelerated by a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA). However, the present LWFA electron bunch properties do not permit use directly for a significant FEL amplification. It is known that longitudinal decompression of electron beams delivered by state-of-the-art LWFA eases the FEL process. We propose here a second order transverse beam manipulation turning the large inherent transverse chromatic emittances of LWFA beams into direct FEL gain advantage. Numerical simulations are presented showing that this beam manipulation can further enhance by orders of magnitude the peak power of the radiation.

We propose and discuss a numerical method to model electromagnetic emission from the oscillating relativistic charged particles and its coherent amplification. The developed technique is well suited for free electron laser simulations, but it may also be useful for a wider range of physical problems involving resonant field-particles interactions. The algorithm integrates the unaveraged coupled equations for the particles and the electromagnetic fields in a discrete spectral domain. Using this algorithm, it is possible to perform full three-dimensional or axisymmetric simulations of short-wavelength amplification. In this paper we describe the method, its implementation, and we present examples of free electron laser simulations comparing the results with the ones provided by commonly known free electron laser codes.

High harmonic generation in gases is developing rapidly as a soft X-ray femtosecond light-source for applications. This requires control over all the harmonics characteristics and in particular, spatial properties have to be kept very good. In previous literature, measurements have always included several harmonics contrary to applications, especially spectroscopic applications, which usually require a single harmonic. To fill this gap, we present here for the first time a detailed study of completely isolated harmonics. The contribution of the surrounding harmonics has been totally suppressed using interferential filtering which is available for low harmonic orders. In addition, this allows to clearly identify behaviors of standard odd orders from even orders obtained by frequency-mixing of a fundamental laser and of its second harmonic. Comparisons of the spatial intensity profiles, of the spatial coherence and of the wavefront aberration level of 5 omega at 160 nm and 6 omega at 135 nm have then been performed. We have established that the fundamental laser beam aberrations can cause the appearance of a non-homogenous donut-shape in the 6 omega spatial intensity distribution. This undesirable effect can be easily controlled. We finally conclude that the spatial quality of an even harmonic can be as excellent as in standard generation.

The recent advances in developing compact laser plasma accelerators that deliver high quality electron beams in a more reliable way offer the possibility to consider their use in designing a compact free electron laser (FEL). Because of the particularity of these beams ( especially concerning the divergence and the energy spread), specific electron beam handling is proposed in order to achieve FEL amplification.

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.

The capability of plasmas to sustain ultrahigh electric fields has attracted considerable interest over the last decades and has given rise to laser-plasma engineering. Today, plasmas are commonly used for accelerating and collimating relativistic electrons, or to manipulate intense laser pulses. Here we propose an ultracompact plasma undulator that combines plasma technology and nanoengineering. When coupled with a laser-plasma accelerator, this undulator constitutes a millimetre-sized synchrotron radiation source of X-rays. The undulator consists of an array of nanowires, which are ionized by the laser pulse exiting from the accelerator. The strong charge-separation field, arising around the wires, efficiently wiggles the laser-accelerated electrons. We demonstrate that this system can produce bright, collimated and tunable beams of photons with 10-100 keV energies. This concept opens a path towards a new generation of compact synchrotron sources based on nanostructured plasmas.

The propagation of a relativistic electron bunch through a plasma is an important problem in both plasma-wakefield acceleration and laser-wakefield acceleration. In those situations, the charge of the accelerated bunch is usually large enough to drive a relativistic wakefield, which then affects the transverse dynamics of the bunch itself. Yet to date, there is no fully relativistic, fully electromagnetic model that describes the generation of this wakefield and its feedback on the bunch. In this article, we derive a model which takes into account all the relevant relativistic and electromagnetic effects involved in the problem. A very good agreement is found between the model and the results of particle-in-cell simulations. The implications of high-charge effects for the transport of the bunch are discussed in detail. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

We report on the ion acceleration mechanisms that occur during the interaction of an intense and ultrashort laser pulse ( I lambda(2) > 10(18) W cm(-2) mu m(2)) with an underdense helium plasma produced from an ionized gas jet target. In this unexplored regime, where the laser pulse duration is comparable to the inverse of the electron plasma frequency omega(pe), reproducible non-thermal ion bunches have been measured in the radial direction. The two He ion charge states present energy distributions with cutoff energies between 150 and 200 keV, and a striking energy gap around 50 keV appearing consistently for all the shots in a given density range. Fully electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations explain the experimental behaviors. The acceleration results from a combination of target normal sheath acceleration and Coulomb explosion of a filament formed around the laser pulse propagation axis.

Optimal regimes and physical processes at work are identified for the first round of laser wakefield acceleration experiments proposed at a future ClLEX facility. The Apollon-10P ClLEX laser, delivering fully compressed, near-PW-power pulses of sub-25 Is duration, is well suited for driving electron density wakes in the blowout regime in cm-length gas targets. Early destruction of the pulse (partly due to energy depletion) prevents electrons from reaching dephasing, limiting the energy gain to about 3 GeV. However, the optimal operating regimes, found with reduced and full three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, show high energy efficiency, with about 10% of incident pulse energy transferred to 3 GeV electron bunches with sub-5% energy spread, half-nC charge, and absolutely no low-energy background. This optimal acceleration occurs in 2 cm length plasmas of electron density below 10(18) cm(-3). Due to their high charge and low phase space volume, these multi-GeV bunches are tailor-made for staged acceleration planned in the framework of the ClLEX project. The hallmarks of the optimal regime are electron self-injection at the early stage of laser pulse propagation, stable self-guiding of the pulse through the entire acceleration process, and no need for an external plasma channel. With the initial focal spot closely matched for the nonlinear self-guiding, the laser pulse stabilizes transversely within two Rayleigh lengths, preventing subsequent evolution of the accelerating bucket. This dynamics prevents continuous self-injection of background electrons, preserving low phase space volume of the bunch through the plasma. Near the end of propagation, an optical shock builds up in the pulse tail. This neither disrupts pulse propagation nor produces any noticeable low-energy background in the electron spectra, which is in striking contrast with most of existing GeV-scale acceleration experiments. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

X-ray radiation emitted by electrons during their acceleration in a laser-plasma accelerator was used to evidence two distincts self-injection mechanisms (longitudinal and transverse) and to identify one source of angular-momentum growth in laser-plasma accelerators.

A Comment on the Letter by T. Kluge et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 205003 (2011). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.

The transverse properties of an electron beam are characterized by two quantities, the emittance which indicates the electron beam extent in the phase space and the angular momentum which allows for nonplanar electron trajectories. Whereas the emittance of electron beams produced in a laser-plasma accelerator has been measured in several experiments, their angular momentum has been scarcely studied. It was demonstrated that electrons in a laser-plasma accelerator carry some angular momentum, but its origin was not established. Here we identify one source of angular-momentum growth and we present experimental results showing that the angular-momentum content evolves during the acceleration.

Laser-wakefield acceleration constitutes a promising technology for future electron accelerators. A crucial step in such an accelerator is the injection of electrons into the wakefield, which will largely determine the properties of the extracted beam. We present here a new paradigm of colliding-pulse injection, which allows us to generate high-quality electron bunches having both a very low emittance (0: 17 mm . mrad) and a low energy spread (2%), while retaining a high charge (similar to 100 pC) and a short duration (3 fs). In this paradigm, the pulse collision provokes a transient expansion of the accelerating bubble, which then leads to transverse electron injection. This mechanism contrasts with previously observed optical injection mechanisms, which were essentially longitudinal. We also specify the range of parameters in which this new type of injection occurs and show that it is within reach of existing high-intensity laser facilities.

We present a bright and coherent soft x-ray source based on high harmonic generation delivering up to 10(10) photons per second centered at 120 eV within an 80 eV bandwidth. The source profits from fully phase-matched harmonic generation in an unmodulated hollow waveguide. Under these conditions, the resulting high harmonic spectrum is shown to be flat-top up to the cutoff photon energy and in line with the theoretical single-atom response. The source is characterized in view of seeding a free-electron laser and is shown to overcome the free-electron laser noise floor for wavelengths as short as 8.9 nm. This opens the perspective toward direct high harmonic seeding of a free-electron laser at soft x-ray wavelengths.

While laser-plasma accelerators have demonstrated a strong potential in the acceleration of electrons up to giga-electronvolt energies, few experimental tools for studying the acceleration physics have been developed. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for probing the acceleration process. A second laser beam, propagating perpendicular to the main beam, is focused on the gas jet few nanosecond before the main beam creates the accelerating plasma wave. This second beam is intense enough to ionize the gas and form a density depletion, which will locally inhibit the acceleration. The position of the density depletion is scanned along the interaction length to probe the electron injection and acceleration, and the betatron X-ray emission. To illustrate the potential of the method, the variation of the injection position with the plasma density is studied. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Spectral measurements of visible coherent transition radiation produced by a laser-plasma-accelerated electron beam are reported. The significant periodic modulations that are observed in the spectrum result from the interference of transition radiation produced by multiple bunches of electrons. A Fourier analysis of the spectral interference fringes reveals that electrons are injected and accelerated in multiple plasma wave periods, up to at least 10 periods behind the laser pulse. The bunch separation scales with the plasma wavelength when the plasma density is changed over a wide range. An analysis of the spectral fringe visibility indicates that the first bunch contains most of the charge. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.065005

Transverse emittance is a crucial feature of laser-wakefield accelerators, yet accurately reproducing its value in numerical simulations remains challenging. It is shown here that, when the charge of the bunch exceeds a few tens of picocoulombs, particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations erroneously overestimate the emittance. This is mostly due the interaction of spurious Cherenkov radiation with the bunch, which leads to a steady growth of emittance during the simulation. A new computational scheme is proposed, which is free of spurious Cherenkov radiation. It can be easily implemented in existing PIC codes and leads to a substantial reduction of the emittance growth. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.16.021301

Laser wakefield acceleration experiments were performed using a 30 fs, 1 J laser pulse interacting with an underdense helium plasma. Temporally resolved polarimetry measurements demonstrate the presence of magnetic fields at the ionization front within the plasma which had a peak strength of similar to 2.8 MG and a radial extent of approximately 200 mu m. The field was seen to vary in strength over picosecond time-scales. The field is likely generated by return current generated in the plasma at the interface between plasma and neutral gas and which is caused by hot electrons produced in the wakefield during formation of a plasma 'bubble' and prior to the time of wave-breaking (beam injection). These effects are confirmed using particle-in-cell simulations. Such measurements can be useful as a diagnostic of bubble formation in laser wakefield accelerators.

It is observed that the interaction of an intense ultrashort laser pulse with a near-critical gas jet results in the pulse collapse and the deposition of a significant fraction of the energy. This deposition happens in a small and well-localized volume in the rising part of the gas jet, where the electrons are efficiently accelerated and heated. A collisionless plasma expansion over similar to 150 mu m at a subrelativistic velocity (similar to c/3) has been optically monitored in time and space, and attributed to the quasistatic field ionization of the gas associated with the hot electron current. Numerical simulations in good agreement with the observations suggest the acceleration in the collapse region of relativistic electrons, along with the excitation of a sizable magnetic dipole that sustains the electron current over several picoseconds. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.085001

We show that electron bunches in the 50-100 keV range can be produced from a laser wakefield accelerator using 10 mJ, 35 fs laser pulses operating at 0.5 kHz. It is shown that using a solenoid magnetic lens, the electron bunch distribution can be shaped. The resulting transverse and longitudinal coherence is suitable for producing diffraction images from a polycrystalline 10 nm aluminum foil. The high repetition rate, the stability of the electron source, and the fact that its uncorrelated bunch duration is below 100 fs make this approach promising for the development of sub-100 fs ultrafast electron diffraction experiments. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4792057]

Laser-plasma accelerators can produce high-quality electron beams, up to giga electronvolts in energy, from a centimetre scale device. The properties of the electron beams and the accelerator stability are largely determined by the injection stage of electrons into the accelerator. The simplest mechanism of injection is self-injection, in which the wakefield is strong enough to trap cold plasma electrons into the laser wake. The main drawback of this method is its lack of shot-to-shot stability. Here we present experimental and numerical results that demonstrate the existence of two different self-injection mechanisms. Transverse self-injection is shown to lead to low stability and poor-quality electron beams, because of a strong dependence on the intensity profile of the laser pulse. In contrast, longitudinal injection, which is unambiguously observed for the first time, is shown to lead to much more stable acceleration and higher-quality electron beams.

Relativistic interaction of short-pulse lasers with underdense plasmas has recently led to the emergence of a novel generation of femtosecond x-ray sources. Based on radiation from electrons accelerated in plasma, these sources have the common properties to be compact and to deliver collimated, incoherent, and femtosecond radiation. In this article, within a unified formalism, the betatron radiation of trapped and accelerated electrons in the so-called bubble regime, the synchrotron radiation of laser-accelerated electrons in usual meter-scale undulators, the nonlinear Thomson scattering from relativistic electrons oscillating in an intense laser field, and the Thomson backscattered radiation of a laser beam by laser-accelerated electrons are reviewed. The underlying physics is presented using ideal models, the relevant parameters are defined, and analytical expressions providing the features of the sources are given. Numerical simulations and a summary of recent experimental results on the different mechanisms are also presented. Each section ends with the foreseen development of each scheme. Finally, one of the most promising applications of laser-plasma accelerators is discussed: the realization of a compact free-electron laser in the x-ray range of the spectrum. In the conclusion, the relevant parameters characterizing each sources are summarized. Considering typical laser-plasma interaction parameters obtained with currently available lasers, examples of the source features are given. The sources are then compared to each other in order to define their field of applications. DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.85.1

We demonstrate electron diffraction from a polycrystalline aluminum foil sample using 100 keV electron bunches generated from laser-driven plasma wakefield. Our proof-of-principle experiment shows the potential of high repetition rate, low energy electron pulses from laser wakefield accelerators for ultrafast electron diffraction applications.

The essence of ELI-ALPS, the laser driven secondary sources ranging from X-ray and X-UV to THz with duration as short as tens of attoseconds, are designed to be available for users from 2016.

Free Electron Lasers (FELs) are the next generation of large scale facilities that delivers ultra-short and bright pulses down to hard x-rays with unprecedented peak brilliance. Nowadays, FELs emitting in the soft and hard X-ray region are based on noise amplification (SASE FELs) suffering from partial longitudinal coherence, temporal jitter and other related problems.

