Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancement of plasma wakefield generation and self-compression of femtosecond laser pulses by ionization gradients
AU - He, Z-H
AU - Nees, J. A.
AU - Hou, B.
AU - Krushelnick, K.
AU - Thomas, A. G. R.
PY - 2014/8
Y1 - 2014/8
N2 - As lasers become progressively higher in power, optical damage thresholds will become a limiting factor. Using the non-linear optics of plasma may be a way to circumvent these limits. In this paper, we report on simulations showing an enhancement to plasma wakefield self-compression of femtosecond laser pulses due to an ionization gradient at the leading edge of the pulse. By operating in a regime where wakefield generation is driven by moderately relativistic (similar to 10(18) W cm(-2)) laser pulses and proper choice of gas species, the ionization front of the pulse can lead to a frequency shift that enhances the ponderomotive force and therefore both the wakefield generation and subsequent pulse compression.
AB - As lasers become progressively higher in power, optical damage thresholds will become a limiting factor. Using the non-linear optics of plasma may be a way to circumvent these limits. In this paper, we report on simulations showing an enhancement to plasma wakefield self-compression of femtosecond laser pulses due to an ionization gradient at the leading edge of the pulse. By operating in a regime where wakefield generation is driven by moderately relativistic (similar to 10(18) W cm(-2)) laser pulses and proper choice of gas species, the ionization front of the pulse can lead to a frequency shift that enhances the ponderomotive force and therefore both the wakefield generation and subsequent pulse compression.
KW - laser
KW - plasma
KW - accelerators
KW - compression
KW - femtosecond
KW - STABILITY
U2 - 10.1088/0741-3335/56/8/084010
DO - 10.1088/0741-3335/56/8/084010
M3 - Journal article
VL - 56
JO - Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
JF - Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
SN - 0741-3335
IS - 8
M1 - 084010
ER -