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Plasma-photonic spatiotemporal synchronization of relativistic electron and laser beams
- Scherkl, Paul;
- Knetsch, Alexander;
- Heinemann, Thomas;
- Sutherland, Andrew;
- Habib, Ahmad Fahim;
- Karger, Oliver;
- Ullmann, Daniel;
- Beaton, Andrew;
- Kirwan, Gavin;
- Manahan, Grace;
- Xi, Yunfeng;
- Deng, Aihua;
- Litos, Michael Dennis;
- OShea, Brendan D;
- Green, Selina Z;
- Clarke, Christine I;
- Andonian, Gerard;
- Assmann, Ralph;
- Jaroszynski, Dino A;
- Bruhwiler, David L;
- Smith, Jonathan;
- Cary, John R;
- Hogan, Mark J;
- Yakimenko, Vitaly;
- Rosenzweig, James B;
- Hidding, Bernhard
- et al.
Abstract
Modern particle accelerators and their applications increasingly rely on precisely coordinated interactions of intense charged particle and laser beams. Femtosecond-scale synchronization alongside micrometre-scale spatial precision are essential e.g. for pump-probe experiments, seeding and diagnostics of advanced light sources and for plasma-based accelerators. State-of-the-art temporal or spatial diagnostics typically operate with low-intensity beams to avoid material damage at high intensity. As such, we present a plasma-based approach, which allows measurement of both temporal and spatial overlap of high-intensity beams directly at their interaction point. It exploits amplification of plasma afterglow arising from the passage of an electron beam through a laser-generated plasma filament. The corresponding photon yield carries the spatiotemporal signature of the femtosecond-scale dynamics, yet can be observed as a visible light signal on microsecond-millimetre scales.
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