Broadband coherent XUV light from $e^-/e^+$ microbunching in an intense laser pulse

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Quin, Michael J., Di Piazza, Antonino, Erciyes, Çağrı, Keitel, Christoph H., Tamburini, Matteo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Quin, Michael J.
Di Piazza, Antonino
Erciyes, Çağrı
Keitel, Christoph H.
Tamburini, Matteo
author_facet Quin, Michael J.
Di Piazza, Antonino
Erciyes, Çağrı
Keitel, Christoph H.
Tamburini, Matteo
contents Attosecond pulses of coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light are instrumental for investigating subatomic dynamics and can be produced using a free-electron laser (FEL). It has been suggested that an optical FEL, which employs a laser pulse in place of a conventional undulator, could enable a dramatically more compact implementation of such a light source. Yet, the high electron density and subsequent high emittance implied by an optical FEL makes this concept challenging to realize with an electron beam. There has been impressive progress in recent years producing collimated dense and relativistic beams of electrons and positrons in the laboratory. As we demonstrate here, the inherent stability of a quasi-neutral electron-positron beam mitigates Coulomb expansion, and renders it a promising alternative source of coherent light. Specifically, we show via computer simulations that broadband coherent light in the XUV domain, which takes the form of 8-as pulses at 92-as intervals, can be generated by microbunching of relativistic electrons and positrons in a laser pulse. This process occurs over a sub-millimeter length scale, enabling the development of light sources which are orders-of-magnitude more compact than existing sources, with potential applications in physics, chemistry, biology, and industry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_17631
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Broadband coherent XUV light from $e^-/e^+$ microbunching in an intense laser pulse
Quin, Michael J.
Di Piazza, Antonino
Erciyes, Çağrı
Keitel, Christoph H.
Tamburini, Matteo
Plasma Physics
Optics
Attosecond pulses of coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light are instrumental for investigating subatomic dynamics and can be produced using a free-electron laser (FEL). It has been suggested that an optical FEL, which employs a laser pulse in place of a conventional undulator, could enable a dramatically more compact implementation of such a light source. Yet, the high electron density and subsequent high emittance implied by an optical FEL makes this concept challenging to realize with an electron beam. There has been impressive progress in recent years producing collimated dense and relativistic beams of electrons and positrons in the laboratory. As we demonstrate here, the inherent stability of a quasi-neutral electron-positron beam mitigates Coulomb expansion, and renders it a promising alternative source of coherent light. Specifically, we show via computer simulations that broadband coherent light in the XUV domain, which takes the form of 8-as pulses at 92-as intervals, can be generated by microbunching of relativistic electrons and positrons in a laser pulse. This process occurs over a sub-millimeter length scale, enabling the development of light sources which are orders-of-magnitude more compact than existing sources, with potential applications in physics, chemistry, biology, and industry.
title Broadband coherent XUV light from $e^-/e^+$ microbunching in an intense laser pulse
topic Plasma Physics
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.17631