Limits on laser wakefield accelerators

Yedierler B., Bilikmen S.

REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS, vol.70, no.4, pp.1983-1985, 1999 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 70 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 1999
  • Doi Number: 10.1063/1.1149698
  • Journal Name: REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.1983-1985
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The longitudinal and radial wakefields produced by a single laser pulse in a plasma are calculated. The limits on the laser wakefield acceleration because of diffraction, optical guiding, and energy loss due to radiation are examined. In particular for a bi-Gaussian laser beam, the energy gain about 4.6 GeV/cm s is estimated. A general constraint on the plasma density is presented. All the limits are compared and a localized density channel of width 4.6 x 10(-5) cm is proposed. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)03304-3].