Betatron x-ray emission in laser plasma accelerators is a promising compact source that may be an alternative to conventional x-ray sources, based on large scale machines. In addition to its potential as a source, precise measurements of betatron emission can reveal crucial information about relativistic laser-plasma interaction. We show that the emission length and the position of the x-ray emission can be obtained by placing an aperture mask close to the source, and by measuring the beam profile of the betatron x-ray radiation far from the aperture mask. The position of the x-ray emission gives information on plasma wave breaking and hence on the laser non-linear propagation. Moreover, the measurement of the longitudinal extension helps one to determine whether the acceleration is limited by pump depletion or dephasing effects. In the case of multiple injections, it is used to retrieve unambiguously the position in the plasma of each injection. This technique is also used to study how, in a capillary discharge, the variations of the delay between the discharge and the laser pulse affect the interaction. The study reveals that, for a delay appropriate for laser guiding, the x-ray emission only occurs in the second half of the capillary: no electrons are injected and accelerated in the first half.

An integral back-transform has been developed to retrieve the polar magnetic component in a cylindrically symmetric plasma from a single projection. The formula is derived from parallel forward Radon transform (Abel transform) of a source-free vector field. Two numerical schemes are proposed to solve the backward transform. These schemes have been tested successfully with predefined plasma parameters. The practical application to the analysis of experimental Faraday rotation measurements is also presented, leading to the reconstruction of the transverse profile of the magnetic field. 

Using a laser plasma accelerator, experiments with a 80 TW and 30 fs laser pulse demonstrated quasi-monoenergetic electron spectra with maximum energy over 0.4 GeV. This is achieved using a supersonic He gas jet and a sharp density ramp generated by a high intensity laser crossing pre-pulse focused 3 ns before the main laser pulse. By adjusting this crossing pre-pulse position inside the gas jet, among the laser shots with electron injection, more than 40% can produce quasi-monoenergetic spectra. This could become a relatively straight forward technique to control laser wakefield electron beams parameters.

A density perturbation in an underdense plasma was used to improve the quality of electron bunches produced in the laser-plasma wakefield acceleration scheme. Quasi-monoenergetic electrons were generated by controlled injection in the longitudinal density gradients of the density perturbation. By tuning the position of the density perturbation along the laser propagation axis, a fine control of the electron energy from a mean value of 60 MeV to 120 MeV has been demonstrated with a relative energy-spread of 15 +/- 3.6%, divergence of 4 +/- 0.8 mrad, and charge of 6 +/- 1.8 pC. 

Purpose: To evaluate the dose distribution of a 120-MeV laser-plasma accelerated electron beam which may be of potential interest for high-energy electron radiation therapy.Methods: In the interaction between an intense laser pulse and a helium gas jet, a well collimated electron beam with very high energy is produced. A secondary laser beam is used to optically control and to tune the electron beam energy and charge. The potential use of this beam for radiation treatment is evaluated experimentally by measurements of dose deposition in a polystyrene phantom. The results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations using the GEANT4 code.Results: It has been shown that the laser-plasma accelerated electron beam can deliver a peak dose of more than 1 Gy at the entrance of the phantom in a single laser shot by direct irradiation, without the use of intermediate magnetic transport or focusing. The dose distribution is peaked on axis, with narrow lateral penumbra. Monte Carlo simulations of electron beam propagation and dose deposition indicate that the propagation of the intense electron beam (with large self-fields) can be described by standard models that exclude collective effects in the response of the material.Conclusions: The measurements show that the high-energy electron beams produced by an optically injected laser-plasma accelerator can deliver high enough dose at penetration depths of interest for electron beam radiotherapy of deep-seated tumors. Many engineering issues must be resolved before laser-accelerated electrons can be used for cancer therapy, but they also represent exciting challenges for future research.

Simulations performed with the particle-in-cell code Calder Circ show the feasibility of injection and acceleration of electrons in the laser wakefield created by few-femtosecond laser pulses with moderate energy at the few mJ level. A detailed study of the effect of the carrier-envelope phase of the pulse on the injection is presented. It is shown that using ionization injection with nitrogen as the target gas, the control of the optical phase allows production of high-quality and shot-to-shot stable electron beams. The electron bunches obtained have a relative energy spread of a few per cent, a bunch duration in the sub-fs domain, a divergence close to 10 mrad and a peak energy in the 10 MeV range, and could be produced in the near future at kHz repetition rates.

This review article highlights the tremendous evolution of the research on laser plasma accelerators which has, in record time, led to the production of high quality electron beams at the GeV level, using compact laser systems. I will describe the path we followed to explore different injection schemes and I will present the most significant breakthrough which allowed us to generate stable, high peak current and high quality electron beams, with control of the charge, of the relative energy spread and of the electron energy. 

One of the major goals of research for laser-plasma accelerators(1) is the realization of compact sources of femtosecond X-rays(2-4). In particular, using the modest electron energies obtained with existing laser systems, Compton scattering a photon beam off a relativistic electron bunch has been proposed as a source of high-energy and high-brightness photons. However, laser-plasma based approaches to Compton scattering have not, to date, produced X-rays above 1 keV. Here, we present a simple and compact scheme for a Compton source based on the combination of a laser-plasma accelerator and a plasma mirror. This approach is used to produce a broadband spectrum of X-rays extending up to hundreds of keV and with a 10,000-fold increase in brightness over Compton X-ray sources based on conventional accelerators(5,6). We anticipate that this technique will lead to compact, high-repetition-rate sources of ultrafast (femtosecond), tunable (X-through gamma-ray) and low-divergence (similar to 1 degrees) photons from source sizes on the order of a micrometre.

The decade research activity on laser plasma accelerator using the \u201csalle jaune\u201d laser has been very fruitful. Using the compact 30TW - 30fs laser system developed at LOA a number of important breakthroughs have been obtained. By exploring different regime of laser plasma interaction new approaches for controlling electrons injection into relativistic plasma wave have been achieved. The progresses of laser plasma accelerators have allowed us to produce high quality of energetic electron beams with controllable parameters. Because of their interesting properties such as shortness, brightness and spatial quality, these beams are promising for applications in many fields, including medicine, radiation biology, chemistry, physics and material science, security, and of course accelerator science. Thanks to the advent of compact and powerful lasers, with moderate costs and high repetition rate, this research field becomes more and more active.

We report on the characterization of recently developed submillimetric He gas jets with peak density higher than 10(21) atoms/cm(3) from cylindrical and slightly conical nozzles of throat diameter of less than 400 mu m. Helium gas at pressure 300-400 bar has been developed for this purpose to compensate the nozzle throat diameter reduction that affects the output mass flow rate. The fast-switching electro-valve enables to operate the jet safely for multi-stage vacuum pump assembly. Such gaseous thin targets are particularly suitable for laser-plasma interaction studies in the unexplored near-critical regime.

In laser-plasma experiments, we observed that ion acceleration from the Coulomb explosion of the plasma channel bored by the laser is prevented when multiple plasma instabilities, such as filamentation and hosing, and nonlinear coherent structures (vortices or postsolitons) appear in the wake of an ultrashort laser pulse. The tailoring of the longitudinal plasma density ramp allows us to control the onset of these instabilities. We deduced that the laser pulse is depleted into these structures in our conditions, when a plasma at about 10% of the critical density exhibits a gradient on the order of 250 mu m (Gaussian fit), thus hindering the acceleration. A promising experimental setup with a long pulse is demonstrated enabling the excitation of an isolated coherent structure for polarimetric measurements and, in further perspectives, parametric studies of ion plasma acceleration efficiency.

Experimental measurements of backward accelerated protons are presented. The beam is produced when an ultrashort (5 fs) laser pulse, delivered by a kHz laser system, with a high temporal contrast (10(8)), interacts with a thick solid target. Under these conditions, proton cutoff energy dependence with laser parameters, such as pulse energy, polarization (from p to s), and pulse duration (from 5 to 500 fs), is studied. Theoretical model and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, in good agreement with a large set of experimental results, indicate that proton acceleration is directly driven by Brunel electrons, in contrast to conventional target normal sheath acceleration that relies on electron thermal pressure.

We show that the control and the mapping of the x-ray emission reveals unique features of the laser-plasma accelerator physics, including strong correlations between electron and x-ray beams, and density-dependence of electron injection position.

Bright femtosecond x-ray beams, with energies up to a few hundreds of keV, have been produced from Betatron oscillations and Compton scattering in a laser-plasma accelerator. The potential of Betatron radiation for phase contrast imaging has been demonstrated.

The features of Betatron x-ray emission produced in a laser-plasma accelerator are closely linked to the properties of the relativistic electrons which are at the origin of the radiation. While in interaction regimes explored previously the source was by nature unstable, following the fluctuations of the electron beam, we demonstrate in this Letter the possibility to generate x-ray Betatron radiation with controlled and reproducible features, allowing fine studies of its properties. To do so, Betatron radiation is produced using monoenergetic electrons with tunable energies from a laser-plasma accelerator with colliding pulse injection [J. Faure et al., Nature (London) 444, 737 (2006)]. The presented study provides evidence of the correlations between electrons and x-rays, and the obtained results open significant perspectives toward the production of a stable and controlled femtosecond Betatron x-ray source in the keV range.

The x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators can be a powerful tool to understand the physics of relativistic laser-plasma interaction. It is shown here that the mapping of betatron x-ray radiation can be obtained from the x-ray beam profile when an aperture mask is positioned just beyond the end of the emission region. The influence of the plasma density on the position and the longitudinal profile of the x-ray emission is investigated and compared to particle-in-cell simulations. The measurement of the x-ray emission position and length provides insight on the dynamics of the interaction, including the electron self-injection region, possible multiple injection, and the role of the electron beam driven wakefield.

Development of x-ray phase contrast imaging applications with a laboratory scale source have been limited by the long exposure time needed to obtain one image. We demonstrate, using the Betatron x-ray radiation produced when electrons are accelerated and wiggled in the laser-wakefield cavity, that a high-quality phase contrast image of a complex object (here, a bee), located in air, can be obtained with a single laser shot. The Betatron x-ray source used in this proof of principle experiment has a source diameter of 1.7 mu m and produces a synchrotron spectrum with critical energy E-c = 12.3 +/- 2.5 keV and 109 photons per shot in the whole spectrum. 

Gamma-ray beams with optimal and tuneable size, temperature, and dose are of great interest for a large variety of applications. These photons can be produced by the conversion of energetic electrons through the bremsstrahlung process in a dense material. This work presents the experimental demonstration of 30 μm resolution radiography of dense objects using an optimized gamma-ray source, produced with a high-quality electron beam delivered by a compact laser-plasma accelerator.

Betatron x-ray radiation in laser-plasma accelerators is produced when electrons are accelerated and wiggled in the laser-wakefield cavity. This femtosecond source, producing intense x-ray beams in the multi-kiloelectronvolt (keV) range, has been observed at different interaction regimes using a high-power laser from 10 to 100 TW. However, none of the spectral measurements carried out were at sufficient resolution, bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio to precisely determine the shape of spectra with a single laser shot in order to avoid shot-to-shot fluctuations. In this paper, the Betatron radiation produced using a 80 TW laser is characterized by using a single photon counting method. We measure in a single shot spectra from 8 to 21 keV with a resolution better than 350 eV. The results obtained are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions and demonstrate the synchrotron-type nature of this radiation mechanism. The critical energy is found to be E-c = 5.6 +/- 1 keV for our experimental conditions. In addition, the features of the source at this energy range open up novel opportunities for applications in time-resolved x-ray science.

Thomas has recently derived scaling laws for x-ray radiation from electrons accelerated in plasma bubbles, as well as a threshold for the self-injection of background electrons into the bubble [A. G. R. Thomas, Phys. Plasmas 17, 056708 (2010)]. To obtain this threshold, the equations of motion for a test electron are studied within the frame of the bubble model, where the bubble is described by prescribed electromagnetic fields and has a perfectly spherical shape. The author affirms that any elliptical trajectory of the form x'(2)/gamma(2)(p) + y'(2) = R-2 is solution of the equations of motion (in the bubble frame), within the approximation p'(2)(y)/p'(2)(x). In addition, he highlights that his result is different from the work of Kostyukov et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 175003 (2009)], and explains the error committed by KostyukovNerushPukhovSeredov (KNPS). In this comment, we show that numerically integrated trajectories, based on the same equations than the analytical work of Thomas, lead to a completely different result for the self-injection threshold, the result published by KNPS [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 175003 (2009)]. We explain why the analytical analysis of Thomas fails and we provide a discussion based on numerical simulations which show exactly where the difference arises. We also show that the arguments of Thomas concerning the error of KNPS do not hold, and that their analysis is mathematically correct. Finally, we emphasize that if the KNPS threshold is found not to be verified in PIC (Particle In Cell) simulations or experiments, it is due to a deficiency of the model itself, and not to an error in the mathematical derivation.

Particle accelerators driven by the interaction of ultraintense and ultrashort laser pulses with a plasma(1) can generate accelerating electric fields of several hundred gigavolts per metre and deliver high-quality electron beams with low energy spread(2-5), low emittance(6) and up to 1 GeV peak energy(7,8). Moreover, it is expected they may soon be able to produce bursts of electrons shorter than those produced by conventional particle accelerators, down to femtosecond durations and less. Here we present wide-band spectral measurements of coherent transition radiation which we use for temporal characterization. Our analysis shows that the electron beam, produced using controlled optical injection(9), contains a temporal feature that can be identified as a 15 pC, 1.4-1.8 fs electron bunch (root mean square) leading to a peak current of 3-4 kA depending on the bunch shape. We anticipate that these results will have a strong impact on emerging applications such as short-pulse and short-wavelength radiation sources(10,11), and will benefit the realization of laboratory-scale free-electron lasers(12-14).

Demonstrations of high-quality electron beams driven by compact and 10 Hz repetition rate lasers have been recently achieved by several research teams. We report in this paper numerical study results of an optimized conversion of these energetic electrons into high-energy photons, through the bremsstrahlung process in a dense material. Dedicated optimizations of the spectral and optical qualities of such resulting photon beams are carried out by Monte Carlo simulations and by considering typical measurements of electron beams obtained with a 30 TW-30 fs laser. These results of simulations show the possibility of production of gamma-ray sources with optimal and tunable dose, temperature, size and angular divergence. Gamma sources with size below 50 mu m are expected to be produced using such compact laser-plasma accelerators.

