Speaker
Mr
Christopher Thornton
(University of Oxford)
Description
Gas-filled capillary discharge waveguides have been used very successfully to extend the length over which acceleration can be maintained in a laser-plasma accelerator, leading to the first generation of 1 GeV beams and, recently, the production of 4 GeV electrons.
We present new transverse interferometric measurements of the plasma channel formed in a gas-filled capillary waveguide driven by two discharge circuits: (i) a conventional thyratron-based circuit; and (ii) a compact Marx bank. These both show the production of a long-lived guiding channels, but the Marx bank driver produces a channel which evolves more slowly.
We also present the first measurements of plasma channels produced in this device with a helium gas fill, which is much more convenient experimentally. The plasma channels formed are found to have similar parameters to those produced with hydrogen.
Primary author
Mr
Christopher Thornton
(University of Oxford)
Co-authors
Dr
Anthony Dyson
(University of Oxford)
Prof.
Simon Hooker
(University of Oxford)
