Bright betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity

O. N. Rosmej; X. F. Shen; A. Pukhov; L. Antonelli; F. Barbato; M. Gyrdymov; M. M. Günther; S. Zähter; V. S. Popov; N. G. Borisenko; N. E. Andreev

doi:10.1063/5.0042315

Volume 6 Issue 4

Jul. 2021

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Article Navigation > Matter and Radiation at Extremes > 2021 > 6(4): 048401

O. N. Rosmej, X. F. Shen, A. Pukhov, L. Antonelli, F. Barbato, M. Gyrdymov, M. M. Günther, S. Zähter, V. S. Popov, N. G. Borisenko, N. E. Andreev. Bright betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2021, 6(4): 048401. doi: 10.1063/5.0042315

Citation:

O. N. Rosmej, X. F. Shen, A. Pukhov, L. Antonelli, F. Barbato, M. Gyrdymov, M. M. Günther, S. Zähter, V. S. Popov, N. G. Borisenko, N. E. Andreev. Bright betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2021, 6(4): 048401. doi: 10.1063/5.0042315

Citation:

O. N. Rosmej, X. F. Shen, A. Pukhov, L. Antonelli, F. Barbato, M. Gyrdymov, M. M. Günther, S. Zähter, V. S. Popov, N. G. Borisenko, N. E. Andreev. Bright betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2021, 6(4): 048401. doi: 10.1063/5.0042315

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Bright betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity

doi: 10.1063/5.0042315

1.
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
2.
Goethe University, Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
3.
Helmholtz Forschungsakademie Hessen für FAIR (HFHF), Campus Frankfurt am Main, Max-von-Laue-Straße 12, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
4.
Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, Düsseldorf, Germany
5.
York Plasma Institute, University of York, Church Lane, Heslington, York YO10 5DQ, United Kingdom
6.
University of Bordeaux, CNRS, CEA, CELIA, UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
7.
Joint Institute for High Temperatures, RAS, Izhorskaya St. 13, Bldg. 2, 125412 Moscow, Russia
8.
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Institutskiy Pereulok 9, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
9.
P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS, Leninsky Prospekt 53, 119991 Moscow, Russia

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Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: o.rosmej@gsi.de. Permanent address: GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
Received Date: 2020-12-29
Accepted Date: 2021-05-25

Available Online: 2021-07-01

Publish Date: 2021-07-15

Abstract

Abstract

Direct laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons in a plasma of near-critical electron density (NCD) and the associated synchrotron-like radiation are discussed for moderate relativistic laser intensity (normalized laser amplitude a₀ ≤ 4.3) and ps length pulse. This regime is typical of kJ PW-class laser facilities designed for high-energy-density (HED) research. In experiments at the PHELIX facility, it has been demonstrated that interaction of a 10¹⁹ W/cm² sub-ps laser pulse with a sub-mm length NCD plasma results in the generation of high-current well-directed super-ponderomotive electrons with an effective temperature ten times higher than the ponderomotive potential [Rosmej et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 62 , 115024 (2020)]. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations provide good agreement with the measured electron energy distribution and are used in the current work to study synchrotron radiation from the DLA-accelerated electrons. The resulting x-ray spectrum with a critical energy of 5 keV reveals an ultrahigh photon number of 7 × 10¹¹ in the 1–30 keV photon energy range at the focused laser energy of 20 J. Numerical simulations of betatron x-ray phase contrast imaging based on the DLA process for the parameters of a PHELIX laser are presented. The results are of interest for applications in HED experiments, which require a ps x-ray pulse and a high photon flux.

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References(40)

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