Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Electron bunch length measurements from laser-a...

Associated organisational unit

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

Electron bunch length measurements from laser-accelerated electrons using single-shot thz time-domain interferometry

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • A.D. Debus
  • M. Bussmann
  • U. Schramm
  • R. Sauerbrey
  • C.D. Murphy
  • Z. Major
  • R. Hörlein
  • L. Veisz
  • K. Schmid
  • J. Schreiber
  • K. Witte
  • J.G. Gallacher
  • D.A. Jaroszynski
  • M.C. Kaluza
  • B. Hidding
  • S. Kiselev
  • R. Heathcote
  • P.S. Foster
  • D. Neely
  • E.J. Divall
  • C.J. Hooker
  • J.M. Smith
  • K. Ertel
  • A.J. Langley
  • P. Norreys
  • J.L. Collier
  • S. Karsch
Close
Article number084802
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>25/02/2010
<mark>Journal</mark>Physical review letters
Issue number8
Volume104
Number of pages4
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Laser-plasma wakefield-based electron accelerators are expected to deliver ultrashort electron bunches with unprecedented peak currents. However, their actual pulse duration has never been directly measured in a single-shot experiment. We present measurements of the ultrashort duration of such electron bunches by means of THz time-domain interferometry. With data obtained using a 0.5 J, 45 fs, 800 nm laser and a ZnTe-based electro-optical setup, we demonstrate the duration of laser-accelerated, quasimonoenergetic electron bunches [best fit of 32 fs (FWHM) with a 90% upper confidence level of 38 fs] to be shorter than the drive laser pulse, but similar to the plasma period.