Enhancement of relativistic third-harmonic generation by using an optically preformed periodic plasma waveguide was achieved. Resonant dependence of harmonic intensity on plasma density and density modulation parameters was observed, which is a distinct characteristic of quasi-phase-matching. The results demonstrate the potential of a modulated plasma waveguide in high-field applications.

As an intense laser pulse propagates through an underdense plasma, the strong ponderomotive force pushes away the electrons and produces a trailing plasma bubble. In the meantime the pulse itself undergoes extreme nonlinear evolution that results in strong spectral broadening toward the long-wavelength side. By experiment we demonstrate that this process can be utilized to generate ultrashort midinfrared pulses with an energy three orders of magnitude larger than that produced by crystal-based nonlinear optics. The infrared pulse is encapsulated in the bubble before exiting the plasma, hence is not absorbed by the plasma. The process is analyzed experimentally with laser-plasma tomographic measurements and numerically with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. Good agreement is found between theoretical estimation, numerical simulation, and experimental results.

Direct laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons by the use of the intense axial electric field of an ultrafast radially polarized laser pulse is a promising technique for future compact accelerators. Density-modulated plasma waveguides can be implemented for guiding the propagation of the laser pulse to extend the acceleration distance and for the quasi-phase-matching between the accelerated electrons and the laser pulse. A test particle model is developed to study the optimal axial density modulation structure of plasma waveguides for laser pulses to efficiently accelerate co-propagating electrons. A simple analytical approach is also presented, which can be used to estimate the energy gain in DLA. The analytical model is validated by the test particle simulation. The effect of injection phase and acceleration of electrons injected at various radial positions are studied. The results indicate that a positively chirped density modulation of the waveguide structure is required to accelerate electron with low initial energies, and can be effectively optimized. A wider tolerance on the injection phase and radial distance from the waveguide axis exists for electrons injected with a higher initial energy.

TaiwanQuasi-phase matched direct laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons can be realized with guided, radially polarized laser pulses in density-modulated plasma waveguides. A 3-D particle-in-cell model has been developed to describe the interactions among the laser field, injected electrons, and the background plasma in the DLA process. Simulations have been conducted to study the scheme in which seed electron bunches with moderate energies are injected into a plasma waveguide and the DLA is performed by use of relatively low-power (0.5-2 TW) laser pulses. Selected bunch injection delays with respect to the laser pulse, bunch lengths, and bunch transverse sizes have been studied in a series of simulations of DLA in a plasma waveguide. The results show that the injection delay is important for controlling the final transverse properties of short electron bunches, but it also affects the final energy gain. With a long injected bunch length, the enhanced ion-focusing force helps to collimate the electrons and a relatively small final emittance can be obtained. DLA efficiency is reduced when a bunch with a greater transverse size is injected; in addition, micro-bunching is clearly observed due to the focusing and defocusing of electrons by the radially directed Lorentz force. DLA should be performed with a moderate laser power to maintain favorable bunch transverse properties, while the waveguide length can be extended to obtain a higher maximum energy gain, with the commensurate increase of laser pulse duration and energy.