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The interaction of free electrons with intense laser beams in vacuum is studied using a three-dimensional test particle simulation model that solves the relativistic Newton-Lorentz equations of motion in analytically specified laser fields. Recently, a group of solutions was found for very intense laser fields that show interesting and unusual characteristics. In particular, it was found that an electron can be captured within the high-intensity laser region, rather than expelled from it, and the captured electron can be accelerated to GeV energies with acceleration gradients on the order of tens of GeV/cm. This phenomenon is termed the capture and acceleration scenario (CAS) and is studied in detail in this article. The accelerated GeV electron bunch is a macropulse, with duration equal to or less than that of the laser pulse, which is composed of many micropulses that are periodic at the laser frequency. The energy spectrum of the CAS electron bunch is presented. The dependence of the energy exchange in the CAS on various parameters, e.g., α[sub 0] (laser intensity), w[sub 0] (laser radius at focus), τ (laser pulse duration), b[sub 0] (the impact parameter), and θ [sub i] (the injection angle with respect to the laser propagation direction), are explored in detail. A comparison with diverse theoretical models is also presented, including a classical model based on phase velocities and a quantum model based on nonlinear Compton scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demonstrated is a remarkable improvement on the energy conversion efficiency from laser to protons in a laser-foil interaction by particle simulations. The total laser-proton energy conversion efficiency becomes 16.7%, although a conventional plane foil target serves a rather low efficiency. In our previous study we found that Al multihole thin-foil target was efficient for the energy conversion from laser to protons [Y. Nodera and S. Kawata, Phys. Rev. E 78, 046401 (2008)], and the energy conversion efficiency was 9.3%. In our 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations the Al multihole structure is also employed, and the parameters of the Al multihole wing width and length are optimized in the paper. The present results clarify the roles of the target Al hole width and depth in the laser-proton energy conversion. The main physical reason for the enhancement of the conversion efficiency is a reduction of the laser reflection at the target surface area. The optimized multihole foil target provides a remarkable increase in the laser-proton energy conversion efficiency as shown above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiative reaction effect of an electron is usually very small and can be neglected in most cases. But for an ultra intensity laser-electron interaction region, the radiation can become large. The influence of the radiative reaction effect of an electron interacting with an ultra intense laser pulses in vacuum on electron dynamics is investigated within the classical relativistic Lorentz-Dirac approach. A predictor-corrector method is proposed to numerically solve the equation of motion with the electron radiative reaction included. We study the counter-propagating case (for Thomson scattering scheme) and the same direction propagating cases (for laser acceleration). Our simulation results show that radiation can have great effect in the counter-propagating case. But in the vacuum laser electron acceleration regime, both the ponderomotive acceleration scenario case and the capture and acceleration scenario, radiative reaction effect can totally be ignored for laser intensity available presently or in the near-future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric field intensity distribution and the phase velocity distribution of a slit in laser beams with different parameters are analyzed. Using three-dimensional test particle simulation, the laser beam with a slit induced acceleration of electrons with different initial momenta is investigated. Contrary to anticipation, the maximum net energy gain is not monotone increasing as the incoming momentum increasing. Based on the field structure and analysis, we gave an explanation for this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field intensity distribution and phase velocity characteristics of a flat-top laser beam are analyzed and discussed. The dynamics of electron acceleration in this kind of beam are investigated using three-dimensional test particle simulations. Compared with the standard (i.e., TEM00 mode) Gaussian beam, a flat-top laser beam has a stronger longitudinal electric field and a larger diffraction angle. These characteristics make it easier for electrons to be trapped and accelerated by the beam. With a flat-top shape, the laser beam is also applicable to the acceleration of low energy electron and bunch compression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using three-dimensional test particle simulations, we investigated electrons accelerated by a focused flat-top laser beam at different intensities and flatness levels of the beam profile before focusing in vacuum. The results show that the presence of sidelobes around the main focal spot of the focused flat-top laser beam influences the optimum (as far as electron acceleration is concerned) initial momentum (and incident angle) of electrons for acceleration. The difference of initial conditions between laser beams with and without sidelobes becomes evident when the laser field is strong enough (a0>10, corresponding to intensities I>1×1020 W/cm2 for the laser wavelength λ=1 μm, where a0 is a dimensionless parameter measuring laser intensity). The difference becomes more pronounced at increasing a0. Because of the presence of sidelobes, there exist three typical CAS (capture and acceleration scenario) channels when a0≥30 (corresponding to I>1×1021 W/cm2 for λ=1 μm). The energy spread of the outgoing electrons is also discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase velocity plays a key