title: Electron bunch length measurements from laser-accelerated electrons using single-shot THz time-domain interferometry.
abstract: Laser-plasma wakefield-based electron accelerators are expected to deliver ultrashort electron bunches with unprecedented peak currents. However, their actual pulse duration has never been directly measured in a single-shot experiment. We present measurements of the ultrashort duration of such electron bunches by means of THz time-domain interferometry. With data obtained using a 0.5 J, 45 fs, 800 nm laser and a ZnTe-based electro-optical setup, we demonstrate the duration of laser-accelerated, quasimonoenergetic electron bunches [best fit of 32 fs (FWHM) with a 90% upper confidence level of 38 fs] to be shorter than the drive laser pulse, but similar to the plasma period.
authors.affiliation: Forschungzentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute for Radiation Physics, 01328 Dresden, Germany. a.debus@fzd.de
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Debus
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bussmann
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauerbrey
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Zs
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hörlein
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Veisz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jamison
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Gallacher
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jaroszynski
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kaluza
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hidding
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiselev
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heathcote
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neely
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Divall
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hooker
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ertel
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Langley
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Norreys
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karsch