Tunable monoenergetic electron beams from independently controllable laser-wakefield acceleration and injection

Abstract

We report the results of experiments on laser-wakefield acceleration in a novel two-stage gas target with independently adjustable density and atomic-composition profiles. We were able to tailor these profiles in a way that led to the separation of the processes of electron injection and acceleration and permitted independent control of both. This resulted in the generation of stable, quasimonoenergetic electron beams with central energy tunable in 50–300 MeV range. For the first time, we are able to independently control the beam charge and energy spread over the entire tunability range.