Abstract
The acceleration dynamics of electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator is discussed, in particular the coupling of longitudinal and transverse motion. This coupling effect is important for electrons injected with a velocity below the laser pulse group velocity. It is found that the electron bunch is adiabatically focused during the acceleration and that a finite bunch width contributes to bunch lengthening and growth of energy spread. These results indicate the importance of a small emittance for the injected electron bunch.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 407-413 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Laser and Particle Beams |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2004 |
Keywords
- beam quality
- electron dynamics
- plasma-based acceleration