Direct Observation of the Injection Dynamics of a Laser Wakefield Accelerator Using Few-Femtosecond Shadowgraphy.
We present few-femtosecond shadowgraphic snapshots taken during the nonlinear evolution of the plasma wave in a laser wakefield accelerator with transverse synchronized few-cycle probe pulses. These snapshots can be directly associated with the electron density distribution within the plasma wave and give quantitative information about its size and shape. Our results show that self-injection of electrons into the first plasma-wave period is induced by a lengthening of the first plasma period. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support our observations.
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Sävert
The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
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Mangles
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Schnell
Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
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Siminos
The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
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Cole
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Leier
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Reuter
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Schwab
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Möller
The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
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Poder
Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Jäckel
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Paulus
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Spielmann
Univ. Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intense et Applications, UMR 5107, 33405 Talence, France.
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Skupin
The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
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Najmudin
Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Abbe-Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Kaluza