Controlling the spectrum of x-rays generated in a laser-plasma accelerator by tailoring the laser wavefront

Summary, in English

By tailoring the wavefront of the laser pulse used in a laser-wakefield accelerator, we show that the properties of the x-rays produced due to the electron beam's betatron oscillations in the plasma can be controlled. By creating a wavefront with coma, we find that the critical energy of the synchrotronlike x-ray spectrum can be significantly increased. The coma does not substantially change the energy of the electron beam, but does increase its divergence and produces an energy-dependent exit angle, indicating that changes in the x-ray spectrum are due to an increase in the electron beam's oscillation amplitude within the wakefield.

• Author: S. P. D. Mangles; Guillaume Genoud; S. Kneip; Matthias Burza; K. Cassou; B. Cros; N. P. Dover; Christos Kamperidis; Z. Najmudin; Anders Persson; J. Schreiber; F. Wojda; Claes-Göran Wahlström
• Department/s: Atomic Physics
• Publishing year: 2009
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Applied Physics Letters
• Volume: 95
• Issue: 18
• Full text: - 345 kB; Download statistics
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3258022
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Topic: Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
• Keywords: accelerators; wakefield; plasma X-ray sources; betatrons; plasma accelerators
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0003-6951