The damages triggered by ionizing radiation on chemical and biological targets depend on the survival probability of radicals produced in clusters of ionization-excitation events. In this paper, we report on femtolysis (FEMTOsecond radioLYSIS) of pure liquid water using an innovative laser produced high-energy, ultra-short electron bunches in the 2.5-15 MeV range and high energy radiation femtochemistry (HERF) measurements. The short-time monitoring of a primary reducing radical, hydrated electron e(aq)(-), has been performed in confined ionization spaces (nascent spurs). The calculated yield of hydrated electrons at early time, G(e(aq)(-)) , is estimated to be 6.5 +/- 0.5 (number/100 eV) at t similar to 5 ps after the ultrafast energy deposition. This estimated value is high compare to (i) the available data of previous works that used scavenging techniques; (ii) the predictions of stochastic water radiolysis modelling for which the initial behaviour of hydrated electron is investigated in the framework of a classical diffusion regime of independent pairs. The HERF developments give new insights into the early ubiquitous radical escape probability in nascent aqueous spurs and emphasize the importance of short-lived solvent bridged electron-radical complexes H(3)O(+center dot center dot center dot)e(aq)(center dot center dot)(-)OH]nH(2)O (non-independent pairs). A complete understanding of the G(e(aq)(-))(ET) value needs to account for quantum aspects of 1s-like trapped electron ground state and neoformed prototropic radicals that govern ultra-fast recombination processes within these non-independent pair configurations. Femtolysis data emphasize that within a time-dependent non-diffusion regime, spatio-temporal correlations between hydrated electron and nearest neighbours OH radical or hydrated proton (H3O+) would assist ultrafast anisotropic 1D recombination within solvent bridged electron-radical complexes. The emerging HERF domain would provide guidance for understanding of ultrashort-lived sub-structure of tracks and stimulate future semi-quantum simulations on prethermal radical reactions.

The present paper elaborates on the cold injection scheme, which was recently proposed in the context of laser wakefield acceleration (Davoine et al 2009 Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 065001). This scheme allows one to inject a bunch of electrons into a laser wakefield, which is possible thanks to the collision between the main and a counter-propagating laser pulse. Unlike in the conventional colliding pulse schemes, in this process, a beatwave is created during the collision, which allows the injection of electrons with negligible heating. In this paper, we show that the injection of on-axis electrons observed in simulations is well described by a one-dimensional (1D) model, as long as conditions given here are satisfied. Injection of off-axis electrons is also influenced by transverse effects, but the basic mechanisms remain the same. Then, a comparison with the conventional colliding pulse schemes shows that each scheme can occur in different regimes. In particular, cold injection proves to be more interesting regarding the energy spread issue. Indeed, the simulations demonstrate that electron bunches with sub-MeV absolute energy spreads can be injected, leading, after acceleration, to electrons at several GeV and relative energy spread below 1%.

The injection of quasimonoenergetic electron beams into a laser wakefield accelerator is demonstrated experimentally using density gradients at the edges of a plasma channel. In the experiment, two laser pulses are used; the main laser pulse drives a wakefield, while a second countercrossing laser beam produces a plasma whose expansion creates a channel with significant density gradients. Local injection of electrons in the wakefield is triggered by wave breaking in the density ramp. The injection is localized spatially and leads to the generation of collimated and narrow energy spread relativistic electron beams at the 100 MeV level, with charges in the range of 20-100 pC. The stability of this injection process is compared to the stability of the colliding pulse injection process and is found to be inferior for our experimental conditions. On the other hand, it is found that as the electron beam divergence is smaller in the case of gradient injection, the transverse emittance might be better.

The influence of pulse duration on proton acceleration using sub-ps (300-30 fs), ultra-intense (3.6 x 10(18) W/cm(2) to 3.6 x 10(19) W/cm(2)), constant energy (0.14J) laser pulses is studied using 2D simulations. The entire pulse duration is modelled, so that during the rising edge of the pulse a preplasma can naturally expand from the target front and rear sides into vacuum, altering, respectively, laser absorption and electrostatic field generation. In this paper, we study this effect for two target profiles sharp-edge profile and smooth density gradient at the front side-and we point out the existence of a weak optimum pulse duration for proton acceleration. For the different pulse durations we considered, we first show that the maximum proton energy variations are similar to those of the rear side electrostatic field amplitude. The energy variations, however, are smaller than expected from the field variations, and we explain this effect by considerations on the characteristic proton acceleration time. 

The study of the interaction between ultrashort laser pulses at relativistic intensities and solid matter has promoted, in recent years, a promising way of investigating ultrafast phenomena and has suggested the possibility of efficiently producing accelerated particle beams. As laser technology has been improving and increasing intensities and energies, it has become clear that the temporal contrast of a laser pulse is a key parameter in defining the conditions of interaction and the involved phenomena. In this paper we present the results that have been obtained in laser ion acceleration experiments from recent past to present days, using the most recent temporal cleaning methods. Different technologies have been adopted to improve the temporal contrast: the obtained effect on the proton acceleration is presented and discussed.

With over 70,000 patients treated worldwide, protontherapy has an evolution on their clinical applications and technological developments. The ballistic advantage of the Bragg peak gives the possibility of getting a high conformation of the dose distribution to the target volume. Protontherapy has accumulated a considerable experience in the management of selected rare malignancies such as uveal melanomas and base of the skull chordomas and chondrosarcomas. The growing interest for exploring new and more common conditions, such as prostate, lung, liver, ENT, breast carcinomas, as well as the implementation of large pediatric programs advocated by many experts has been challenged up to now by the limited access to operational proton facilities, and by the relatively slow pace of technical developments in terms of ion production, beam shaping and modelling, on-line verification etc. One challenge today is to deliver dynamic techniques with intensity modulation in clinical facilities as a standard treatment. We concentrate in this paper on the evolution of clinical indications as well as the potentialities of new technological concepts on ion production, such as dielectric walls and laser-plasma interactions. While these concepts could sooner or later translate into prototypes of highly compact equipments that would make easier the implantation of cost-effective hospital-based facilities, the feasibility of their clinical use must still be proved.

The ability of short but intense laser pulses to generate high-energy electrons and ions from gaseous and solid targets has been well known since the early days of the laser fusion program. However, during the past decade there has been an explosion of experimental and theoretical activity in this area of laser-matter interaction, driven by the prospect of realizing table-top plasma accelerators for research, medical and industrial uses, and also relatively small and inexpensive plasma accelerators for high-energy physics at the frontier of particle physics. In this focus issue on laser-and beam-driven plasma accelerators, the latest advances in this field are described.

We use two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell simulations to study the interaction of short-duration, moderately relativistic laser pulses with submicrometric dense hydrogen plasma slabs. Particular attention is devoted to proton acceleration by the target normal sheath mechanism. We observed that improved acceleration due to relativistic transparency of the target is unlikely for the shortest pulses, even for ultra-thin (similar to 10 nm) targets. This mechanism would require either longer pulses or higher laser intensities. As the target density and thickness, pulse length, duration and polarization are varied, we see clear relationships between laser irradiance, hot electron temperature and peak proton energy. All these explain why, at a given incident laser energy level, the highest proton energy is not always obtained for the shortest-duration, highest-intensity pulse.

In this study, electrons were injected into a laser plasma accelerator using colliding laser pulses. By varying the parameters of the injection laser pulse, the amount of charge accelerated in the plasma wave could be controlled. This external control of the injected load was used to investigate beam loading of the accelerating structure and especially its influence on the electron beam energy and energy spread. Information on the accelerating structure and bunch duration was then derived from these experimental observations.

Low-intensity laser prepulses (

Experimental measurements of proton acceleration with high intensity and high-contrast short laser pulses have been carried out over an order of magnitude range in target thickness and laser pulse duration. The dependence of the maximum proton energy with these parameters is qualitatively supported by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. They evidence that two regimes of proton acceleration can take place, depending on the ratio between the density gradient and the hot electron Debye length at the rear target surface. As this ratio can be affected by the target thickness, a complex interplay between pulse duration and target thickness is observed. Measurements and simulations support unexpected variations in the laser absorption and hot electron temperature with the pulse duration and laser intensity, for which density profile modification at the target front surface is the controlling parameter.

Over the past several years there have been significant advances in research towards generating compact relativistic electron beams using high power short pulse laser produced plasmas (i.e., laser wakefield accelerators). In particular, an explosion of interest was generated in this field following the discovery in 2004 of a method to create such beams with low energy spread using a "plasma bubble" shaped wake. Recent work has increased the energy of these beams to the GeV range by extending the acceleration distance from a few millimetres to several centimeters. From both experimental and theoretical work, a more complete understanding of this "plasma bubble" regime for electron acceleration has also been obtained, enabling a significant improvement in the Output electron beam quality and stability. There is ongoing work to further improve the parameters and stability of these beams with the goal of constructing "table-top" 4th generation sources of coherent x-ray radiation.

Deeply understanding the basic mechanisms of radiation damage in vitro and on living cells, starting from the early radical and molecular processes to mutagenic DNA lesions, cell signalling, genomic instability, apoptosis, microenvironment and Bystander effects, radio sensitivity should have many practical consequences such as the customization of cancer radiotherapy or radioprotection protocols. In this context, innovative laser-plasma accelerators provide ultra-short particle beams (electrons, protons) with parameters of interest for radiation biology and medical physics. This review article approaches some complex links that exist between radiation physics of new pulsed irradiation sources and potential biomedical applications. These links concern mainly the understanding of spatio-temporal events triggered by a radiation, within a fluctuating lapse of time from the initial energy deposition to primary damages of biological interest. 

Beam loading is the phenomenon which limits the charge and the beam quality in plasma based accelerators. An experimental study conducted with a laser-plasma accelerator is presented. Beam loading manifests itself through the decrease of the beam energy, the reduction of dark current, and the increase of the energy spread for large beam charge. 3D PIC simulations are compared to the experimental results and confirm the effects of beam loading. It is found that, in our experimental conditions, the trapped electron beams generate decelerating fields on the order of 1 (GV/m)/pC and that beam loading effects are optimized for trapped charges of about 20 pC.

The high current electron beam losses have been studied experimentally with 0.7 J, 40 fs, 6 10(19) W cm(-2) laser pulses interacting with Al foils of thicknesses 10-200 mu m. The fast electron beam characteristics and the foil temperature were measured by recording the intensity of the electromagnetic emission from the foils rear side at two different wavelengths in the optical domain, approximate to 407 nm ( the second harmonic of the laser light) and approximate to 500 nm. The experimentally observed fast electron distribution contains two components: one relativistic tail made of very energetic (T(h)(tail) approximate to 10 MeV) and highly collimated (7 degrees +/- 3 degrees) electrons, carrying a small amount of energy (less than 1% of the laser energy), and another, the bulk of the accelerated electrons, containing lower-energy (T(h)(bulk) = 500 +/- 100 keV) more divergent electrons (35 +/- 5 degrees), which transports about 35% of the laser energy. The relativistic component manifests itself by the coherent 2.0 emission due to the modulation of the electron density in the interaction zone. The bulk component induces a strong target heating producing measurable yields of thermal emission from the foils rear side. Our data and modeling demonstrate two mechanisms of fast electron energy deposition: resistive heating due to the neutralizing return current and collisions of fast electrons with plasma electrons. The resistive mechanism is more important at shallow target depths, representing an heating rate of 100 eV per Joule of laser energy at 15 mu m. Beyond that depth, because of the beam divergence, the incident current goes under 10(12) A cm(-2) and the collisional heating becomes more important than the resistive heating. The heating rate is of only 1.5 eV per Joule at 50 mu m depth.

Smoothing of laser beam non-uniformities using gas jets has been studied. The experiment has been performed with the PALS laser working at 0.44 mu m with an intensity of about 10(15) W/cm(2). The laser beam has been split in two by a prism thus creating an artificial large-scale non-uniformity (approximate to 90 mu m). We recorded time resolved and static images of laser-gas jet interaction with and without an Al target. Multi 1D and 2D simulations show that such interaction acts redistributing the over-intensities over larger surface. This effect has to be attributed to ionization processes with consequent laser beam refraction. Results show that Argon gas jet produces a strong refraction of the laser beam thus strongly reducing the initial two spots separation.

A mistake occurred in the description of Ref. [17] in our Letter. The correct reference is W. Lu, C. Huang, M. Zhou, M. Tzoufras, F.S. Tsung, W.B. Mori, and T. Katsouleas, Phys. Plasmas 13, 056709 (2006)PHPAEN1070-664X10.1063/1.2203364.

In recent experiments, quasi-monoenergetic and well-collimated very-high energy electron (VHEE) beams were obtained by laser-plasma accelerators. We investigate their potential use for radiation therapy. Monte Carlo simulations are used to study the influence of the experimental characteristics such as beam energy, energy spread and initial angular distribution on the dose distributions. It is found that magnetic focusing of the electron beam improves the lateral penumbra. The dosimetric properties of the laser-accelerated VHEE beams are implemented in our inverse treatment planning system for intensity-modulated treatments. The influence of the beam characteristics on the quality of a prostate treatment plan is evaluated. In comparison to a clinically approved 6MV IMRT photon plan, a better target coverage is achieved. The quality of the sparing of organs at risk is found to be dependent on the depth. The bladder and rectum are better protected due to the sharp lateral penumbra at low depths, whereas the femoral heads receive a larger dose because of the large scattering amplitude at larger depths.

The influence of pulse duration on proton acceleration using subpicosecond (30-300 fs), ultraintense (from 3.6x10(18) to 3.6x10(19) W/cm(2)), constant energy (0.14 J) laser pulses is studied using two-dimensional simulations. The entire pulse duration is modeled so that during the rising edge of the pulse a preplasma can naturally expand from the target front and rear surfaces into vacuum, altering respectively laser absorption and electrostatic field generation. In this paper, we study this effect for two target profiles (sharp-edge profile and smooth density gradient at the front side) and we point out the existence of a weak optimum pulse duration for proton acceleration. For the different pulse durations we consider, we first show that the maximum proton energy variations are similar to those of the rear side electrostatic field amplitude. The energy variations, however, are smaller than expected from the field variations, and we explain this effect by characteristic proton acceleration time.

To take full advantage of a laser-plasma accelerator, stability and control of the electron beam parameters have to be achieved. The external injection scheme with two colliding laser pulses is a way to stabilize the injection of electrons into the plasma wave, and to easily tune the energy of the output beam by changing the longitudinal position of the injection. In this Letter, it is shown that by tuning the optical injection parameters, one is able to control the phase-space volume of the injected particles, and thus the charge and the energy spread of the beam. With this method, the production of a laser accelerated electron beam of 10 pC at the 200 MeV level with a 1% relative energy spread at full width half maximum (3.1% rms) is demonstrated. This unique tunability extends the capability of laser-plasma accelerators and their applications.

A review of recent simulation and experimental studies of the colliding pulse injection scheme is presented. One dimensional particle in cell simulations show that when the colliding pulses have parallel polarizations, the dominant effects that have to be considered for modeling electron injection in plasma waves are (i) stochastic heating and (ii) wakefield inhibition at the collision. With cross polarized pulses, injection of an electron beam is still possible because stochastic heating still occurs. However, it is found numerically that the injection threshold is higher in this case. The simulations also underline the possibility of tuning the electron beam parameters by modifying the injection laser pulse. Experiments (i) validate these scenarios and show that stable and high quality electron beams are produced when two counterpropagating laser pulses collide in an underdense plasma and (ii) confirm very clearly the existence of a threshold for injection, which is higher with cross polarized pulses than with parallel polarized pulses.

