Ionization injection in a laser wakefield accelerator subject to a transverse magnetic field

Q Zhao; S M Weng; Z M Sheng; M Chen; G B Zhang; W B Mori; B Hidding; D A Jaroszynski; J Zhang

doi:10.1088/1367-2630/aac926

New Journal of Physics (Jan 2018)

Ionization injection in a laser wakefield accelerator subject to a transverse magnetic field

Q Zhao,
S M Weng,
Z M Sheng,
M Chen,
G B Zhang,
W B Mori,
B Hidding,
D A Jaroszynski,
J Zhang

Affiliations

Q Zhao: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
S M Weng: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
Z M Sheng: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom; Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
M Chen: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
G B Zhang: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, National University of Defense Technology , Changsha 410073, People's Republic of China
W B Mori: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095, United States of America
B Hidding: SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
D A Jaroszynski: SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
J Zhang: Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (MoE), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aac926
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 20, no. 6
p. 063031

Abstract

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The effect of an external transverse magnetic field on ionization injection of electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) is investigated by theoretical analysis and particle-in-cell simulations. On application of a few tens of Tesla magnetic field, both the electron trapping condition and the wakefield structure changes significantly such that injection occurs over a shorter distance and at an enhanced rate. Furthermore, beam loading is compensated for, as a result of the intrinsic trapezoidal-shaped longitudinal charge density profile of injected electrons. The nonlinear ionization injection and consequent compensation of beam loading lead to a reduction in the energy spread and an enhancement of both the charge and final peak energy of the electron beam from a LWFA immersed in the magnetic field.

Published in New Journal of Physics

ISSN: 1367-2630 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1367-2630

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