Speaker
Description
Recent demonstrations of all-optical multi-GeV laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) have been enabled by the development of low-density meter-scale plasma waveguides produced above supersonic gas jets. This talk reviews recent advances at the University of Maryland which have enabled these results, focusing on the development of elongated supersonic gas jets, experimental and simulation studies of plasma waveguide formation, and a new three-stage model for relativistic pulse propagation dynamics in these waveguides. We will then present the culmination of these efforts, focusing on results from recent LWFA experiments demonstrating high charge, low divergence electron bunches to ~10 GeV, with laser-to-electron beam efficiency of at least ~30%. Finally, we will discuss recent demonstrations for further improving this accelerator, including longitudinally tailored plasma waveguides for optimizing laser coupling efficiency and electron acceleration.
This work was supported by the U.S. DOE (DE-SC0015516, LaserNetUS DE-SC0019076/ FWP#SCW1668, and DE-SC0011375), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the Muons for Science and Security Program. E. Rockafellow is supported by NSF GRFP (Grant No. DGE 1840340).
