Results of a laser-driven electron acceleration experiment and perspectives of application for nuclear studies

Year: 2010

Authors: Gamucci A., Bourgeois N., Ceccotti T., Davoine X., Dobosz S., D’Oliveira P., Galimberti M., Galy J., Giulietti A., Giulietti D., Gizzi LA., Hamilton D.J., Labate L., Lefebvre E., Marques J.R., Martin P., Monot P., Popescu H., Reau F., Sarri G., Tomassini P.

Autors Affiliation: IPCF CNR, Intense Laser Irradiat Lab, Pisa, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Ecole Polytech, CNRS, Lab Utilisat Lasers Intenses, UMR 7605, F-91128 Palaiseau, France; CEA DSM DRECAM SPAM, Gif Sur Yvette, France; CEA DIF, Dept Phys Theor & Appl, F-91680 Bruyeres Le Chatel, France; EC JRC Inst Transuranium Elements, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany; Univ Pisa, Dipartimento Fis, I-56100 Pisa, Italy

Abstract: High-energy electrons can be produced in interactions of intense, ultra-short laser pulses with plasmas. Experiments conducted in the regime of moderate laser power (a few terawatts [TW]) are attracting increasing attention for their possibility of optimizing the acceleration process. Here we report the successful production of several-MeV electron bunches in interactions of femtosecond laser pulses from a 10TW tabletop laser with supersonic gas-jets. The laser-plasma interaction and the obtained electron bunches have been characterized in detail, and conditions for stable and reproducible acceleration have been found. The accelerated electron bunches have been characterized by means of the measurement of the induced photo-activation of a gold sample via bremsstrahlung-generation of photons with suitable energy. The obtained result opens up a wide range of possible applications of the compact electron source for the concerns of nuclear physics studies. Some of them are briefly considered in this paper.

Journal/Review: RADIATION EFFECTS AND DEFECTS IN SOLIDS

Volume: 165 (6-10)      Pages from: 774  to: 779

More Information: Proceedings Paper: 4th International Workshop on Pulsed Plasma Laser Ablation (PPLA), Messina, ITALY, JUN 18-20, 2009
KeyWords: laser-driven acceleration; plasmas; compact radiation source
DOI: 10.1080/10420151003731983

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