Stable laser-plasma accelerators at low densities

We report stable laser wakefield acceleration using 17-50 TW laser pulses interacting with 4mm-long helium gas jet. The initial laser spot size was relatively large (28 mu m) and the plasma densities were 0.48-2.0 x 10(19) cm(-3). High-quality 100-MeV electron beams were generated at the plasma density of 7.5 x 10(18) cm(-3), at which the beam parameters (pointing angle, energy spectrum, charge, and divergence angle) were measured and stabilized. At higher densities, filamentation instability of the laser-plasma interaction was observed and it has led to multiple wakefield accelerated electron beams. The experimental results are supported by 2D particle-in-cell simulations. The achievement presented here is an important step toward the use of laser-driven accelerators in real applications. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.