A new Particle-in-Cell code developed for the modelling of laser-plasma interaction is presented. The code solves Maxwell equations using Fourier expansion along the poloidal direction with respect to the laser propagation axis. The goal of the code is to provide a three-dimensional description of the laser-plasma interaction in underdense plasmas with computational load similar to bidimensional calculations. Code results are successfully compared with three-dimensional calculations.

A cold optical injection mechanism for a laser-plasma accelerator is described. It relies on a short, circularly polarized, low-energy laser pulse counterpropagating to and colliding with a circularly polarized main pulse in a low density plasma. Contrary to previously published optical injection schemes, injection is not caused here by electron heating. Instead, the collision between the pulses creates a spatially periodic and time-independent beat force. This force can block the longitudinal electron motion, leading to their entry and injection into the propagating wake. In a specific setup, we compute after acceleration over 0.6 mm, a 60 MeV, 50 pC electron bunch with 0.7 MeV rms energy spread, proving the interest of this scheme to inject electron bunches with a narrow absolute energy spread. Acceleration to 3 GeV with a rms spread smaller than 1% is computed after propagation over 3.8 cm in a plasma channel.

The process of laser beam homogenization in a gas medium placed in front of a thin metallic foil has been studied. Experiments were performed using the Prague Asterix Laser System iodine laser [Jungwirth , Phys. Plasmas 8, 2495 (2001)] working at 0.44 mu m wavelength and irradiance of about 10(15) W/cm(2). Homogenization was detected both by directly analyzing the transmitted laser beam and by studying the shock breakout on the foil rear side. Results show that the gas ionization by the laser pulse induces a strong refraction and produces an effective smoothing of large-scale intensity nonuniformities.

The interaction of two laser pulses in an underdense plasma has been proven to be able to inject electrons into plasma waves, thus providing a stable and tunable source of electrons. Whereas previous works focused on the beatwave injection scheme in which two lasers with the same polarization collide in a plasma, this present paper studies the effect of polarization and more specifically the interaction of two colliding cross-polarized laser pulses. It is shown both theoretically and experimentally that electrons can also be preaccelerated and injected by the stochastic heating occurring at the collision of two cross-polarized lasers and thus, a new regime of optical injection is demonstrated. It is found that injection with cross-polarized lasers occurs at higher laser intensities.

The continuing development of powerful laser systems has permitted to extend the interaction of laser beams with matter far into the relativistic domain in which extremely high electric and magnetic fields are generated. Thanks to these tremendous fields, that only plasma can support and sustain, new and compact approaches for producing energetic particle beams have been recently achieved. The incredible progress of these laser-plasma accelerators has allowed physicists to produce high quality beams of energetic radiation and particles. These beams have interesting properties such as shortness, brightness and spatial quality, and could lend themselves to applications in many fields, including medicine (radiotherapy, proton therapy, imaging), radiation biology (short-time-scale), chemistry (radiolysis), physics and material science (radiography, electron and photon diffraction), security (material inspection), and of course accelerator science. Stimulated by the advent of compact and powerful lasers, with moderate costs and high repetition rate, this research field has witnessed considerable growth in the past few years, and the promises of laser-plasma accelerators are in tremendous progress. The recent years in particular have seen spectacular progress in the acceleration of electrons and of ions, both in terms of energy and in terms of quality of the beams. To cite this article: V Malka, P Mora, C R. Physique 10 (2009). 

We report on recent experimental results on electron acceleration using two counter-propagating ultrashort and ultraintense laser pulses. At the collision, the two pulses drive a standing wave which is able to pre-accelerate plasma electrons which can then be trapped in the plasma wave. Optical diagnostics of the collision reveal signatures of this standing wave. Electron acceleration results in this regime are reviewed: the use of colliding pulses enables the generation of stable, tunable and high quality electron beams at the 100-200 MeV level. Detailed comparisons with 3D Particle in Cell (PIC) simulations give deeper insight on the role of the nonlinear propagation of the pump pulse on the performance of the accelerator. This deeper understanding has allowed us to optimize the beam charge of the accelerator at high energy. To cite this article: J. Faure et al., C R. Physique 10 (2009). 

The collision of two laser pulses can inject electrons into a wakefield accelerator, and has been found to produce stable and tunable quasimonoenergetic electron beams [J. Faure , Nature 444, 737 (2006)]. This colliding pulse scheme is studied here with 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The results are successfully compared with experimental data, showing the accuracy of the simulations. The involved mechanisms (laser propagation, wake inhibition, electron heating and trapping, beam loading) are presented in detail. We explain their interplay effects on the beam parameters. The experimental variations of beam charge and energy with collision position are explained.

Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study laser-induced proton acceleration from solid-density targets in the presence of laser-generated preformed plasma. The preplasma generation and hydrodynamics are described using a one-dimensional Lagrangian code. The electron acceleration mechanism is shown to depend on the plasma scale length, exhibiting a transition from jxB heating to standing wave heating as smoother and smoother profiles are considered. Accordingly, the relativistic electron temperature and the cutoff proton energy are found to increase with the preplasma characteristic length.

We present experimental and numerical results on the formation of a controlled plasma density gradient in front of a solid target irradiated with a subpicosecond, moderate intensity laser pulse. Interferometry with femtosecond probe is used to map the temporal evolution of the spatial density distribution of the generated plasma. Experimental results are found to be in good agreement with 1D1/2 hydrodynamic simulations. Moreover, these numerical simulations enable us to determine the impact of such a heating beam on the target rear surface and to correlate the plasma gradient that can be produced on the illuminated surface with the position of the shock wave in the bulk.

We present the results of an experimental investigation of the temporal evolution of plasmas produced by high power laser irradiation of various types of target materials (at intensities I(L) = 400 ps). In this case, simulations also show that the effect of radiation transport is negligible. The situation is quite different for gold targets for which, in order to get a fair agreement, radiation transport must be taken into account.

We studied the process of laser beam homogenization in a gas medium placed in front of a thin metallic foil. Experiments were performed using the Prague PALS iodine laser working at 0.44 mu m wavelength and irradiances of about 10(15) W cm(-2). Homogenization was detected both by directly analysing the transmitted laser beam and by studying the shock breakout on the foil rear side. Results show that the gas ionization by the laser pulse induces a strong refraction and produces an effective smoothing of large-scale intensity non-uniformities.

We present the results of an experimental investigation of the temporal evolution of plasmas produced by high power laser irradiation of various types of target materials. We obtained 'high-quality' interferometric data on the evolution of the plasma electronic profile, which can be directly compared with analytical models and numerical simulations. For aluminium and plastic targets, the agreement with 1D simulations performed with the hydrocode MULTI is excellent, at least for large times (t >= 400 ps). In this case, simulations also show that the effect of radiation transport is negligible. The situation is quite different for gold targets for which, in order to get a fair enough agreement, we must take radiation transport into account.

In this paper, we report on recent experimental results on electron acceleration using two counterpropagating ultrashort and ultraintense laser pulses. We demonstrate that the use of a second laser pulse provides enhanced control over the injection and subsequent acceleration of electrons into plasma wakefields. The experimental results show that the electron beams obtained in this manner are collimated, monoenergetic, tuneable, and stable. Simulations of the process emphasize the crucial role of kinetic effects and the need for self-consistent models.

Rapid progress in the development of high-intensity laser systems has extended our ability to study light-matter interactions far into the relativistic domain, in which electrons are driven to velocities close to the speed of light. As well as being of fundamental interest in their own right, these interactions enable the generation of high-energy particle beams that are short, bright and have good spatial quality. Along with steady improvements in the size, cost and repetition rate of high-intensity lasers, the unique characteristics of laser-driven particle beams are expected to be useful for a wide range of contexts, including proton therapy for the treatment of cancers, materials characterization, radiation-driven chemistry, border security through the detection of explosives, narcotics and other dangerous substances, and of course high-energy particle physics. Here, we review progress that has been made towards realizing such possibilities and the principles that underlie them.

During experiments performed on a laser-plasma-based accelerator, correlation of the electron output angle with the electron energy has been observed. These spectral oscillations of the electron beam centroid are attributed to betatron oscillations of the electron beam during its propagation. An analytical model for betatron oscillations including constant longitudinal acceleration is described and used to validate the scenario and retrieve physical parameters. The oscillations can arise from an off-axis injection of the electrons, which can be reproduced using an asymmetric laser intensity pro. le in Particle-In-Cell ( PIC) simulations. This study emphasizes the influence of non-ideal interaction conditions inherent to experiments.

We present a protocol to characterize the high energy electron beam emitted in the interaction of an ultraintense laser with matter at intensities higher than 10(19) W cm(-2). The electron energies and angular distributions are determined as well as the total number of electrons produced above a 10 MeV threshold. This protocol is based on measurements with an electron spectrometer and nuclear activation techniques, combined with Monte Carlo simulations based on the GEANT3 code. The method is detailed and exemplified with data obtained with polypropylene and copper thin solid targets at a laser intensity of 2 x 10(19) W cm(-2). Special care is taken of the different sources of uncertainties. In particular, the reproducibility of the laser shots is considered. 

We present the experimental results, and their analysis, connected to the possibility to control laser inhomogeneities exploiting the non-uniform electron density distribution created by the laser while propagating in a gas jet. The induced self-refraction in the plasma created in the gas medium results in re-distributing local over-intensities over larger surfaces. The experiment at the PALS laser facility has been performed creating a large non-uniformity by a wedge arrangement and recording the static and dynamic images with and without the coupling to an Al target.

Beams of fast electrons have been generated from the ultra-intense laser interaction with Aluminium foil targets. The dynamics of the fast electrons propagation and the level of induced in-depth heating have been investigated using the optical emission from the foils rear side. Important yields of thermal emission, consequence of high target temperatures, were detected for targets thinner than 50 mu m. We precisely characterized the targets in-depth temperature profile in order to reproduce the emission yields. At shallow depth, we show the important heating (estimated to > 100 eV till 15 mu m depth) has a resistive origin upon the neutralizing return current. For deeper regions, because of the bulk component divergence, the fast electron energy losses and induced heating are due to collisions. Coupling the model to the experimental measurements, we were able to quantify the bulk of the fast electron population, corresponding to 35% of the laser energy and a 500 keV temperature.

A few years ago, several experiments showed that laser-plasma accelerators can produce high-quality electron beams, with quasi-monoenergetic energy distributions at the 100MeV level. These experiments were performed by focusing a single ultra-short and ultraintense laser pulse into an underdense plasma. Here, we report on recent experimental results of electron acceleration using two counter-propagating ultra-short and ultraintense laser pulses. We demonstrate that the use of a second laser pulse provides enhanced control over the injection and subsequent acceleration of electrons into plasma wakefields. The collision of the two laser pulses provides a pre-acceleration stage which provokes the injection of electrons into the wakefield. The experimental results show that the electron beams obtained in this manner are collimated (5 mrad divergence), monoenergetic (with relative energy spread

We use laser-plasma interaction and particle-transport codes to investigate ion acceleration when a short, intense laser pulse irradiates a thin solid foil, and to quantify the isotope yield that these ions can induce by nuclear reactions in secondary targets. Optimum acceleration, in terms of peak ion energy and secondary target activation, is obtained for ultra-low (sub-pm) target thickness. 

An electron injector concept for a laser-plasma accelerator was developed by E. Esarey [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2682 (1997)] and G. Fubiani [Phys. Rev. E 70, 016402 (2004)]; it relies on the use of counterpropagating ultrashort laser pulses. In the latter work, the scheme is as follows: the pump laser pulse generates a large-amplitude laser wakefield (plasma wave). The counterpropagating injection pulse interferes with the pump laser pulse to generate a beatwave pattern. The ponderomotive force of the beatwave is able to inject plasma electrons into the wakefield. In this paper, this injection scheme is studied using one-dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations. The simulations reveal phenomena and important physical processes that were not taken into account in previous models. In particular, at the collision of the laser pulses, most plasma electrons are trapped in the beatwave pattern and cannot contribute to the collective oscillation supporting the plasma wave. At this point, the fluid approximation fails and the plasma wake is strongly inhibited. Consequently, the injected charge is reduced by one order of magnitude compared to the predictions from previous models. 

We have measured the coherent optical transition radiation emitted by an electron beam from laser-plasma interaction. The measurement of the spectrum of the radiation reveals fine structures of the electron beam in the range 400-1000 nm. These structures are reproduced using an electron distribution from a 3D particle-in-cell simulation and are attributed to microbunching of the electron bunch due to its interaction with the laser field. When the radiator is placed closer to the interaction point, spectral oscillations have also been recorded, signature of the interference of the radiation produced by two electron bunches delayed by 74 fs. The second electron bunch duration is shown to be ultrashort to match the intensity level of the radiation. Whereas transition radiation was used at longer wavelengths in order to estimate the electron bunch length, this study focuses on the ultrashort structures of the electron beam.

We present a series of experimental results, and their interpretation, connected to various aspects of the hydrodynamics of laser produced plasmas. Experiments were performed using the Prague PALS iodine laser working at 0.44 mu m wavelength and irradiances up to a few 10(14)W/cm(2). By adopting large focal spots and smoothed laser beams, the lateral energy transport and lateral expansion have been avoided. Therefore we could reach a quasi one-dimensional regime for which experimental results can be more easily and property compared to available analytical models.

For protons of energy up to a few MeV, the temporal evolution of etched latent tracks in CR-39 nuclear track detector has been numerically modeled by assuming that the electronic energy loss of the protons governs the latent track formation. The technique is applied in order to obtain the energy spectrum of high intensity laser driven proton beams, with high accuracy. The precise measurement of the track length and areal track density have been achieved by scanning short etched, highly populated CR-39 employing atomic force microscope. 

The physio-pathological roles of sulfide biomolecules in cellular environments involves redox processes and radical reactions that alter or protect the functional properties of enzymatic systems, proteins and nucleic acids repair. We focus on micromolar monitoring of sulfur-centered radical anions produced by direct electron attachment, using sulfide molecules (a thioether and a disulfide biomolecule) and two complementary spectroscopic approaches: low energy radiation femtochemistry (1-8 eV) and high energy radiation femtochemistry (2.5-15 MeV). The early step of a disulfide bond making RS therefore SR- from thiol molecules involves a very-short lived odd-electron bonded intermediate for which an excess electron is transiently localized by a preexisting two sulfide monomers complex. The reactive center of oxidized glutathione (cystamine), a major cytoplasmic disulfide biomolecule, is also used as sensor for the real-time IR investigation of effective reaction radius tau(eff) in homogenous aqueous environments and interfacial water of biomimetic systems. Femtosecond high-energy electrons beams, typically in the 2.5 - 15 MeV range, may conjecture the picosecond observation of primary radical events in nanometric radiation spurs. The real-time investigation of sulfide and disulfide molecules opens exciting opportunities for sensitisation of confined environments (aqueous groove of DNA, protein pockets, sub-cellular systems) to ionizing radiation. Low and high-energy femtoradical probing foreshadow the development of new applications in radiobiology (low dose effect at the nanometric scale) and anticancer radiotherapy (pro-drogue activation).

