title: Optical deflection and temporal characterization of an ultrafast laser-produced electron beam.
abstract: The interaction of a laser-produced electron beam with an ultraintense laser pulse in free space is studied. We show that the optical pulse with a(0)=0.5 imparts momentum to the electron beam, causing it to deflect along the laser propagation direction. The observed 3-degree angular deflection is found to be independent of polarization and in good agreement with a theoretical model for the interaction of free electrons with a tightly focused Gaussian pulse, but only when longitudinal fields are taken into account. This technique is used to temporally characterize a subpicosecond laser-wakefield-driven electron bunch. Applications to electron-beam conditioning are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Sudeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sepke
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.forename: Anatoly
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maksimchuk
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Umstadter