Observation of Monoenergetic Electrons from Two-Pulse Ionization Injection in Quasilinear Laser Wakefields.

The generation of low emittance electron beams from laser-driven wakefields is crucial for the development of compact x-ray sources. Here, we show new results for the injection and acceleration of quasimonoenergetic electron beams in low amplitude wakefields experimentally and using simulations. This is achieved by using two laser pulses decoupling the wakefield generation from the electron trapping via ionization injection.

Optimization of the electron beam dump for a GeV-class laser electron accelerator.

The advances of laser-driven electron acceleration offer the promise of great reductions in the size of high-energy electron accelerator facilities. Accordingly, it is desirable to design compact radiation shielding for such facilities. A key component of radiation shielding is the high-energy electron beam dump.

Seidel aberrations in grating pulse stretchers.

We derived a formula for calculation of the spectral phase of ultrashort pulses propagating through aberrated stretchers. Our approach is based on Seidel aberration theory. The dependence of spectral phase dispersion terms and residual angular dispersion on the individual Seidel aberration coefficients is found.

Field trial of active remote sensing using a high-power short-wave infrared supercontinuum laser.

Field trial results of a 5 W all-fiber broadband supercontinuum (SC) laser covering the short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength bands from ~1.55 to 2.35 μm are presented.

Finite spot effects on radiation pressure acceleration from intense high-contrast laser interactions with thin targets.

Short pulse laser interactions at intensities of 2×10(21) W cm(-2) with ultrahigh contrast (10(-15)) on submicrometer silicon nitride foils were studied experimentally by using linear and circular polarizations at normal incidence. It was observed that, as the target decreases in thickness, electron heating by the laser begins to occur for circular polarization leading to target normal sheath acceleration of contaminant ions, while at thicker targets no acceleration or electron heating is observed. For linear polarization, all targets showed exponential energy spreads with similar electron temperatures.