Prospects for all-optical ultrafast muon acceleration

TL;DR

This paper explores a laser-driven beat-wave acceleration scheme for heavy particles, focusing on its theoretical foundations and potential for ultrafast muon acceleration and cold-muon beam extraction.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of a controllable, all-optical acceleration method for muons using variable-frequency laser beams.

Findings

The scheme enables fine control over particle energy distribution.

Potential application to ultrafast muon acceleration is discussed.

The method could facilitate prompt extraction of cold-muon beams.

Abstract

A scheme for fast, compact, and controllable acceleration of heavy particles in vacuum has been recently proposed [F. Peano et al., New J. Phys. 10 033028 (2008)], wherein two counterpropagating laser beams with variable frequencies drive a beat-wave structure with variable phase velocity, leading to particle trapping and acceleration. The technique allows for fine control over the energy distribution and the total charge of the accelerated beam, to be obtained via tuning of the frequency variation. Here, the theoretical bases of the acceleration scheme are described, and the possibility of applications to ultrafast muon acceleration and to the prompt extraction of cold-muon beams is discussed.