Laser wakefield accelerators (LWFA) feature unique electron bunch characteristics, namely micrometer beam size with duration ranging from a few fs to tens of fs. Precise knowledge of the longitudinal profile of such ultra-short electron bunches is essential for the design of future table-top x-ray light-sources.
Spectral measurements of broadband transition radiation from LWFA electron bunches...
Low-emittance ultra-relativistic electron beams delivered for next gener- ation of plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) experiments are expected to produce very high wakefields over very large distances when going through a plasma. Assessing electron beam dynamics under such fields will be of key importance to achieve the next milestones of the PWFA concept. Here we report on the use of the...
A crucial parameter for the demonstration of a laser-plasma driven free-electron laser is the electron beam emittance and its stability. Here, we show energy resolved emittance measurements of ionisation-injected plasma electron beams performed with both a conventional quadrupole scan and measured from single-shots. We show that the initial phase-space properties obtained from both methods...
The low emittance of electron bunches from laser wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) makes them attractive for compact FELs and colliders. Single-shot, direct, non-intercepting diagnostics of this emittance outside the LWFA are, however, needed. Here we present single-shot coherent transition radiation (CTR) imaging and interferometry data from electron bunches ~2 mm after emerging from a 300 MeV...
