Enhanced energy gain in a dielectric laser accelerator using a tilted pulse front laser

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a record energy gain in a dielectric laser accelerator using a tilted pulse front laser, achieving high gradients and showing potential for controlled, high-energy acceleration.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel method of using a tilted pulse front laser to enhance energy gain in dielectric laser accelerators, enabling controlled beam evolution and high-gradient acceleration.

Findings

Record 315 keV energy gain achieved

Average gradients of 560 MV/m over 0.5 mm

Controlled beam evolution in phase space

Abstract

Using an 800 nm, 45 fs pulse-front-tilted laser we demonstrate a record 315 keV energy gain in a dual grating dielectric laser accelerator (DLA) and average accelerating gradients of 560 MV/m over 0.5 mm. These results open a new regime in DLA characterized by significant evolution of the beam distribution in the longitudinal phase space, corresponding to >1/4 of a synchrotron oscillation. By tilting the laser wavefront we control the resonant velocity of the DLA and observe a net energy gain, indicating that a tapered optical phase could be used to achieve very high energy gain.