Synergistic Laser Wakefield/Direct Laser Acceleration in the Plasma Bubble Regime

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hybrid plasma accelerator combining laser wakefield and direct laser acceleration, demonstrating enhanced electron energy gain through multi-dimensional effects in the plasma bubble regime.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid acceleration scheme that leverages resonant betatron oscillations for improved electron acceleration in plasma bubbles.

Findings

Electrons can gain energy directly from the laser pulse and plasma wake.

Multi-dimensional motion reduces phase slippage, surpassing 1D acceleration limits.

A bifurcated phase space indicates diverse acceleration pathways.

Abstract

The concept of a hybrid laser wakefield/direct laser plasma accelerator is proposed. Relativistic electrons undergoing resonant betatron oscillations inside the plasma bubble created by a laser pulse are accelerated by gaining energy directly from the laser pulse and from its plasma wake. The resulting bifurcated phase space of self-injected plasma electrons contains a population that experiences wakefield acceleration beyond the standard one-dimensional limit because of the multi-dimensional nature of its motion that reduces the phase slippage between the electrons and the wake.