Recent laser wakefield acceleration experiments have demonstrated the generation of femtosecond, nano-Coulomb, low emittance, nearly monokinetic relativistic electron bunches of sufficient quality to produce bright, tunable, ultrafast x-rays via Compton scattering. Design parameters for a proof-of-concept experiment are presented using a three-dimensional Compton scattering code and a laser-plasma interaction particle-in-cell code modeling the wakefield acceleration process; x-ray fluxes exceeding 10(21) s(-1) are predicted, with a peak brightness >10(19) photons/(mm(2) mrad(2) s 0.1% bandwidth)).

Laser plasma accelerators produce today ultra short, quasi-monoenergetic and collimated electron beams with potential applications in material science, chemistry and medicine. The laser plasma accelerator used to produce such an electron beam is presented, The design of a laser based accelerator designed to produce more energetic electron beams with a narrow relative energy spread is also proposed here. This compact approach should permit a miniaturization and cost reduction of future accelerators and associated X-Free Electrons Lasers (XFEL).

Controlled injection of electrons into a laser-plasma accelerator is achieved by colliding two counterpropagating laser pulses into a plasma. It results in monoenergetic, high quality, stable andtuneable electronbeams (from 15 to 300 MeV).

In laser-plasma-based accelerators(1), an intense laser pulse drives a large electric field ( the wakefield) which accelerates particles to high energies in distances much shorter than in conventional accelerators. These high acceleration gradients, of a few hundreds of gigavolts per metre, hold the promise of compact high-energy particle accelerators. Recently, several experiments have shown that laser-plasma accelerators can produce high-quality electron beams, with quasi-monoenergetic energy distributions at the 100 MeV level(2-4). However, these beams do not have the stability and reproducibility that are required for applications. This is because the mechanism responsible for injecting electrons into the wakefield is based on highly nonlinear phenomena(5), and is therefore hard to control. Here we demonstrate that the injection and subsequent acceleration of electrons can be controlled by using a second laser pulse(6). The collision of the two laser pulses provides a pre-acceleration stage which provokes the injection of electrons into the wakefield. The experimental results show that the electron beams obtained in this manner are collimated ( 5 mrad divergence), monoenergetic (with energy spread

Results of an experiment using an ultra-short laser pulse to create plasma waves through the forced laser wake-field process are described. The transmitted optical spectra are shown to exhibit both red- and blue-shifting, likely due to self-phase modulation through the interaction between the laser pulse and a large amplitude plasma wave. Spectral side-bands shifted by multiples of the plasma frequency associated with the forward Raman instability (FRS) are absent, indicating that the plasma waves which are observed to accelerate electrons are likely not generated through the FRS process. One- and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations using similar parameters as the experiment are discussed.

The experimental demonstration of laser acceleration of ions to multi-MeV energies with short, intense laser pulses has spurred the prospect of using this ion source for medical isotope production. Using numerical models for laser-plasma interaction and ion acceleration, then for ion transport and isotope production, we compute the isotope yields that could be expected from such sources, and their variations with interaction parameters such as target thickness and laser intensity. Using 36 fs, 4x10(20) W/cm(2) pulses at kilohertz repetition rate, more than 100 GBq of F-18 are expected after irradiation for 1 h. 

Fast electron transport in matter is a key issue for assessing the feasibility of fast ignition; however several important points are not clear yet. Therefore we realized an experiment with ultra-intense lasers (≤ 6 1019Wcm−2) studying transport in metallic (Al) and insulating (CH) foil targets. The dynamics of fast electron propagation versus target thickness was investigated by optical self-emission from targets rear side. In Al targets we distinguished two-components in the fast electron population: moderately relativistic electrons and a highly collimated micro-bunched relativistic tail. A large ohmic heating at the rear of the thinner targets was observed due to the background return current. In CH, optical emission is mainly due to the Cherenkov effect and is much larger than in Al. We also observed that in insulators the fast-electron beam undergoes strong filamentation and the number of filaments increases with thickness. This behaviour was attributed to an ionization front instability.

This article gives a detailed description of a single shot electron spectrometer which was used to characterize electron beams produced by laser-plasma interaction. Contrary to conventional electron sources, electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators can produce a broad range of energies. Therefore, diagnosing these electron spectra requires specific attention and experimental development. Here, we provide an absolute calibration of the Lanex Kodak Fine screen on a laser-triggered radio frequency picosecond electron accelerator. The efficiency of scintillating screens irradiated by electron beams has never been investigated so far. This absolute calibration is then compared to charge measurements from an integrating current transformer for quasimonoenergetic electron spectra from laser-plasma interaction. 

The use of ultra short laser pulses delivered by powerful laser systems has permitted the emergence of new approaches for generating energetic particle beams. By focusing these laser pulses onto matter. extremely large electric fields can be generated, reaching the TV/rn level well in excess than those produced by conventional accelerators. As a result, the distance over which particles extracted from the target can be accelerated to hundreds of MeV is reduced to distances on the order of millimetres. These laser-produced electron beams have a number of interesting properties and could lead themselves to applications in many fields, including medicine (radiotherapy), radiobiology (short-time-scale, low dose irradiation), chemistry (radiolysis), non-destructive material inspection by radiography, and accelerator physics.

The concepts of the laser-plasma based accelerator and injector are discussed here. The recent tests done at LOA as well as design studies of high-quality GeV electron beam production with low energy spread (1%) are presented. These laser-produced particle beams have a number of interesting properties and could lend themselves to applications in many fields, including medicine ( radiotherapy), chemistry (radiolysis), and accelerator physics. They could be used as a source for the production of gamma ray beams for nondestructive material inspection by radiography, or for future compact X-free electron laser machines.

We report on some recent experimental results on proton production from ultra-intense laser pulse interaction with thin aluminium and plastic foil targets. These results were obtained at Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee with the 100TW 'salle jaune' laser system, delivering 35 fs laser pulses at 0.8 mu m, reaching a maximum intensity on target of a few 10(19) W/cm(2).In such extreme interaction conditions, an intense and collimated relativistic electron current is injected from the plasma created on the laser focal spot into the cold interior of the target. Its transport through dense matter, ruled by both collisions and self-induced (electro-magnetic) field effects, is the driving mechanism for proton acceleration from the rear side of thin foils: when reaching and leaving the foil rear-side, the fast electrons create a large charge separation and a huge electrostatic field with a maximum value of few TV/m, capable of accelerating protons.A parametric study as a function of the laser driver and target parameters indicates an optimal value for target thickness, which strongly depends on the laser prepulse duration. In our experiments, we did irradiate targets of various materials (CH, Al, Au) changing the prepulse duration by using fast Pockels cells in the laser chain. CR-39 nuclear track detectors with Al filters of different thickness and a Thomson parabola were used to detect proton generation. The best results were obtained for 2 mu m Al targets, leading to the generation of proton energies with energies up to 12 MeV.

The materials science community is poised to take advantage of new technologies that add unprecedented time resolution to already existing spatial-resolution capabilities. In the same way that chemists and biologists are using ultrafast optical, photon, and particle techniques to reveal transition pathways, materials scientists can expect to use variations of these methods to probe the most fundamental aspects of complex transient phenomena in materials. The combination of high-spatial-resolution imaging with high time resolution is critical because it enables the observation of specific phenomena that are important to developing fundamental understanding. Such a capability is also important because it enables experiments that are on the same time and length scales as recent high-performance computer simulations. This article describes several new techniques that have great potential for broader application in materials science, including electron, x-ray, and y-ray imaging.

We present here results obtained in an experiment carried out using the CPA beam of the "Salle Jaune" laser system at Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee (LOA). The generation of high energy electrons and protons escaping from the plasma has been investigated in the interaction of a 2 J, 30 fs laser with CH or metallic foils. The energy and angular distributions of the supra-thermal electrons produced with different targets are characterized by using both an electron spectrometer and bremsstrahlung induced (gamma,n) reactions. We measured simultaneously the number of energetic protons produced using (p,n) reactions. A correlation between the electrons and the protons production is observed together with a dependence of the number of supra-thermal electrons on the atomic number of the target element.

The implementation of gas jet targets appears to be a very attractive alternative to pre-exploded thin foils targets for relativistic laser plasma interactions. In this article, we report a review of recent results obtained by focusing a nanosecond laser beam onto a gas jet target. The benefit of gas jet targets for the generation of homogeneous and large scale plasmas, which are of interest for a MJ program will be presented. Additionally, laser beam smoothing, the studies of parametric instabilities (Raman and Brillouin) and applications in atomic physic in warm and dense plasmas will be discussed.

The transport of an intense electron-beam produced by Ultra High Intensity laser pulses through metals and insulators has been studied by imaging with high resolution the optical emission (Optical Transition Radiation, Thermal and Cherenkov emission) due to electron transit through the targets. It is observed that if the target is an insulator the fast electron beam undergoes strong filamentation and the filaments increase in number with plastic thickness, with a characteristic growth rate and transversal scale in good agreement with analytical predictions based on electric field instabilities in the beam ionization front.

We present a simple analytical model for the acceleration of low energy electron bunches in the wakefield created by a short laser pulse focused in a uniform plasma. Laser intensity is limited to I similar to 10(18) W/cm(2) in order to avoid self-injection and strong nonlinear effects. In this weakly nonlinear regime, it is found that the quality of the accelerated electron bunch-in terms of bunch length and energy spread-depends crucially on the injection energy. Comparisons with numerical simulations show that most of the features of the acceleration process can be explained within the linear response framework, including both the reduction of energy spread and bunch length at low injection energies. The role of nonlinear effects is discussed. 

Laser plasma accelerators are currently able to produce ultra-short, quasi-monoenergetic and collimated electron beam of major interest for the study of ultra-fast phenomena, material science and medicine. A laser based accelerator designed to produce GeV electrons with 2% bandwidth and low emittance (0.02 mm mrad) is presented. This compact approach (cm scale for the plasma) and tens of meters length for the whole facility should permit a miniaturization and cost reduction of future accelerators and associated X-Free Electrons Lasers. 

The design of a two-stage compact GeV electron accelerator is presented. The accelerator is as follows: (1) an ultra-short electron bunch is produced in a state-of-the-art laser-plasma accelerator (injector stage), (2) it is injected into an accelerating stage consisting of a centimeter length low density plasma interacting with a petawatt laser pulse. The parameters for the injector are taken from recent experimental results showing that high quality, ultra-short, and quasi-monoenergetic electron beams are now being produced in laser-plasma accelerators. Simulations performed with WAKE show that this method can lead to the production of high quality, monoenergetic, and sub-50 fs electron bunches at the GeV energy level.

An experimental study of the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with underdense plasmas in the relativistic regime is presented. A parameter regime of particular interest was found: the so-called bubble regime. In this regime, the laser pulse is focused to relativistic intensities and its pulse duration is comparable to or shorter than the plasma period. A wealth of physical phenomena occurs for such physical parameters. These phenomena have multiple signatures which have been investigated experimentally: (i) the generation of a high quality electron beam (high energy, very collimated, quasimonoenergetic energy distribution); (ii) the laser pulse temporal shortening in nonlinear plasma waves. In addition, experimental results suggest that the electron beam produced in this way has temporal structures shorter than 50fs.

The transport of an intense electron beam produced by ultrahigh intensity laser pulses through metals and insulators has been studied by high resolution imaging of the optical emission from the targets. In metals, the emission is mainly due to coherent transition radiation, while in plastic, it is due to the Cerenkov effect and it is orders of magnitude larger. It is also observed that in the case of insulators the fast-electron beam undergoes strong filamentation and the number of filaments increases with the target thickness. This filamented behavior in insulators is due to the instability of the ionization front related to the electric field ionization process. The filamentary structures characteristic growth rate and characteristic transversal scale are in agreement with analytical predictions.

A new method for accelerating proton beams, based on the use of intense and short laser pulses, is presented. It is shown that by focusing an ultrashort laser pulse onto a thin foil target, a proton beam with energy LIP to tens of MeV is produced. Due to the original properties of these beams unexplored fields in science will be discovered. In addition, this compact and low cost approach would probably be of great interest for medical applications. 

A "table-top" high power laser hits been used to generate beams of accelerated electrons LIP to energy of 20 MeV from interactions With underdense plasmas. The energy spectrum of these beams was measured using a magnetic spectrometer and proof-of-principle experiments were performed to evaluate the suitability of these beams for electron radiography applications.

Laser-plasma accelerators deliver high-charge quasi-monoenergetic electron beams with properties of interest for many applications. Their angular divergence, limited to a few mrad, permits one to generate a small gamma ray source for dense matter radiography, whereas their duration (few tens of fs) permits studies of major importance in the context of fast chemistry for example. In addition, injecting these electron beams into a longer plasma wave structure will extend their energy to the GeV range. A GeV laser-based accelerator scheme is presented; it consists of the acceleration of this electron beam into relativistic plasma waves driven by a laser. This compact approach (centimetres scale for the plasma, and tens of meters for the whole facility) will allow a miniaturization and cost reduction of future accelerators and derived X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) sources.

Experiments to examine the generation of relativistic plasma waves via a high-intensity short-pulse beat-wave scheme are described in detail. The pulse stretcher of the Vulcan chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) laser system was modified to produce two frequency, 3 ps pulses focusable to intensities up to 10(18) W cm(-2). Short high-intensity pulses were used to avoid limitations to the plasma-wave amplitude due to the modulational instability. Two experiments were undertaken, at 3 and 10 TW, with the generation of plasma waves diagnosed by measuring the sidebands produced in the spectrum of the forward scattered beam. A resonance in the sideband signal was observed for an initial plasma density higher than expected for the given beat frequency. This resonance shift can be attributed to transverse ponderomotive expulsion of plasma electrons from the laser focal region. A monotonically increasing background was also observed, which was due to nonresonant cross-phase modulation.