role in wave-matter interactions where phase matching is essential. Laser acceleration of electrons is a good example. We have derived an exact formula with two deductions of the phase velocity for a monochromatic wave field in homogeneous medium from the fundamental wave equation. The core of these formulae is that the phase velocity is sufficiently determined in terms of the wave amplitude with no explicit reference to the phase. We applied these formulae to make out the phase velocity distribution of a Gaussian laser beam and compared with the traditional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The output properties of electrons accelerated by the vacuum laser acceleration scheme CAS (capture and acceleration scenario) are addressed. The transport process of the electron bunch, the fraction of the CAS electrons of the incident electrons, the correlation of electron energy with position and scattering angle, the energy spectrum and angular distributions as well as the emittance of the outgoing electrons are studied at a laser intensity of a0 = 10. In addition, the effects of the laser intensity, beam width, and pulse duration on the properties of the output electrons are also examined. Physical explanations of those output characteristics are presented based on the mechanism behind the CAS scheme. The feasibility of CAS to become a realistic laser accelerator scheme is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter we report the studies of the mechanism which can lead to substantial energy exchange between electrons and intense laser beams interacting in vacuum. It has been found that the wave phase experienced by the electron when it encounters the intense beam is a crucial ingredient for discriminating the two totally different trajectories: capture and violent acceleration scenario (CAS) or conventional inelastic scattering (IS). When an electron is captured, due to the diffraction effect of the optical beam near the focused region, the effective wave-phase velocity along the dynamic trajectory of the captured particle is found to be less than c, the speed of light in vacuum. Thus the captured electron can remain in the acceleration phase of the wave for a long time, and gain considerable energy from the laser field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of 3D test particle simulation programs, the effect caused by the high-order corrections of Gaussian laser fields on the electron dynamics in a stationary ultraintense laser beam is examined. In this letter, special attention is given to the studying of the capture phenomenon (J. X. Wang et al., Phys. Rev. E58, 6575 (1998)), which shows interesting prospect making it to become a viable mechanism for laser-driven GeV electron accelerators without media involved. It was found that as w[sub 0] ≥ 50, where w[sub 0] is the beam width at the focus center, the paraxial approximation field (PAF) is good enough for reproducing all the electron dynamic characteristics, not only in qualitative detail, but also in quantitative detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultraintense Gaussian (1,0) mode pulsed laser applied to laser-plasma electron acceleration is investigated based on 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation (PIC). It has been found that Gaussian (1,0) mode laser pulse may blow out plasma electrons and form two symmetrical electron cavities with an electron wall between them. This electron wall separates two twisting bunches of transverse injected electrons and lets each of them be accelerated in one cavity, respectively. At the front of the wall, a bunch of reflux electrons with a magnetic field contributes to the electron self-bunching effect. This mechanism may generate two symmetrical, high-density, and monoenergetic electron beams with small transverse emittances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase velocity plays a key role in wave-matter interactions where phase matching is essential. Laser acceleration of electrons is a good example. We have derived an exact formula with two deductions of the phase velocity for a monochromatic wave field in homogeneous medium from the fundamental wave equation. The core of these formulae is that the phase velocity is sufficiently determined in terms of the wave amplitude with no explicit reference to the phase. We applied these formulae to make out the phase velocity distribution of a Gaussian laser beam and compared with the traditional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Field expressions are derived for ultra-short, tightly focused laser pulses up to the second-order temporal correction and seventh-order spatial correction. To evaluate the importance of these corrections, we simulate these fields and investigate the final energy of the accelerated electrons. We vary the order of the corrected expressions, the pulse duration, and the beam waist. We find that electron capture is still an important and generic phenomenon in ultra-short, tightly focused laser pulses. While small differences in the electron acceleration are obtained for various orders of the corrected field equations relative to the paraxial field equations, there is no qualitative difference in the behavior of the electron. Furthermore, the temporal and spatial corrections are found to be correlated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electric field intensity distribution and the phase velocity distribution of high-order Laguerre–Gaussian (LGρℓ) mode laser beams are analyzed. Using three-dimensional test particle simulation, the numerical results of electrons accelerated by LG00, LG40 and LG41 mode laser beams are presented. Compared with the LG00 mode (the fundamental mode) laser beam, low-energy injection electrons can be more favorably accelerated in a high-order LG mode laser beam. Contrary to anticipation, a high-order LG mode laser beam with intense axial electric field distribution is inferior to the LG00 mode in capture acceleration for electrons with high injection energy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]