BELLA laser and operations (original) (raw)
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AIP Conference Proceedings, 2017
The advancement of Laser-Plasma Accelerators (LPA) requires systematic studies with ever increasing precision and reproducibility. A key component of such a research endeavor is a facility that provides reliable, well characterized laser sources, flexible target systems, and comprehensive diagnostics of the laser pulses, the interaction region, and the produced electron beams. The Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA), a PW laser facility, now routinely provides high quality focused laser pulses for high precision experiments. A description of the commissioning process, the layout of the laser systems, the major components of the laser and radiation protection systems, and a summary of early results are given. Further scientific plans and highlights of operational experience that serve as the basis for transition to a collaborative research facility in high-peak power laser-plasma interaction research are reviewed. BELLA-i beamline (Initiative) k-BELLA (initiative) Gamma-rays, FELs, medical apps Current BELLA PW 100 TW laser for Gamma rays 100 TW laser for FELs
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
A laser system producing controllable and stable pulses with high-power and ultrashort duration at high repetition rate is a key component of a high energy laser-plasma accelerator (LPA). Precise characterization and control of laser properties are essential to understanding laser-plasma interactions required to build a 10 GeV class LPA. This paper discusses the diagnostics, control and performance parameters of a 1 Hz, 1 petawatt (PW) class laser at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) facility. The BELLA PW laser provided up to 46 J on target with a 1% level energy fluctuation and 1.3 µrad pointing stability. The spatial profile was measured and optimized by using a camera, wave front sensor, and deformable mirror (ILAO system). The focus waist was measured to be r0 = 53 µm and a fraction of energy within the circular area defined by the first minimum of the diffraction pattern (r = 67 µm) was 0.75. The temporal profile was controlled via the angle of incidence on a stretcher and a compressor, as well as an acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter (DAZZLER). The temporal pulse shape was measured to be about 33 fs in full width at half maximum (WIZZLER and GRENOUILLE diagnostics). In order to accurately evaluate peak intensity, the energy-normalized peak fluence and energynormalized peak power were analyzed for the measured spatial and temporal mode profiles, and were found to be 15 kJ/(cm 2 J) with 6% fluctuation (standard deviation) and 25 TW/J with 5% fluctuation for 46 J on-target energy, respectively. This yielded a peak power of 1.2 PW and a peak intensity of 17×10 18 W/cm 2 with 8% fluctuation. A method to model the pulse shape for arbitrary compressor grating distance with high accuracy was developed. The pulse contrast above the amplified spontaneous emission pedestal was measured by SEQUOIA and found to be better than 10 9. The first order spatiotemporal couplings (STCs) were measured with GRENOUILLE, and a simulation of the pulse's evolution at the vicinity of the target was presented. A maximum pulse front tilt angle of less than 7 mrad was achieved. The reduction of the peak power caused by the first order STCs was estimated to be less than 1%. The capabilities described in the paper are essential for generation of high quality electron beams.
Multi-GeV Plasma Acceleration Results at BELLA
2015
Stable multi-GeV electron beams were obtained in a laser plasma accelerator via precision control over capillary discharge plasma parameters and alignment. The plasma density was determined by measuring the group velocity of laser pulses propagated through the plasma channel. The channel depth was measured using laser centroid oscillations. Improved pointing control was achieved by accurate alignment of capillary angle and position. The pointing fluctuation was 0.6 mrad rms, which was comparable to the electron beam divergence. Simulations showed electron beams in reasonable agreement with experiment via strong self-focusing and injection into multiple plasma periods behind the laser pulse. These processes are strongly parameter dependent, reinforcing the need for precise plasma target control.
Working Group 8 : Laser Technology for Laser-Plasma
2012
Index Babzien Canova Chowdhury Chvykov Corner Ditmire Donovan Flippo Galvanauskas Gaul Karsch Krushelnick Leemans Lu Martinez Osterhoff Polyanskiy Rosenzweig Roth Schroeder Specka Toth Umstadter Zeil Name of submitting author Mr. Marcus Babzien Institution Brookhaven National Laboratory Email babzien@bnl.gov Abstract Title BNL ATF Timing System Upgrades Author/Affiliation listing M. Babzien, M. Montemagno, V. Yakimenko Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton NY 11973Title BNL ATF Timing System Upgrades Author/Affiliation listing M. Babzien, M. Montemagno, V. Yakimenko Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton NY 11973 Abstract A key enabling technology in advanced accelerators is the synchronization of precision frequency and pulse sources at the picosecond or subpicosecond level. The synchronization system employed at the BNL Accelerator Test Facility will be presented, as well as ongoing work to extend present capabilities to multiple laser and RF sources.A key enabling technology in ad...