The most recent experimental results obtained with laser-plasma accelerators are applied to radiotherapy simulations. The narrow electron beam, produced during the interaction of the laser with the gas jet, has a high charge (0.5 nC) and is quasimonoenergetic (170 +/- 20 MeV). The dose deposition is calculated in a water phantom placed at different distances from the diverging electron source. We show that, using magnetic fields to refocus the electron beam inside the water phantom, the transverse penumbra is improved. This electron beam is well suited for delivering a high dose peaked on the propagation axis, a sharp and narrow tranverse penumbra combined with a deep penetration. 

The past few years have seen remarkable progress in the development of laser-based particle accelerators. The ability to produce ultrabright beams of multi-megaelectronvolt protons routinely has many potential uses from engineering to medicine, but for this potential to be realized substantial improvements in the performances of these devices must be made. Here we show that in the laser-driven accelerator that has been demonstrated experimentally to produce the highest energy protons, scaling laws derived from fluid models and supported by numerical simulations can be used to accurately describe the acceleration of proton beams for a large range of laser and target parameters. This enables us to evaluate the laser parameters needed to produce high-energy and high-quality proton beams of interest for radiography of dense objects or proton therapy of deep-seated tumours.

This paper reports the results of some recent experiments performed at the LULI laboratory (Palaiseau, France) concerning the propagation of large relativistic electron currents in a gas jet. We present our experimental results according to the type of diagnostics used in the experiments: (1) time resolved optical shadowgraphy and (2) proton imaging. Proton radiography images did show the presence of very strong fields in the gas probably produced by charge separation. In turn, these imply a slowing down of the fast electron cloud as it penetrates in the gas. Indeed, shadowgraphy images show a strong inhibition of propagation and a strong reduction in time of the velocity of the electron cloud from the initial value, which is of the order of a fraction of c.

High-energy laser interaction with matter (gaseous and solid targets) provides electric fields going beyond the limit of one teravolt per meter (1 TV = 10(12) V) and permit efficient acceleration of particles in the relativistic regime, typically with MeV energy. Exceptional properties of these new particules sources (shortness, charge, emittance) may conjecture transdisciplinary researches such as physics' accelerators, prethermal reactivity in soft matter, radiobiology and radiotherapy, imaging. The challenge of high-energy femtochemistry is broached in the framework of water, "the life's solvent".

The recent and continuous development of powerful laser systems has permitted the emergence of new approaches for generating energetic electron beams. By focusing light pulses containing a few joules of energy in a few tens of femtoseconds onto gas jets, extremely large electric fields can be generated, reaching the terravolts per metre level. Such fields are 10 000 times greater than those produced in the radio-frequency cavities of conventional accelerators. As a result, the length over which electrons extracted from the target can be accelerated to hundreds of MeV is reduced to a few millimetres. The reduction of the size and the cost of laser-plasma accelerators is a promising consequence, but these electron beams also reveal original properties, which make them a wonderful tool for science. By adjusting the interaction parameters, the electron energy distribution can be tuned from a maxwellian-like distribution to a quasi-monoenergetic one. The new properties of these laser-based particle beams are well suited to many applications in different fields, including medicine (radiotherapy), chemistry (ultrafast radiolysis), material science (non-destructive material inspection using radiography) and, of course, for accelerator physics.

We have measured the temporal shortening of an ultraintense laser pulse interacting with an underdense plasma. When interacting with strongly nonlinear plasma waves, the laser pulse is shortened from 38±2fs to the 10-14 fs level, with a 20% energy efficiency. The laser ponderomotive force excites a wakefield, which, along with relativistic self-phase modulation, broadens the laser spectrum and subsequently compresses the pulse. This mechanism is confirmed by 3D particle in cell simulations.

The possibility of accelerating electrons to the GeV level using a Petawatt laser focused in a uniform plasma is investigated. The proposed scheme relies on the wakefield acceleration of an electron bunch from a state-of-the-art radio-frequency accelerator. Using an analytical model as well as numerical simulations performed with WAKE [P. Mora and T. M. Antonsen, Phys. Plasmas 4, 217 (1997)], a systematical study of the injector parameters is carried out. In particular, it is found that the quality of the accelerated electron bunch-in terms of bunch length and energy spread-depends crucially on the injection energy. Injection energies of a few MeV lead to a GeV electron beam with sub-100 fs bunches and 10% energy spreads. Most of the features of the acceleration process can be explained within the linear response framework, including both the reduction of energy spread and bunch length at low injection energies. The role of nonlinear effects is discussed.

Plasma-based accelerators have been proposed for the next generation of compact accelerators because of the huge electric fields they can support. However, it has been difficult to use them efficiently for applications because they produce poor quality particle beams with large energy spreads. Here, we demonstrate a dramatic enhancement in the quality of electron beams produced in laser-plasma interaction: an ultrashort laser pulse drives a plasma bubble which traps and accelerates plasma electrons to a single energy. This produces an extremely collimated and quasi-monoenergetic electron beam with a high charge of 0.5 nanocoulomb at energy 170 + 20 MeV.

The interaction of short and intense laser pulses with plasmas or solids is a very efficient source of high-energy ions. This paper reports the detailed study, with particle-in-cell simulations, of the interaction of such a laser pulse with thin, dense targets, and the resulting proton acceleration. Depending on the laser intensity and pulse duration, the most energetic protons are found to come from the front, the core, or the back of the target. The main accelerating mechanisms discussed in this paper are plasma expansion acceleration, where proton acceleration is driven by the hot electron population, and shock acceleration, originating from the laser ponderomotive potential imposed at the front target surface. Three main regimes of proton acceleration are defined and the parameters for which each regime is dominant are obtained. For irradiances close to 10(20) W/cm(2), the highest proton energies are obtained from thin foils efficiently heated by relativistic transparency. At larger intensities, a complex interplay between collisionless shock acceleration and plasma expansion acceleration is evidenced.

Experimental investigations of the late-time ion structures formed in the wake of an ultrashort, intense laser pulse propagating in a tenuous plasma have been performed using the proton imaging technique. The pattern found in the wake of the laser pulse shows unexpectedly regular modulations inside a long, finite width channel. On the basis of extensive particle in cell simulations of the plasma evolution in the wake of the pulse, we interpret this pattern as due to ion modulations developed during a two-stream instability excited by the return electric current generated by the wakefield.

Within the last decade, laser-plasma based accelerators have been able to deliver electron beams with Maxwellian energy distributions characterized by effective temperatures in the range of 1-20 MeV. Changing the interaction parameters, the electron beam quality was improved. Especially, matching the interaction length to the dephasing length was crucial to produce an extremely high quality electron beam with a quasimonoenergetic distribution at 170 MeV. The optimization of these distributions is presented, as well as comparisons with three-dimensional particle-in-cell code simulations.

A method for obtaining quantitative information about electric field and charge distributions from proton imaging measurements of laser-induced plasmas is presented. A parameterised charge distribution is used as target plasma. The deflection of a proton beam by the electric field of such a plasma is simulated numerically as well as the resulting proton density, which will be obtained on a screen behind the plasma according to the proton imaging technique. The parameters of the specific charge distributions are delivered by a combination of linear regression and nonlinear fitting of the calculated proton density distribution to the measured optical density of a radiochromic film screen changed by proton exposure. It is shown that superpositions of spherical Gaussian charge distributions as target plasma are sufficient to simulate various structures in proton imaging measurements, which makes this method very flexible.

We study the propagation of fast electrons in a gas at different densities. A large relativistic electron current is produced by focusing a short-pulse ultrahigh-intensity laser on a metallic target. It then propagates in a gas jet placed behind the foil. Shadowgraphy in the gas shows an electron cloud moving at sub-relativistic average velocities. The experiment shows (i) the essential role of the density of background material for allowing propagation of fast electrons, (ii) the importance of the ionization phase which produces free electrons available for the return current, and (iii) the effect of electrostatic fields on fast-electron propagation.

The fundamental importance of understanding the primary effects of ionizing radiations in liquid phase and solutions is emphasized in fields such as electron transfer reactions, radical chemistry and radiobiology. With the advent of ultrashort optical pulses and powerful laser systems (TW lasers), ultrafast spectroscopic investigations might conjecture the direct observation of primary events induced by low-energy (photons) and high-energy (relativistic electrons) radiations. The different points discussed in this paper concern the investigation of short-time solvent caging effects on elementary radical reactions in homogeneous liquid phase and nascent spurs.

Beams of x rays in the kiloelectronvolt energy range have been produced from laser-matter interaction. Here, energetic electrons are accelerated by a laser wakefield, and experience betatron oscillations in an ion channel formed in the wake of the intense femtosecond laser pulse. Experiments using a 50 TW laser (30 fs duration) are described, as well as comparisons with numerical simulations. These results pave the way of a new generation of radiation in the x-ray spectral range, with a high collimation and an ultrafast pulse duration, produced by the use of compact laser system. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

An electron beam from a laser-plasma accelerator is converted into a γ-ray source using bremsstrahlung radiation in a dense material. The γ-ray beam has a pointlike source size because it is generated by a high quality electron beam with a small source size and a low divergence. Using this γ-ray source, the radiography of complex and dense objects with submillimeter resolution is performed. It is the first evidence of a γ-ray source size of a few hundreds micrometers produced with laser-driven accelerators. This size is consistent with results from Monte Carlo simulations.

By focusing a 10 Hz, 30 TW, 30 fs laser beam onto a gas jet, it is now possible to produce an ultra short and high quality electron beam with a maximum energy of up to 200 MeV. The gas is instantaneously ionized by the laser electric field and transformed into plasma, in which accelerating electric fields of the order of 1 TV/m have been generated in the non-linear regime. Some applications of this attractive and compact electron source are presented.

It is known that relativistic laser plasma interactions can already today induce accelerating fields beyond some TV/m, which are indeed capable to efficiently accelerate plasma background electrons as well as protons. An introduction to the current state of the art will be given and possible applications of these optically induced charged particle sources will be discussed.

With the recent advent of table-top terawatt Ti:Sa laser amplifier systems, laser plasma interactions provide high-energy, femtosecond electron bunches, which might conjecture direct observation of radiation events in media of biological interest. We report on the first femtolysis studies using such laser produced relativistic electron pulses in the 2.5-15 MeV range. A real-time observation of elementary radical events is performed on water molecules and media containing an important disulfide biomolecule. The primary yield of a reducing radical produced in clusters of excitation-ionisation events (spurs) has been determined at t ∼3.5 10^-12 s. These data provide important information about the initial energy loss and spatial distribution of early radical events. Femtolysis studies devoted to a disulfide biomolecule is noteworthy as it is the first time that a primary ionisation event can be controlled by an ultrafast radical anion formation in the prethermal regime. This innovating domain foreshadows the development of new applications in radiobiology (microdosimetry at the nanometric scale). In the near future, electron femtolysis studies would clearly enhance the understanding of radiation-induced damages in biological confined spaces (aqueous groove of DNA and protein pockets).

Particle accelerators are used in a wide variety of fields, ranging from medicine and biology to high-energy physics. The accelerating fields in conventional accelerators are limited to a few tens of MeV m ^-1 , owing to material breakdown at the walls of the structure. Thus, the production of energetic particle beams currently requires large-scale accelerators and expensive infrastructures. Laser-plasma accelerators have been proposed as a next generation of compact accelerators because of the huge electric fields they can sustain (>100 GeV m ^-1 ). However, it has been difficult to use them efficiently for applications because they have produced poor-quality particle beams with large energy spreads, owing to a randomization of electrons in phase space. Here we demonstrate that this randomization can be suppressed and that the quality of the electron beams can be dramatically enhanced. Within a length of 3 mm, the laser drives a plasma bubble that traps and accelerates plasma electrons. The resulting electron beam is extremely collimated and quasi-monoenergetic, with a high charge of 0.5 nC at 170 MeV.

The synchrotron x-ray source based on the betatron oscillation of a relative electron in a laser-produced ion channel was investigated. Nonlinear Thompson scattering radiation emitted by the electrons of the plasma oscillating in the intense laser field was also proposed. The brightness of produced x-ray radiation was estimated from the pulse duration and the size of the x-ray source. The results show that the ultrashort-duration pulses of x-ray beams could be produced by the synchrotron radiation mechanism in a compact device.

We present a supercritical radiative shock experiment performed with the LULI nanosecond laser facility. Using targets filled with xenon gas at low pressure, the propagation of a strong shock with a radiative precursor is evidenced. The main measured shock quantities (electronic density and propagation velocity) are shown to be in good agreement with theory and numerical simulations.

The forthcoming laser installations related to inertial confinement fusion, Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) (France) and National Ignition Facility (NIF) (USA), require multidimensional numerical simulation tools for interpreting current experimental data and to perform predictive modeling for future experiments. Simulations of macroscopic plasma volumes of the order of 1 mm ³ and laser exposure times of the order of hundreds of picoseconds are necessary. We present recent developments in the PARAX code towards this goal. The laser field is treated in a standard paraxial approximation in three dimensions. The plasma response is described by single-fluid, two-temperature, fully nonlinear hydrodynamical equations in the plane transverse to the laser propagation axis. The code also accounts for the dominant nonlocal transport terms in spectral form originating from a linearized solution to the Fokker-Planck equation. The simulations of interest are hohlraum plasmas in the case of indirect drive or the plasma corona for direct drive. Recent experimental results on plasma-induced smoothing of RPP laser beams are used to validate the code.

Protontherapy is a well-established approach to treat cancer due to the favorable ballistic properties of proton beams. Nevertheless, this treatment is today only possible with large scale accelerator facilities which are very difficult to install at existing hospitals. In this article we report on a new approach for proton acceleration up to energies within the therapeutic window between 60 and 200 MeV by using modern, high intensity and compact laser systems. By focusing such laser beams onto thin foils we obtained on target intensities of which is sufficient to produce a well-collimated proton beam with an energy of up to 10 MeV. These results are in agreement with numerical simulations and indicate that proton energies within the therapeutic window should be obtained in the very near future using such economical and very compact laser systems. Hence, this approach could revolutionize cancer treatment by bringing the ?lab to the hospital?rather than the hospital to the lab.?

The transverse emittance of a relativistic electron beam generated by the interaction of a high-intensity laser with an underdense plasma has been measured with the \u201cpepper-pot\u201d method. For parameters pertaining to the forced laser wakefield regime, we have measured an emittance as low as (2.7±0.9)π\u200a\u200amm mrad for (55±2)\u200a\u200aMeV electrons. These measurements are consistent with 3D particle-in-cell simulations of the experiment, which additionally show the existence of a relatively large halo around the beam core.

Polychromatic and femtosecond keV x-ray beams have been generated from laserplasma interactions. We present results on the synchrotron radiation from relativistic electrons undergoing betatron oscillations, and on nonlinear Thomson scattering radiation.

