Direct electron acceleration by chirped laser pulse in a cylindrical plasma channel

We study the dynamics of single electron in an inhomogeneous cylindrical plasma channel during the direct acceleration by linearly polarized chirped laser pulse.By adjusting the parameters of the chirped laser pulse and the plasma channel,we obtain the energy gain,trajectory,dephasing rate and unstable threshold of electron oscillation in the channel.The influences of the chirped factor and inhomogeneous plasma density distribution on the electron dynamics are discussed in depth.We find that the nonlinearly chirped laser pulse and the inhomogeneous plasma channel have strong coupled influence on the electron dynamics.The electron energy gain can be enhanced,the instability threshold of the electron oscillation can be lowered,and the acceleration length can be shortened by chirped laser,while the inhomogeneity of the plasma channel can reduce the amplitude of the chirped laser.

Pulse chirping effect on controlling the transverse cavity oscillations in nonlinear bubble regime

The propagation of an intense laser pulse in an under-dense plasma induces a plasma wake that is suitable for the acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies. For an ultra-intense laser pulse which has a longitudinal size shorter than the plasma wavelength, λp, instead of a periodic plasma wave, a cavity free from cold plasma electrons, called a bubble, is formed behind the laser pulse. An intense charge separation electric field inside the moving bubble can capture the electrons at the base of the bubble and accelerate them with a narrow energy spread. In the nonlinear bubble regime, due to localized depletion at the front of the pulse during its propagation through the plasma, the phase shift between carrier waves and pulse envelope plays an important role in plasma response. The carrier–envelope phase（CEP） breaks down the symmetric transverse ponderomotive force of the laser pulse that makes the bubble structure unstable. Our studies using a series of two-dimensional（2D） particle-in-cell（PIC） simulations show that the frequency-chirped laser pulses are more effective in controlling the pulse depletion rate and consequently the effect of the CEP in the bubble regime. The results indicate that the utilization of a positively chirped laser pulse leads to an increase in rate of erosion of the leading edge of the pulse that rapidly results in the formation of a steep intensity gradient at the front of the pulse. A more unstable bubble structure, the self-injections in different positions, and high dark current are the results of using a positively chirped laser pulse. For a negatively chirped laser pulse, the pulse depletion process is compensated during the propagation of the pulse in plasma in such a way that results in a more stable bubble shape and therefore, a localized electron bunch is produced during the acceleration process. As a result, by the proper choice of chirping, one can tune the number of self-injected electrons, the size of accelerated bunch and its energy spectrum to the values required for practical applications.

Laser chirp controlled relativistic few-cycle mid-infrared pulse generation

Relativistic few-cycle mid-infrared(mid-IR)pulses are unique tools for strong-field physics and ultrafast science,but are difficult to generate with traditional nonlinear optical methods.Here,we propose a scheme to generate such pulses with high efficiency via plasma-based frequency modulation with a negatively chirped laser pulse(NCLP).The NCLP is rapidly compressed longitudinally due to dispersion and plasma etching,and its central frequency is downshifted via photon deceleration due to the enhanced laser intensity and plasma density modulations.Simulation results show that few-cycle mid-IR pulses with the maximum center wavelength of 7.9µm and pulse intensity of a_(MIR)=2.9 can be generated under a proper chirp parameter.Further,the maximum energy conversion efficiency can approach 5.0%.Such a relativistic mid-IR source is promising for a wide range of applications.