1. Ultrahigh-charge electron beams from laser-irradiated solid surface
- Author
-
Jian-Xun Liu, Yifei Li, S. J. D. Dann, Dazhang Li, Z. Y. Ge, Zheng-Ming Sheng, Jie Zhang, J. Zhao, X. H. Yang, Yong Ma, Liming Chen, and Yan-Yun Ma
- Subjects
Electromagnetic field ,Multidisciplinary ,Materials science ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Plasma ,Electron ,Laser ,01 natural sciences ,7. Clean energy ,Collimated light ,Physics - Plasma Physics ,010305 fluids & plasmas ,law.invention ,Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) ,Acceleration ,law ,0103 physical sciences ,Relativistic electron beam ,Physics::Accelerator Physics ,Irradiation ,Atomic physics ,010306 general physics ,QC - Abstract
Compact acceleration of a tightly collimated relativistic electron beam with high charge from a laser-plasma interaction has many unique applications. However, currently the well-known schemes, including laser wakefield acceleration from gases and vacuum laser acceleration from solids, often produce electron beams either with low charge or with large divergence angles. In this work, we report the generation of highly collimated electron beams with a divergence angle of a few degrees, quasi-monoenergetic spectra peaked at the MeV level, and extremely high charge ($\sim$100 nC) via a powerful sub-ps laser pulse interacting with a solid target in grazing incidence. Particle-in-cell simulations illustrate a new direct laser acceleration scenario, in which the self-filamentation is triggered in a large-scale near-critical-density plasma and electron bunches are accelerated periodically and collimated by the ultra-intense electromagnetic field. The energy density of such electron beams in high-Z materials reaches to $\sim10^{12} \mathrm{J/m^{3}}$, making it a promising tool to drive warm or even hot dense matter states., 7 pages, 6 figures
- Published
- 2018