Abstract

Due to recent advances in laser technology, there is much current interest in the interactions of high-intensity and ultrashort-duration laser pulses with plasmas. Applications include advanced fusion energy, x-ray lasers, and ultrahigh-gradient electron accelerators. In the latter case, the field gradient of a laser-driven plasma wave has recently been demonstrated to exceed that of an RF linac by four orders-of-magnitude (E ≥ 200 GV/m) and has been used to accelerate electrons with over 1-nC of charge per bunch in a low-emittance beam (1 mm-mrad) [1]. However, in the absense of some form of light guiding, the acceleration distance is limited by diffraction to the Rayleigh range. We report experimental results that demonstrate for the first time that relativistic self-guiding can significantly extend the distance over which electrons can be accelerated by a laser wakefield.

© 1997 Optical Society of America