We have generated x-ray radiation from the nonlinear Thomson scattering of a 30 fs/1.5 J laser beam on plasma electrons. A collimated x-ray radiation with a broad continuous spectrum peaked at 0.15 keV with a significant tail up to 2 keV has been observed. These characteristics are found to depend strongly on the laser strength parameter a₀. This radiative process is dominant for a₀ greater than unity at which point the relativistic scattering of the laser light originates from MeV energy electrons inside the plasma.

The efficiency of the \u201cforced laser wakefield\u201d regime has recently been demonstrated, with the acceleration of electrons up to 200 MeV with a short pulse, 10 Hz laser [V. Malka et al., Science 298, 1596 (2002)]. Numerical simulations presented in this letter provide strong indications that the resulting electron bunches also have very short durations, less than 100 fs. All these features combine to suggest a number of interesting applications for such a source. We discuss its use as a high-energy injector for conventional accelerators, and assess the characteristics of the x-ray pulses that could be obtained via the channelling effect or Thomson scattering with this electron pulse.

Proton beams of up to 10 MeV have been obtained by the interaction of a 10 Hz \u201ctable-top\u201d laser, focused to intensities of 6×10¹⁹W/cm², with 6-μm-thin foil targets. Such proton beams can be used to induce ¹¹B(p,n)¹¹C reactions, which could yield an integrated activity of 13.4 MBq (0.36 mCi) after 30 min laser irradiation. This can be extended to GBq levels using similar lasers with kilohertz repetition rates, making this positron-emission tomography isotope production scheme comparable to the one using conventional accelerators.

X-ray spectra of highly-ionized xenon and krypton measured in a laser-irradiated gas jet are presented with a main purpose of line identification. The spectral range of 0.5 to 1 nm was covered using two flat Bragg crystal spectrographs. The very rich spectra of xenon cover the transitions 3p-nd and 3d-nf, with n = 5 to 10, of Xe²⁶⁺ to Xe ³⁰⁺ (Ni-like to Cr-like). Transitions 2p-nd and 2s-np with n = 3.4 of Kr²⁴⁺ to Kr²⁸⁺ (Mg-like to O-like) have also been recorded, in a range covering some unidentified lines. Ab initio detailed calculations performed with the RELAC code have permitted to identify lines of Xe and Kr, including transitions which were measured but not identified until now. Ionic fractions were deduced by adjusting the experimental spectra with a least-squares fit based on the RELAC data.

The interaction of short and intense laser pulses with plasmas is a very efficient source of relativistic electrons with tunable properties. In low-density plasmas, we observed bunches of electrons up to 200 MeV, accelerated in the wakefield of the laser pulse. Less energetic electrons (tens of megaelectronvolt) have been obtained, albeit with a higher efficiency, during the interaction with a pre-exploded foil or a solid target. When these relativistic electrons slow down in a thick tungsten target, they emit very energetic Bremsstrahlung photons which have been diagnosed directly with photoconductors, and indirectly through photonuclear activation measurements. Dose, photoactivation, and photofission measurements are reported. These results are in reasonable agreement, over three orders of magnitude, with a model built on laser-plasma interaction and electron transport numerical simulations.

Nous avons étudié la production de particules énergétiques par l'interaction d'un laser ultra-bref et intense avec un plasma issu de l'ionisation laser d'un jet de gaz. A haute densité électronique ( n_e > 10¹⁹ cm ^-3) un faisceau d'électrons relativistes est produit par sillage laser auto-modulé. A basse densité plasma (n_e > 10¹⁹ cm ^-3) un faisceau de rayons X est produit par émission Larmor des électrons du plasma oscillants dans te champ laser. Nous avons étudié les distributions en énergies et en angles de ces deux de faisceaux de particules. Les distributions angulaires sont gaussiennes et orientées suivant l'axe laser. La distribution en énergie du faisceau d'X est large, piquée autour de 0.15 keV, et s'étend jusqu'à 2 keV. Celle du faisceau d'électrons est maxwellienne de température T_e ≈ 10 eV. Ces résultats ont été obtenus avec un laser 10 Hz, ouvrant la porte à de nombreuses applications.

The interaction of intense laser pulses (power>30TW) with underdense plasmas  has been studied. In the regime where the pulse length is much longer than the plasma  period (τ_l≫2πω−1p),(τl≫2πω_p⁻¹), the laser pulse is found to be self-modulated at the plasma frequency by the forward Raman scattering instability. Wavebreaking of the resulting plasma wave results in energetic electrons being accelerated to more than 100 MeV. Reducing the pulse length so that τ_l∼2πω_p⁻¹, but retaining the same power, also leads to wavebreaking. This is a direct result of a combination of  laser beam self-focusing, front-edge laser pulse steepening and relativistic lengthening of the plasma wave wavelength, which can result in a forced growth of the wakefield plasma wave, even for initially nonresonant laser pulses (τ_l≠πω_p⁻¹). Since, in this forced laser wakefield regime, the interaction of the plasma wave and the bunch of accelerated electrons with the laser pulse is reduced, this can result in higher energy gain (to beyond 200 MeV) and better beam quality.

Spatiotemporal smoothing of large-scale laser intensity fluctuations is observed for a laser beam focused into underdense helium plasmas. This smoothing is found to be severely enhanced when focusing the laser beam into a helium gas jet. In contrast to other experiments with preformed plasmas, the average and the peak laser intensities are well below the threshold for ponderomotive self-focusing. The coherence characteristics of the transmitted light are measured for various electron densities, and the smoothing effect is explained by multiple scattering of laser light on self-induced density perturbations.

Experiments have been performed using high power laser pulses (up to 50 TW) focused into underdense helium plasmas (n_e⩽5×1019cm⁻³).(n_e⩽5×1019cm⁻³). Using shadowgraphy, it is observed that the laser pulse can produce irregular density channels, which exhibit features such as long wavelength hosing and \u201csausage-like\u201d self-focusing instabilities. This phenomenon is a high intensity effect and the characteristic period of oscillation of these instabilities is typically found to correspond to the time required for ions to move radially out of the region of highest intensity.

The interaction of a 600 ps laser pulse at 0.53 μm wavelength with helium gas jet at an electron density of 8×10¹⁹ cm^-3 was analyzed. Time resolved Thomson scattering was used to define the plasma parameters for density and temperature. Thomson scattering diagnostics were used to get quantitative values of the local and instantaneous reflectivity.

The interaction of an intense laser pulse (intensity, greater than 10¹⁹ Wcm⁻²) has been studied with underdense deuterium plasmas. The laser pulse is found to be self-modulated at the plasma frequency by the Raman forward-scatter instability. Wave breaking of the resulting plasma wave causes high-energy electrons to be accelerated beyond 100MeV.

Polychromatic x-ray radiation has been produced during the relativistic interaction of a 50-TW femtosecond laser with a helium gas jet. We have characterized the spectrum and the angular distribution of the x-ray emission as well as its dependency on the laser polarization and on the plasma electronic density. We have observed a broad continuous spectrum peaking at 0.15 keV with a significant tail up to 2 keV. The radiation was fairly collimated.

Energy and angular distributions of the fast outgoing electron beam induced by the interaction of a 1 J, 30 fs, [formula presented] 10 Hz laser with a thin foil target are characterized by electron energy spectroscopy and photonuclear reactions. We have investigated the effect of the target thickness and the intensity contrast ratio level on the electron production. Using a [formula presented] polyethylene target, up to [formula presented] electrons with energies between 5 and 60 MeV were produced per laser pulse and converted to [formula presented] rays by bremsstrahlung in a Ta secondary target. The rates of photofission of U as well as photonuclear reactions in Cu, Au, and C samples have been measured. In optimal focusing conditions, about 0.06% of the laser energy has been converted to outgoing electrons with energies above 5 MeV. Such electrons leave the target in the laser direction with an opening angle of [formula presented].

A short-pulse laser beat wave scheme for advanced particle accelerator applications is examined. A short, intense (3-ps, >10¹⁸-W cm^-2) two-frequency laser pulse is produced by use of a modified chirped-pulse amplification scheme and is shown to produce relativistic plasma waves during interactions with low-density plasmas. The generation of plasma waves was observed by measurement of forward Raman scattering. Resonance was found to occur at an electron density many times that expected, owing to ponderomotive displacement of plasma within the focal region.

In this article, we present a laboratory astrophysics experiment on radiative shocks and its interpretation using simple modelization. The experiment is performed with a 100-J laser (pulse duration of about 0.5 ns) which irradiates a 1-mm³ xenon gas-filled cell. Descriptions of both the experiment and the associated diagnostics are given. The apparition of a radiation precursor in the unshocked material is evidenced from interferometry diagrams. A model including self-similar solutions and numerical ones is derived and fairly good agreements are obtained between the theoretical and the experimental results.

Plasmas are an attractive medium for the next generation of particle accelerators because they can support electric fields greater than several hundred gigavolts per meter. These accelerating fields are generated by relativistic plasma waves - space-charge oscillations - that can be excited when a high-intensity laser propagates through a plasma. Large currents of background electrons can then be trapped and subsequently accelerated by these relativistic waves. In the forced laser wake field regime, where the laser pulse length is of the order of the plasma wavelength, we show that a gain in maximum electron energy of up to 200 megaelectronvolts can be achieved, along with an improvement in the quality of the ultrashort electron beam.

Several (1.0±0.2)×10 ⁶ thermonuclear fusion neutrons were generated from the interaction of an intense laser pulse with an underdense plasma. The neutrons were generated by D(d, n) ³ He reactions in the plasma which is heated to thermonuclear fusion temperatures. As a result, it was possible to measure the ion temperature of the underdense plasma, which was found to be 1 keV.

Very collimated bunches of high energy electrons have been produced by focusing super-intense femtosecond laser pulses in submillimeter under-dense plasmas. The density of the plasma, preformed with the laser exploding-foil technique, was mapped using Nomarski interferometry. The electron beam was fully characterized: up to 109 electrons per shot were accelerated, most of which in a beam of aperture below 10−3sterad, with energies up to 40 MeV. These measurements, which are well modeled by three-dimensional numerical simulations, validate a reliable method to generate ultrashort and ultracollimated electron bunches.

We present the results of a benchmark experiment aimed at validating recent calculation techniques for the emission properties of medium and high-Z multicharged ions in hot plasmas. We use space- and time-resolved M-shell x-ray spectroscopy of a laser-produced gas jet xenon plasma as a primary diagnostic of the ionization balance dynamics. We perform measurements of the electron temperature, electron density, and average charge state by recording simultaneous spectra of ion acoustic and electron plasma wave Thomson scattering. A comparison of the experimental x-ray spectra with calculations performed ab initio with a non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium collisional-radiative model based on the superconfiguration formalism, using the measured plasma parameters, is presented and discussed.

Plasmas irradiated by an intense laser beam have recently been demonstrated to be sources for particles (electrons, ions, positrons). During this interaction, it has been found that these charged particles can be efficiently accelerated. An overview of these results as well as some perspectives are presented here.

An experiment investigating laser self-focusing in underdense plasmas is presented. It was shown experimentally that the critical power for relativistic self-focusing Pc is not the only relevant parameter, in particular when the laser pulse duration is comparable to plasma particle motion times: ω−1p for electrons and ω−1pi for ions. Using time resolved shadowgraphy, it was demonstrated that: (i) a pulse does not relativistically self-focus if its duration is too short compared to ω−1p, even in the case where the power is greater than Pc. This is due to defocusing by the longitudinal wake which is generated by the laser pulse itself. (ii) For pulses longer than ω−1pi, self-focusing can occur even for powers lower than Pc. This is due to the radial expansion of ions, creating a channel whose effect combines with relativistic focusing and helps the pulse to self-focus.

Picosecond resolution shadowgraphy is a powerful tool for measurement of high-intensity laser propagation instabilities through underdense plasma. It is shown that as the plasma density increases, the laser beam is subject to severe filamentation instabilities-likely due to the effect of stimulated Raman side-scattering. At higher plasma densities, scattering and absorption are so severe that the propagation distance of the high intensity laser pulse is reduced.

Magnetic fields in excess of 7 MG have been measured with high spatial and temporal precision during interactions of a circularly polarized laser pulse with an underdense helium plasma at intensities up to 1×10¹⁹Wcm⁻². The fields, while of the form expected from the inverse Faraday effect for a cold plasma, are much larger than expected, and have a duration approaching that of the high intensity laser pulse (< 3 psec). These observations can be explained by particle-in-cell simulations in 3D. The simulations show that the magnetic field is generated by fast electrons which spiral around the axis of the channel created by the laser field.

An experimental investigation of the propagation of a randomized 600-ps laser pulse in a helium gas jet was done by developing a model. The model accounted for collisional ionization through inverse bremsstrahlung. The density and temperature evolution were resolved and their maps were retrieved through time resolved interferometry and Thomson scattering. An ionizatin front was observed. Nonhomogenous heating of the plasma took place due to beam diffraction. The results exhibited the diffraction of laser while propagation, which lead to decrease in laser intensity.

The optimization of a cylindrical nozzle design to generate a uniform density profile for laser plasmas studies has been investigated using numerical simulations. In addition gas jet flows have been characterized using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The experimental results are in very good agreement with the simulation.

An experiment has been performed with one of the six nanosecond beams of the Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses laser facility in order to create long scale uniform plasmas over a wide range of electron density (1 × 10¹⁹-1.6X 10ײ⁰cm^-3) and electron temperature (0.5-1.3 keV). Electron density and temperature evolution have been measured using Thomson scattering. Numerical simulations obtained by using a simple model are presented. Scaling law related electron density and electron temperature have been established in agreement with experimental data.

Detailed measurements of electron spectra and charges from the interaction of 10 Hz, 600 mJ laser pulses in the relativistic regime with a gas jet have been done over a wide range of intensities (10¹⁸-2×10¹⁹W/cm²) and electron densities (1.5×10¹⁸-1.5×10²⁰ cm^-3), from the "classical laser wakefield regime" to the "self-modulated laser wakefield" regime. In the best case the maximum electron energy reaches 70 MeV. It increases at lower electron densities and higher laser intensities. A total charge of 8 nC was measured. The presented simulation results indicate that the electrons are accelerated mainly by relativistic plasma waves, and, to some extent, by direct laser acceleration.

Measurements of Raman instabilities with subpicosecond time resolution in the referential frame of the laser pulse were carried out. It was found that Raman 30° side scattering and forward scattering occur at the back of the pulse. A simple model was developed that allows to calculate RFS spectra with a good accuracy.

The electron beam produced by the self-modulated laser wake-field acceleration (LWFA) was characterized in terms of electron yield, temperature, and divergence by photonuclear activation techniques. Up to 4×10¹¹ electrons above 10 MeV having a characteristic temperature of about 8 Mev were measured. The angular spread of the emitted electron beam increased with plasma density but appeared to saturate.

