Generating 10 GW-class isolated zeptosecond x-ray bursts through bootstrapping two plasma-based accelerator stages

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ma, Qianyi, Xia, Yuhui, Wang, Zhenan, Chen, Yuekai, Liu, Letian, Yang, Zhiyan, Feng, Chao, Xu, Xinlu, Yan, Xueqing, Joshi, Chan, Mori, Warren B.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ma, Qianyi
Xia, Yuhui
Wang, Zhenan
Chen, Yuekai
Liu, Letian
Yang, Zhiyan
Feng, Chao
Xu, Xinlu
Yan, Xueqing
Joshi, Chan
Mori, Warren B.
author_facet Ma, Qianyi
Xia, Yuhui
Wang, Zhenan
Chen, Yuekai
Liu, Letian
Yang, Zhiyan
Feng, Chao
Xu, Xinlu
Yan, Xueqing
Joshi, Chan
Mori, Warren B.
contents A method is proposed to generate coherent, intense zeptosecond x-ray pulses by using the electron beam produced by a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) stage as the driver for a beam driven plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) stage. The LWFA injector stage requires a readily available 100 TW laser driver to produce a GeV class self-injected electron beam. This beam is focused and used as the driver in a PWFA stage that utilizes a solid-density plasma with a modulated density downramp. The concept is shown to be capable of producing an ultra-short electron beam with unprecedented density ($10^{26}~\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$) and brightness ($ 10^{24}~\ampere/\meter^2/\radian ^2$), that is also pre-bunched on 0.1 Angstrom scales. By colliding this pre-bunched extreme beam with an optical undulator, an intense zeptosecond pulse can be emitted if the spatially focusing region is matched with the lasing region of the beam. Multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed of the entire concept to demonstrate that an isolated 10 GW-class zeptosecond pulse with a full-width-half-maximum duration of 700 zs can be generated in a tapered laser pulse. Such an intense zeptosecond pulse generation scheme may provide an essential probe for nuclear physics and quantum electrodynamics processes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_13937
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Generating 10 GW-class isolated zeptosecond x-ray bursts through bootstrapping two plasma-based accelerator stages
Ma, Qianyi
Xia, Yuhui
Wang, Zhenan
Chen, Yuekai
Liu, Letian
Yang, Zhiyan
Feng, Chao
Xu, Xinlu
Yan, Xueqing
Joshi, Chan
Mori, Warren B.
Accelerator Physics
Plasma Physics
A method is proposed to generate coherent, intense zeptosecond x-ray pulses by using the electron beam produced by a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) stage as the driver for a beam driven plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) stage. The LWFA injector stage requires a readily available 100 TW laser driver to produce a GeV class self-injected electron beam. This beam is focused and used as the driver in a PWFA stage that utilizes a solid-density plasma with a modulated density downramp. The concept is shown to be capable of producing an ultra-short electron beam with unprecedented density ($10^{26}~\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$) and brightness ($ 10^{24}~\ampere/\meter^2/\radian ^2$), that is also pre-bunched on 0.1 Angstrom scales. By colliding this pre-bunched extreme beam with an optical undulator, an intense zeptosecond pulse can be emitted if the spatially focusing region is matched with the lasing region of the beam. Multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed of the entire concept to demonstrate that an isolated 10 GW-class zeptosecond pulse with a full-width-half-maximum duration of 700 zs can be generated in a tapered laser pulse. Such an intense zeptosecond pulse generation scheme may provide an essential probe for nuclear physics and quantum electrodynamics processes.
title Generating 10 GW-class isolated zeptosecond x-ray bursts through bootstrapping two plasma-based accelerator stages
topic Accelerator Physics
Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13937