Opportunities for TeV Laser Acceleration

TL;DR

This paper identifies key parameters and emerging laser technologies that could enable TeV-scale laser plasma acceleration, potentially revolutionizing ultrahigh energy particle acceleration.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive set of scaling laws and identifies suitable laser technology for achieving TeV electron energies in laser plasma accelerators.

Findings

Laser parameters for TeV electron energies are derived from fundamental scaling laws.

High fluence Yb ceramic lasers match the required laser technology.

Collective acceleration techniques enhance energy recovery and stopping power.

Abstract

A set of ballpark parameters for laser, plasma, and accelerator technologies that define for electron energies reaching as high as TeV are identified. These ballpark parameters are carved out from the fundamental scaling laws that govern laser acceleration, theoretically suggested and experimentally explored over a wide range in the recent years. In the density regime on the order of 10^{16} cm^{-3}, the appropriate laser technology, we find, matches well with that of a highly efficient high fluence LD driven Yb ceramic laser. Further, the collective acceleration technique applies to compactify the beam stoppage stage by adopting the beam-plasma wave deceleration, which contributes to significantly enhance the stopping power and energy recovery capability of the beam. Thus we find the confluence of the needed laser acceleration parameters dictated by these scaling laws and the emerging laser technology. This may herald a new technology in the ultrahigh energy frontier.