Researchers demonstrate miniaturized, laser-driven particle accelerator

Munich physicists have succeeded in demonstrating plasma wakefield acceleration of subatomic particles in a miniaturized, laser-driven model. The new system provides a broader basis for the development of the next generation of particle accelerators.
The plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) technique is regarded as a highly promising route to the next generation of particle accelerators. In this approach, a pulse of high-energy electrons is injected into a preformed plasma, and creates a wake upon which other electrons can effectively surf. In this way, their energy can surpass that of the driver by a factor of two to five.
However, many technical and physical problems must be resolved before the technology becomes practical. This is no easy task, as only large-scale particle accelerators, such as those at DESY, CERN or SLAC, are currently capable of producing the driver pulses needed to generate the wakefield. A team led by ProfessorStefan Karschat the Laboratory of Attosecond Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics (LAP) has now shown that PWFA can be implemented in university labs. The new findings will facilitate further investigation of the PWFA concept as a basis for the development of compact, next-generation particle accelerators.
More information: M. F. Gilljohann et al. Direct Observation of Plasma Waves and Dynamics Induced by Laser-Accelerated Electron Beams, Âé¶¹ÒùÔºical Review X (2019).
Journal information: Âé¶¹ÒùÔºical Review X
Provided by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich