Single-cycle attosecond pulses by Thomson backscattering of terahertz pulses

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to generate single-cycle attosecond pulses using Thomson scattering of terahertz pulses with a relativistic electron beam, enabling flexible waveform control and achieving up to 1 nJ energy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scheme combining laser-plasma wakefield accelerators and Thomson scattering for attosecond pulse generation with waveform tunability.

Findings

Single-cycle attosecond pulses with up to 1 nJ energy are feasible.

The waveform of the generated pulses closely matches the THz pulses.

The method allows flexible control over the attosecond pulse waveform.

Abstract

The generation of single-cycle attosecond pulses based on Thomson scattering of terahertz (THz) pulses is proposed. In the scheme, a high-quality relativistic electron beam produced by a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator (LPWA), is sent through suitable magnetic devices to produce ultrathin electron layers for coherent Thomson backscattering of intense THz pulses. According to numerical simulations, single-cycle attosecond pulse generation is possible with up to 1 nJ energy. The waveform of the attosecond pulses closely resembles that of the THz pulses. This allows for a flexible waveform control of attosecond pulses.