Experiments were performed using high-power laser pulses (greater than 50 TW) focused into underdense helium, neon, or deuterium plasmas (n_e ≤ 5 × 10¹⁹ cm^-3). Ions having energies greater than 300 keV were measured to be produced primarily at 90°C to the axis of laser propagation. Ion energies greater than 6 MeV were recorded from interactions with neon. Spatially resolved pinhole images of the ion emission were also obtained and were used to estimate the intensity of the focused radiation in the interaction region.

Collective Thomson scattering imaging has been used to study the propagation and self-focusing processes taking place during the interaction of a nanosecond laser beam with a preionized gas-jet plasma. The experiments have been carried out with a laser beam power P_L exceeding greatly the critical power for ponderomotive self-focusing P_c. It has been found that the position of the ion acoustic waves excited by stimulated Brillouin scattering depends only weakly on the initial focal position of the interaction laser beam. These results, together with theoretical and numerical modeling, demonstrate that in such a regime (P_L/P_c ≫ 1) self-focusing is the dominant mechanism governing the localization of the interaction processes.

The possibility of using high-intensity laser-produced plasmas as a source of energetic ions for heavy ion accelerators is addressed. Experiments have shown that neon ions greater than 6 MeV can be produced from gas jet plasmas, and well-collimated proton beams greater than 20 MeV have been produced from highintensity laser solid interactions. The proton beams from the back of thin targets appear to be more collimated and reproducible than are high-energy ions generated in the ablated plasma at the front of the target and may be more suitable for ion injection applications. Lead ions have been produced at energies up to 430 MeV.

High-intensity laser-plasma interaction experiments were performed using high-power laser pulses (greater than 8 TW) at a wavelength of 527 nm. These pulses were focused to intensity greater than 1018 W/cm2 into underdense helium plasma at a density of ne < 5 x 1019 cm~3. Systematic examination of the forward Raman scattering instability was performed by measuring the spectrum of the forward scattered light. It was found that the three-wave instability occurs first, which then proceeds to a nonlinear regime involving four-wave processes. Measurements of the accelerated electron spectrum suggest that higher phase velocity plasma waves are generated than when using lower frequency light. l

The interaction of an intense short pulse laser (>5 × 10 ¹⁸ Wcm ^-2) with underdense plasma was extensively studied. The beam is found to be highly susceptible to the forward Raman scattering instability. At sufficiently high growth rates, this can lead to wavebreaking with the resultant production of a high flux of accelerated electrons (> 10 ¹¹ for E > 2 MeV). Some electrons are found to be accelerated well above the dephasing energy, up to 94 MeV. Self-scattered images intimate the presence of high-intensity channels that extend more than 3.5 mm or 12 Rayleigh lengths. These filaments do not follow the axis of laser propagation, but are seen to be emitted within an f4 cone centered around this axis. Spectra of the self-scattered light show that the main contribution of the scattering is not from light captured within these filaments. But there is evidence for self-phase modulation from effects such as ionization and relativistic self-focusing. However, no clear correlation is observed between channel length and the number of energies of accelerated electrons. Evidence for high intensities within the channels is given by small-angle Thomson scattering of the plasma wave generated therein. With this method, the intensity is found to be of the order of 10 ¹⁸ Wcm ^-2 greater than 12 Rayleigh lengths from focus.

We report on experimental results regarding the propagation of ultraintense laser pulses in a preformed plasma channel. In this experiment, the long (4-mm) fully ionized plasma channel created by the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was measured by interferometry before and after the propagation of the short laser pulse. Forward spectra show a cascade of Raman satellites, which merge with one another when the laser power was increased up to critical power for relativistic self-focusing P-c. The number of filaments measured by interferometry increases when the laser power increases. High conversion efficiency (approximate to 10%) of second harmonic generation was observed in the interaction.

The propagation of an ultra-intense laser pulse in a preformed plasma channel was investigated experimentally. Different regimes of propagation were observed when the pulse duration was varied. For a long pulse and powers lower than the critical power for self-focusing, P_L/P_C

The neutral density profile of cylindrical gas jets is measured with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer under a wide range of backing pressures. The sensitivity of this diagnostic together with the mathematical treatment of the data allows us to measure neutral densities for argon gas as low as 10¹⁷ cm^-3 for a 5 mm diam gas jet.

Thomson self-scattering measurements are performed in a preionized helium gas jet plasma at different locations along the laser propagation direction. A systematic and important variation of the intensity ratio between the blue and the red ion spectral components is observed, depending on whether the location of the probed region is in front of or behind the focal plane. A simple theoretical calculation of Thomson scattering shows that this behavior can be qualitatively understood in terms of a deformation of the electron distribution function due to the return current correlated with the classical thermal heat flux.

Experiments were performed using high-power laser pulses (greater than 50 TW) focused into underdense helium, neon, or deuterium plasmas (n_e∼5×10¹⁹cm⁻³). Ions having energies greater than 300 keV were measured to be produced primarily at 90° to the axis of laser propagation. Ion energies greater than 6 MeV were recorded from interactions with neon. Images of the ion emission were also obtained, and it is possible that spatially resolved measurements of the ion energy spectrum can provide a method to estimate the intensity of the focused radiation in the interaction region.

An electron plasma wave (EPW) has been excited by a short laser pulse (5 J, 400 fs) via the laser wakefield (LWF) mechanism. At the LWF quasi-resonance condition, the 3 MeV injected electrons have been accelerated with a maximum energy gain of 1.5 MeV. The maximum longitudinal electric field is estimated to be 1.5 GV/m. It has been observed that electrons deflected during the interaction, can scatter on the walls of the experimental chamber and fake a high energy signal. A special effort has been given in the electron detection to separate the accelerated electrons signal from the background noise. The experimental data are confirmed with numerical simulations, demonstrating that the energy gain is affected by the EPW radial electric field. The duration of the EPW inferred by the number of accelerated electrons and by the numerical simulations is of the order Of 1-10 ps

We report on a detailed study of channel formation in the interaction of a nanosecond laser pulse with a He gas jet. A complete set of diagnostics is used in order to characterize the plasma precisely. The evolution of the plasma radius and of the electron density and temperature are measured by Thomson scattering, Schlieren imaging, and Mach-Zehnder interferometry. In gas jets, one observes the formation of a channel with a deep density depletion on axis. Because of ionization-induced defocusing which increases the size of the focal spot and decreases the maximum laser intensity, no channel is observed in the case of a gas-filled chamber. The results obtained in various gas-jet and laser conditions show that the channel radius, as well as the density along the propagation axis, can be adjusted by changing the laser energy and gas-jet pressure. This is a crucial issue when one wants to adapt the channel parameters in order to guide a subsequent high-intensity laser pulse. The experimental results and their comparison with one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations show that the main mechanism for channel formation is the hydrodynamic evolution behind a supersonic electron heat wave propagating radially in the plasma. It is also shown from 2D simulations that a fraction of the long pulse can be self-guided in the channel it creates. The preliminary results and analyses on this subject have been published before [V. Malka et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2979 (1997)].

The refraction of a short and intense laser pulse focused in helium gas has been studied both experimentally and numerically. Using the time-frequency correspondence of a 120 fs laser pulse linearly chirped to 1.8 ps, the ionization-induced refraction is resolved both temporally and angularly. Two-dimensional numerical simulations are performed to calculate the laser propagation, from the focusing lens to the detector. With such a simulation, we get a quantitative agreement with the experiment, both for the refraction of the chirped pulse and for the ionization-induced blueshifted spectrum of the compressed pulse.

An experiment has been performed with the LULI Multi-TeraWatt Laser. The acceleration of electrons injected in a plasma wave generated by the laser wakefield mechanism has been observed with a maximum energy gain of 1.5 MeV. It has been shown that the electrons deflected during the interaction, could scatter on the walls of the experimental chamber, and fake a high-energy signal. A special effort has been given in the electron detection to separate the accelerated electrons signal from the background noise. The experimental results agree with theoretical predictions and numerical simulations when 3D effects on the electron beam are taken into account.

Evidence for self-channeling of a relativistically intense laser pulse in an underdense plasma is presented through Schlieren and 90° Thomson sidescatter images. Using collective Thomson scattering of a probe beam, we observe that relativistically propagating plasma waves are excited over the entire length of the channel, up to 12 Rayleigh lengths \(∼4 mm\). From the wave amplitude, the intensity inside the channel is estimated to be ∼10¹⁸ W/cm².

The acceleration of electrons injected in a plasma wave generated by the laser wakefield mechanism has been observed. A maximum energy gain of 1.6 MeV has been measured and the maximum longitudinal electric field is estimated to 1.5 GV/m. The experimental data agree with theoretical predictions when 3D effects are taken into account. The duration of the plasma wave inferred from the number of accelerated electrons is of the order of 1 ps.

We demonstrate efficient generation of picosecond narrow-bandwidth pulses by frequency mixing of broadband opposite chirped pulses in a type I doubling crystal. This procedure allows us to produce picosecond pulses that are perfectly synchronized with femtosecond pulses. The experiment shows a decrease of the initial bandwidth by a factor of more than 30, while a high conversion efficiency is maintained.

A laser wakefield electron acceleration experiment has been set-up at Ecole Polytechnique. An electron beam with 3 MeV total energy is injected in a plasma wave generated by laser wakefield using the new LULI CPA laser (400 fs [FWHM], I < 10¹⁷ W/cm²). The first results show an effective acceleration of the order of 1 MeV, with a maximum when the electron density is close to the optimum value for which the laser pulse length is about half the plasma wavelength.

The dependence of the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) reflectivity on both the focusing aperture and the incident laser intensity has been experimentally studied in the case of a spatially smoothed beam. The experiment was performed in millimeter size, homogeneous, stationary plasmas created by irradiating a helium gas jet. SBS was excited by a 1.053-μm wavelength, 600-ps interaction beam at intensities up to 4×1014W/cm2. The saturation level of SBS reflectivities was of the order of 10%. A good agreement between the experimental SBS thresholds and the theoretical ones obtained from the one-dimensional stochastic convective SBS model [Phys. Plasmas 2, 1804 (1995)] is observed.

The spatial extent of the plasma wave and the spectrum of the accelerated electrons are simultaneously measured when the relativistic plasma wave associated with Raman forward scattering of an intense laser beam reaches the wave breaking limit. The maximum observed energy of 94 MeV is greater than that expected from the phase slippage between the electrons and the accelerating electric field as given by the linear theory for preinjected electrons. The results are in good agreement with 2D particle-in-cell code simulations of the experiment.

Experimental realization of an electron density channel created by a low intensity laser in a helium gas jet is presented. The long (2.5 mm) plasma channel is fully ionized and thus prevents undesirable refraction effects for propagation and guiding of a subsequent high intensity laser pulse. The channel parameters are easily controlled and well suited for laser guiding. The radial plasma expansion and the temperature evolution have been measured and compared to hydrodynamic simulations which show that the plasma expansion is governed by a thermal wave during the laser pulse.

High conversion efficiency (0.1%) into second harmonic light generated in the interaction of a short-pulse intense laser with underdense plasma has been observed. In this experiment the plasma is created by optical field ionization of hydrogen or helium gas. Second harmonic spectra observed in the forward direction show Stokes and anti-Stokes satellites. This is due to the interaction of the second harmonic light with large-amplitude relativistic plasma waves. Second harmonic images taken at 30° from the propagation axis show that the radiation is generated over a length of a few times the Rayleigh length and that the origin of the second harmonic light is due to the radial electron density gradients created by the ionization process and the radial ponderomotive force.

Experimental and theoretical results on the stimulated Raman backscattering (SRS) reflectivity of a short laser pulse (120 fs) interaction with an optically ionized helium gas are presented. The reflectivity is measured as a function of the gas pressure from 1 to 100 Torr. A monodimensional (1-D) theoretical model, including the refraction induced during the ionization process, describes the dependence of the SRS reflectivity with the gas pressure and explains its maximum at around 35 Torr. In the very low pressure case (

Raman forward scattering (RFS) is observed in the interaction of a high intensity (>10/sup 18/ W/cm/sup 2/) short pulse (

Electrons in a plasma undergo collective wave-like oscillations near the plasma frequency. These plasma waves can have a range of wavelengths and hence a range of phase velocities¹. Of particular note are relativistic plasma waves^2,3, for which the phase velocity approaches the speed of light; the longitudinal electric field associated with such waves can be extremely large, and can be used to accelerate electrons (either injected externally or supplied by the plasma) to high energies over very short distances²⁴. The maximum electric field, and hence maximum acceleration rate, that can be obtained in this way is determined by the maximum amplitude of oscillation that can be supported by the plasma⁵⁸. When this limit is reached, the plasma wave is said to break. Here we report observations of relativistic plasma waves driven to breaking point by the Raman forward-scattering instability^9,10 induced by short, high-intensity laser pulses. The onset of wave-breaking is indicated by a sudden increase in both the number and maximum energy (up to 44 MeV) of accelerated plasma electrons, as well as by the loss of coherence of laser light scattered from the plasma wave.

New diagnostics were implemented on the implosion experiments performed at LULI to improve our measurements of hydroefficiencies: Neutron chronometry gives the time of emission of the fusion reaction products as measured from the peak of the laser pulse; thereby making it possible to correlate the neutron emission with X-ray emission. Core imaging, based upon a maximum entropy reconstruction technique, leads to core size determination and also is a promising diagnostic for wall nonuniformities induced by irradiation conditions. A simple model is developed to retrieve experimental spectra of a-particles.

The coupling and implosion efficiencies, defined respectively as the ratios of the thermal energy in the fuel and the kinetic energy in the shell to the absorbed laser energy, have been estimated in a series of experiments using λ = 0.26 pm laser illumination of D-T-filled glass microballoons.

Experiments were performed at Ecole Polytechnique in order to study the effect of preheating of targets by X rays during interaction with a powerful 4ω laser. Thin aluminum foils (typically of 5-15-μm thickness) are used as targets. The emission at 40 and 80 eV is recorded by Schwarzchild microscopes and is time resolved. By assuming a blackbody emission of the rear side of the foil just at the beginning of the emission, we deduce the temperature, by measuring the ratio of the emissivity at the two wavelengths. Experimental results are presented for an energy varying between 10 and 30 J delivered at the fourth harmonic of the neodymium laser in a pulse of 0.5-ns time duration focused in a 100-μm-diameter focal spot. Simulations performed with the code MULTI including radiative transfer are presented in order to show the effect of radiation on the process of heating of the target material. Radiation spectra emitted from the laser side and the rear side, as well as the temperature and density evolution as a function of time and mass coordinate, are shown.