There is urgent need to develop new acceleration techniques capable of exceeding gigaelectron-volt-per-metre (GeV m−1) gradients in order to enable future generations of both light sources and high-energy physics experiments. To address this need, short wavelength accelerators based on wakefields, where an intense relativistic electron beam radiates the demanded fields directly into the accelerator structure or medium, are currently under intense investigation. One such wakefield based accelerator, the dielectric wakefield accelerator, uses a dielectric lined-waveguide to support a wakefield used for acceleration. Here we show gradients of 1.347±0.020 GeV m−1 using a dielectric wakefield accelerator of 15 cm length, with sub-millimetre transverse aperture, by measuring changes of the kinetic state of relativistic electron beams. We follow this measurement by demonstrating accelerating gradients of 320±17 MeV m−1. Both measurements improve on previous measurements by and order of magnitude and show promise for dielectric wakefield accelerators as sources of high-energy electrons.
We report experimental measurements of narrowband, single-mode excitation, and drive beam energy modulation, in a dielectric wakefield accelerating structure with planar geometry and Braggreflector boundaries. A short, relativistic electron beam (∼1ps) with moderate charge (∼100pC) is used to drive the wakefields in the structure. The fundamental mode of the structure is reinforced by constructive interference in the alternating dielectric layers at the boundary, and is characterized by the spectral analysis of the emitted coherent Cherenkov radiation signal. Data analysis shows a narrowband peak at 210GHz corresponding to the fundamental mode of the structure. Simulations in both 2D and 3D provide insight into the propagating fields and reproduction of the electron beams dynamics observables and emitted radiation characteristics.
In this work, we present the measurement of laser-induced fluorescence from N2(+) ions via the B(2)Σu(+)-X(2)Σg(+) band system in the near-ultraviolet. The ions were generated continuously by a plasma glow discharge in low pressure N2 and by a corona discharge in ambient air. The fluorescence decay time was found to rapidly decrease with increasing pressure leading to an extrapolated decay rate of ≍10(10) s(-1) at atmospheric pressure. In spite of this quenching, we were able to observe laser induced fluorescence in ambient air by means of a time-gated spectral measurement. In the process of comparing the emission signal with that of N2 spontaneous Raman scattering, ion concentrations in ambient air of order 10(8-)10(10) cm(-3) were determined. With moderate increases in laser power and collection efficiency, ion concentrations of less than 10(6) cm(-3) may be measurable, potentially enabling applications in atmospheric standoff detection of ionizing radiation from hazardous radioactive sources.
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