First results with the novel Peta-Watt laser acceleration facility in Dresden
We report on first commissioning results of the DRACO Petawatt ultra-short pulse laser system implemented at the ELBE center for high power radiation sources of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Key parameters of the laser system essential for efficient and reproducible performance of plasma accelerators are presented and discussed with the demonstration of 40 MeV proton acceleration under TNSA conditions as well as peaked electron spectra with unprecedented bunch charge in the 0.5 nC range.
The TARANIS laser : A multi-terawatt system for laser plasma physics
Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2012
The multi-Terawatt laser system, terawatt apparatus for relativistic and nonlinear interdisciplinary science, has been recently installed in the Centre for Plasma Physics at the Queen's University of Belfast. The system will support a wide ranging science program, which will include laser-driven particle acceleration, X-ray lasers, and high energy density physics experiments. Here we present an overview of the laser system as well as the results of preliminary investigations on ion acceleration and X-ray lasers, mainly carried out as performance tests for the new apparatus. We also discuss some possible experiments that exploit the flexibility of the system in delivering pump-probe capability.
Conceptual Design of a Laser Driver for a Plasma Accelerator User Facility
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The purpose of the European project EuPRAXIA is to realize a novel plasma accelerator user facility. The laser driven approach sets requirements for a very high performance level for the laser system: pulse peak power in the petawatt range, pulse repetition rate of several tens of Hz, very high beam quality and overall stability of the system parameters, along with 24/7 operation availability for experiments. Only a few years ago these performances were considered unrealistic, but recent advances in laser technologies, in particular in the chirped pulse amplification (CPA) of ultrashort pulses and in high energy, high repetition rate pump lasers have changed this scenario. This paper discusses the conceptual design and the overall architecture of a laser system operating as the driver of a plasma acceleration facility for different applications. The laser consists of a multi-stage amplification chain based CPA Ti:Sapphire, using frequency doubled, diode laser pumped Nd or Yb solid s...
On the Development of a Low Peak-Power, High Repetition-Rate Laser Plasma Accelerator at IPEN
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In this work, the current status on the development of a laser plasma accelerator at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (Instituto de Pesquisas Nucleares e Energéticas, IPEN/CNEN), in São Paulo, Brazil, is presented. Short pulses to be produced by an under-development near-TW, kHz laser system will be used to ionize a gas jet, with a density profile designed to optimize the self-injection of plasma electrons. The same laser pulse will also drive a plasma wakefield, which will allow for electron acceleration in the self-modulated regime. The current milestone is to develop the experimental setup, including electron beam and plasma diagnostics, required to produce electron bunches with energies of a few MeV. Once this has been achieved, the next milestone is to produce beams with energies higher than 50 MeV. Besides kickstarting the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) technology in Brazil, this project aims to pave the way for conducting research on the production of radioisotop...
The ELIMAIA Laser–Plasma Ion Accelerator: Technological Commissioning and Perspectives
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We report on the technological commissioning of the Laser–Plasma Ion Accelerator section of the ELIMAIA user beamline at the ELI Beamlines facility in the Czech Republic. The high-peak, high-average power L3-HAPLS laser system was used with an energy of ~10 J and pulse duration of ~30 fs on target, both in single-pulse and high repetition-rate (~0.5 Hz) mode. The laser pulse was tightly focused to reach ultrahigh intensity on target (~1021 W/cm2) and sustain such laser–plasma interaction regime during high repetition-rate operations. The laser beam, ion beam, and laser–plasma emission were monitored on a shot-to-shot basis, and online data analysis at 0.5 Hz was demonstrated through the full set of used diagnostics (e.g., far and near field, laser temporal diagnostics, X- and gamma-ray detectors, Thomson Parabola ion spectrometer, time-of-flight ion detectors, plasma imaging, etc.). The capability and reliability of the ELIMAIA Ion Accelerator was successfully demonstrated at a repe...