High-Density Dynamics of Laser Wakefield Acceleration from Gas Plasmas to Nanotubes

Bradley Scott Nicks; Ernesto Barraza-Valdez; Sahel Hakimi; Kyle Chesnut; Genevieve DeGrandchamp; Kenneth Gage; David Housley; Gregory Huxtable; Gerard Lawler; Daniel Lin; Pratik Manwani; Eric Nelson; Gabriel Player; Michael Seggebruch; James Sweeney; Joshua Tanner; Kurt Thompson; Toshiki Tajima

doi:10.3390/photonics8060216

Photonics (Jun 2021)

High-Density Dynamics of Laser Wakefield Acceleration from Gas Plasmas to Nanotubes

Bradley Scott Nicks,
Ernesto Barraza-Valdez,
Sahel Hakimi,
Kyle Chesnut,
Genevieve DeGrandchamp,
Kenneth Gage,
David Housley,
Gregory Huxtable,
Gerard Lawler,
Daniel Lin,
Pratik Manwani,
Eric Nelson,
Gabriel Player,
Michael Seggebruch,
James Sweeney,
Joshua Tanner,
Kurt Thompson,
Toshiki Tajima

Affiliations

Bradley Scott Nicks: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Ernesto Barraza-Valdez: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Sahel Hakimi: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Kyle Chesnut: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Genevieve DeGrandchamp: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Kenneth Gage: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
David Housley: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Gregory Huxtable: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Gerard Lawler: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Daniel Lin: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Pratik Manwani: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Eric Nelson: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Gabriel Player: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Michael Seggebruch: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
James Sweeney: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Joshua Tanner: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Kurt Thompson: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Toshiki Tajima: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics8060216
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 6
p. 216

Abstract

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The electron dynamics of laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is examined in the high-density regime using particle-in-cell simulations. These simulations model the electron source as a target of carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes readily allow access to near-critical densities and may have other advantageous properties for potential medical applications of electron acceleration. In the near-critical density regime, electrons are accelerated by the ponderomotive force followed by the electron sheath formation, resulting in a flow of bulk electrons. This behavior represents a qualitatively distinct regime from that of low-density LWFA. A quantitative entropy index for differentiating these regimes is proposed. The dependence of accelerated electron energy on laser amplitude is also examined. For the majority of this study, the laser propagates along the axis of the target of carbon nanotubes in a 1D geometry. After the fundamental high-density physics is established, an alternative, 2D scheme of laser acceleration of electrons using carbon nanotubes is considered.

Published in Photonics

ISSN: 2304-6732 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General): Applied optics. Photonics
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/photonics

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