Electron Trapping from Interactions between Laser-Driven Relativistic Plasma Waves

Authors

• Grigory Golovin, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Wenchao Yan, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Ji Luo, Shanghai Jiaotong University
• Colton Fruhling, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
• Daniel Haden, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
• Baozhen Zhao, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Cheng Liu, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Min Chen, Shanghai Jiaotong University
• Shouyuan Chen, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Ping Zhang, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
• Sudeep Banerjee, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Donald Umstadter, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2018

Citation

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 121, 104801 (2018)

Comments

© 2018 American Physical Society

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.104801

Abstract

Interactions of large-amplitude relativistic plasma waves were investigated experimentally by propagating two synchronized ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses in plasma at oblique crossing angles to each other. The electrostatic and electromagnetic fields of the colliding waves acted to preaccelerate and trap electrons via previously predicted, but untested injection mechanisms of ponderomotive drift and wakewake interference. High-quality energetic electron beams were produced, also revealing valuable new information about plasma-wave dynamics.