Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have developed a novel diagnostic tool that uses a metal foil as a 3D scanner to analyze the intricate structure of electron bunches generated by laser-plasma accelerators. This groundbreaking technology could pave the way for more compact and cost-effective free-electron lasers, making advanced research tools accessible to a wider range of research teams.
Compact Particle Acceleration
Lasers, in conjunction with an ionized gas jet or target, are used to drive the acceleration of charged particles in these laser-plasma accelerators can be more than 1 million times smaller in length compared to conventional kilometer-long facilities and have the promise for opening new horizons for particle acceleration. One such notion finds itself at the very cutting edge — systems that use powerful lasers to ionise a gas, which is then used to create plasma capable of developing exceedingly high electromagnetic fields, under which circumstances bunches of electrons can be accelerated far more effectively.
This development has opened up the possibility of X-ray lasers, which could potentially be made by a university physicists in his basement. ANU physicists educated in solving equations, too But the level of precision required to control electron bunches, necessary for these higher-level uses of a cold EM beam, has so far remained out-of-reach. The novel diagnostics developed by the HZDR team are designed to close this gap, providing a path to continuous, robust laser-plasma accelerators.
Enlightening Electron Bunches
The primary challenge in generating X-ray or UV light of high quality in laser-plasma accelerators is the generation and control of short (i.e. sub-picosecond long), low-uncertainty electron bunches. Previously it has been a large challenge to sustainably achieve such precision and thus he implementation of this characterization will be a technological breakthrough in understanding these little electron groups.
The researchers at HZDR recently developed a solution with the new GTK technology. The plasma accelerator then yields an electron bunch able to set the surface electrons in motion using a thin metal foil and thus obtaining a signal that can be detected with sensors. It is now possible to use it…It is called Coherent Optical Transition Radiation (COTR) and reconstruct the shape of electron bunches in 3D with unprecedented accuracy.
This enables physicists to study different injection schemes and their influence on the shape of electron bunches. More understanding of these complex interactions would enable researchers to tune the properties of the electron bunches and in future make better and more stable new light sources, which are crucial for a large number of ongoing breakthrough research activities.
Conclusion
In this sense, the novel diagnostic is a significant step towards more compact and cost-effective free electron lasers employing laser-plasma accelerators. The ability to study the inner structure of electron packs without destroying them is a powerful new high-powered 3D scanning approach that will give research teams innovating these new, leading-edge particle acceleration technologies a tool they need to tune and perfect their devices as they push through the data deluge. It will be especially interesting as the technology grows older and its implications for scientific research and exploration become more advanced.
