This thesis presents a study of time-dependent plasma density gratings formed by the forces of intersecting high-intensity, short-pulse lasers in gas and plasma. Such structures have been proposed as optical components for the manipulation of laser pulses with intensities beyond the damage threshold of conventional optical devices based on solid state technology. Two methods of plasma density grating formation are considered, both of which rely on the beat wave of two or more laser fields – (i) by ionisation of a neutral gas, and (ii) by driving an inertially evolving grating using the ponderomotive force in plasma.A novel amplification method based on the interaction of a probe laser pulse with an evolving plasma density modulation, driven by ionisation, is identified and analysed theoretically, numerically and experimentally. Experimental evidence for the formation of a plasma density grating by counterpropagating high-power laser pulses in underdense plasma is presented, along with the first demonstration of the manipulation of the phase of a 100-femtosecond probe laser pulse by a plasma density grating. A peak phase shift of π/4 is measured.A particle-in-cell study of the use of plasma density gratings for controlling laser wakefield accelerators is presented. It is found that the plasma density grating modifies the velocity of the back of the laser wakefield bubble and, through a simulation parameter scan, it is shown that the properties of the electron beam depend strongly on the amplitude and placement of the plasma density grating within the accelerator target.
| Date of Award | 6 Oct 2022 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - University Of Strathclyde
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| Sponsors | University of Strathclyde |
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| Supervisor | Dino Jaroszynski (Supervisor) & Enrico Brunetti (Supervisor) |
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