Electron pulse train accelerated by a linearly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian laser beam

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through simulations that a linearly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian laser beam can effectively accelerate electrons in vacuum, producing monoenergetic bunches with high energy and extremely short duration, using a novel field structure.

Contribution

The study introduces a new vacuum electron acceleration scheme using linearly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian lasers, enabling easier experimental realization with high-energy, ultra-short electron bunches.

Findings

Electrons form monoenergetic bunches with 0.29 GeV energy.

Electron bunches have a duration of approximately 270 attoseconds.

The scheme produces electron bunches with a divergence angle of 0.57 degrees.

Abstract

A linearly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian (LP-LG) laser beam with a twist index $l = -1$ has field structure that fundamentally differs from the field structure of a conventional linearly polarized Gaussian beam. Close to the axis of the LP-LG beam, the longitudinal electric and magnetic fields dominate over the transverse components. This structure offers an attractive opportunity to accelerate electrons in vacuum. It is shown, using three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, that this scenario can be realized by reflecting an LP-LG laser off a plasma with a sharp density gradient. The simulations indicate that a 600~TW LP-LG laser beam effectively injects electrons into the beam during the reflection. The electrons that are injected close to the laser axis experience a prolonged longitudinal acceleration by the longitudinal laser electric field. The electrons form distinct monoenergetic bunches with a small divergence angle. The energy in the most energetic bunch is 0.29 GeV. The bunch charge is 6~pC and its duration is $\sim 270$~as. The divergence angle is just \dg{0.57} (10~mrad). By using a linearly polarized rather than a circularly polarized Laguerre-Gausian beam, our scheme makes it easier to demonstrate the electron acceleration experimentally at a high-power laser facility.