Optical Deflection and Temporal Characterization of an Ultrafast Laser-Produced Electron Beam

Authors

Sudeep Banerjee, University of Michigan, Ann ArborFollow
Scott Sepke, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Rahul Shah, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Anthony Valenzuela, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Anatoly Maksimchuk, University of MichiganFollow
Donald P. Umstadter, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

7-15-2005

Comments

Published by American Physical Society. Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 035004 (2005). http://prl.aps.org. Copyright © 2005 American Physical Society. Permission to use.

Abstract

The interaction of a laser-produced electron beam with an ultraintense laser pulse in free space is studied. We show that the optical pulse with a₀=0.5 imparts momentum to the electron beam, causing it to deflect along the laser propagation direction. The observed 3-degree angular deflection is found to be independent of polarization and in good agreement with a theoretical model for the interaction of free electrons with a tightly focused Gaussian pulse, but only when longitudinal fields are taken into account. This technique is used to temporally characterize a subpicosecond laser-wakefield-driven electron bunch. Applications to electron-beam conditioning are also discussed.