Laser-driven plasma wakefields can provide hundreds of MeV electron beam in mm-range distances potentially shrinking the dimension of the actual particle accelerators. The plasma density plays a fundamental role in the control and stability of the acceleration process, which is a key development for the future electron injector proposed by EuPRAXIA. A gas cell was designed by LPGP and LIDYL teams, with variable length and backing pressure, to confine the gas and tailor the gas density profile before the arrival of the laser. This cell was used during an experimental campaign with the multi TW-class laser at the Lund Laser Centre. Ionization assisted injection in a tailored density profile is used to tune the electron beam properties. During the experiment, we filled the gas cell with hydrogen mixed with different concentration of nitrogen. We also varied the backing pressure of the gas and the geometrical length of the gas cell. We used a transverse probe to acquire shadowgraphic images of the plasma and to measure the plasma electron density. Methods and results of the analysis with comparisons between shadowgraphic and interferometric images will be discussed.

Experimental results, supported by precise modelling, demonstrate optimisation of a plasma-based injector with intermediate laser pulse energy ($<1$ J), corresponding to a normalised vector potential $a_0 = 2.15$, using ionisation injection in a tailored plasma density profile. An increase in electron bunch quality and energy is achieved experimentally with the extension of the density downramp at the plasma exit. Optimisation of the focal position of the laser pulse in the tailored plasma density profile is shown to efficiently reduce electron bunch angular deviation, leading to a better alignment of the electron bunch with the laser axis. Single peak electron spectra are produced in a previously unexplored regime by combining an early focal position and adaptive optic control of the laser wavefront through optimising the symmetry of the pre-focal laser energy distribution. Experimental results have been validated through particle-in-cell simulations using realistic laser energy, phase distribution, and temporal envelope, allowing for accurate predictions of difficult to model parameters, such as total charge and spatial properties of the electron bunches, opening the way for more accurate modelling for the design of plasma-based accelerators.

X-ray phase-contrast imaging allows for non-invasive analysis in low-absorbing materials, such as soft tissue. Its application in medical or materials science has yet to be realized on a wider scale due to the requirements on the X-ray source, demanding high flux and small source size. Laser wakefield accelerators generate betatron X-rays fulfilling these criteria and can be suitable sources for phase-contrast imaging. In this work, we present the first phase-contrast images obtained by using ionization injection-based laser wakefield acceleration, which results in a higher photon yield and smoother X-ray beam profile compared to self-injection. A peak photon yield of 1.9 × 1011 ph/sr and a source size of 3 μm were estimated. Furthermore, the current laser parameters produce an X-ray spectrum mainly in the soft X-ray range, in which laser-plasma based phase-contrast imaging had yet to be studied. The phase-contrast images of a Chrysopa lacewing resolve features on the order of 4 μm. These images are further used for a tomographic reconstruction and a volume rendering, showing details on the order of tens of μm.

In this work, we experimentally study the effects of the nitrogen concentration in laser wakefield acceleration of electrons in a gas mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen. A 15 TW peak power laser pulse is focused to ionize the gas, excite a plasma wave and accelerate electrons up to 230 MeV. We find that at dopant concentrations above 2% the total divergence of the electrons is increased and the high energy electrons are emitted preferentially with an angle of +/- 6 mrad, leading to a forked spatio-spectral distribution associated to direct laser acceleration (DLA). However, electrons can gain more energy and have a divergence lower than 4 mrad for concentrations below 0.5% and the same laser and plasma conditions. Particle-in-cell simulations show that for dopant concentrations above 2%, the amount of trapped charge is large enough to significantly perturb the plasma wave, reducing the amplitude of the longitudinal wakefield and suppressing other trapping mechanisms. At high concentrations the number of trapped electrons overlapping with the laser fields is increased, which rises the amount of charge affected by DLA. We conclude that the dopant concentration affects the quantity of electrons that experience significant DLA and the beam loading of the plasma wave driven by the laser pulse. These two mechanisms influence the electrons final energy, and thus the dopant concentration should be considered as a factor for the optimization of the electron beam parameters.

Nanostructured and microstructured thin foils have been fabricated and used experimentally as targets to manipulate the spatial profile of proton bunches accelerated through the interaction with high intensity laser pulses (6 x 1019 W/cm(2)). Monolayers of polystyrene nanospheres were placed on the rear surfaces of thin plastic targets to improve the spatial homogeneity of the accelerated proton beams. Moreover, thin targets with grating structures of various configurations on their rear sides were used tomodify the proton beam divergence. Experimental results are presented, discussed, and supported by 3D particle-in-cell numerical simulations.

Highly collimated betatron radiation from a laser wakefield accelerator is a promising tool for spectroscopic measurements. Therefore, there is a requirement to create spectrometers suited to the unique properties of such a source. We demonstrate a spectrometer which achieves an energy resolution of <5 eV at 9 keV (E∕ΔE>1800) and is angularly resolving the x-ray emission allowing the reference and spectrum to be recorded at the same time. The single photon analysis is used to significantly reduce the background noise. Theoretical performance of various configurations of the spectrometer is calculated by a ray-tracing algorithm. The properties and performance of the spectrometer including the angular and spectral resolution are demonstrated experimentally on absorption above the K-edge of a Cu foil backlit by a laser-produced betatron radiation x-ray beam.

The properties of laser wakefield accelerated electrons in supersonic gas flows of hydrogen and helium are investigated. At identical backing pressure, we find that electron beams emerging from helium show large variations in their spectral and spatial distributions, whereas electron beams accelerated in hydrogen plasmas show a higher degree of reproducibility. In an experimental investigation of the relation between neutral gas density and backing pressure, it is found that the resulting number density for helium is ∼30% higher than for hydrogen at the same backing pressure. The observed differences in electron beam properties between the two gases can thus be explained by differences in plasma electron density. This interpretation is verified by repeating the laser wakefield acceleration experiment using similar plasma electron densities for the two gases, which then yielded electron beams with similar properties.

The dynamics of ionization-induced electron injection in the high density (similar to 1.2 x 10(19)cm(-3)) regime of Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) was investigated by analyzing betatron X-ray emission inside dielectric capillary tubes. A comparative study of the electron and betatron X-ray properties was performed for both self-injection and ionization-induced injection. Direct experimental evidence of early onset of ionization-induced injection into the plasma wave was obtained by mapping the X-ray emission zone inside the plasma. Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations showed that the early onset of ionization-induced injection, due to its lower trapping threshold, suppresses self-injection of electrons. An increase of X-ray fluence by at least a factor of two was observed in the case of ionization-induced injection due to an increased trapped charge compared to self-injection mechanism.

The dynamics of electron acceleration driven by laser wakefield inside a 30.5 mm long dielectric capillary tube is analyzed using radiation emitted in the x-ray range. 3D particle-in-cell simulations, performed with parameters close to the experimental ones, show that in long plasmas, the accelerated electrons catch up and finally overrun the driving laser owing to a higher velocity of the electrons in the plasma. The electrons are then transversely scattered by the laser pulse, and penetrate the capillary wall where they generate bremsstrahlung radiation, modeled using GEANT4 simulations. The signature of bremsstrahlung radiation is detected using an x-ray camera, together with the betatron radiation emitted during electron acceleration in the plasma bubble. The reflection of betatron radiation from the inner capillary surface also accounts for a fraction of the observed signal on the x-ray camera. The simulation results are in agreement with the experimental ones and provide a detailed description of the electron and radiation properties, useful for the design of laser wakefield accelerators or radiation sources using long plasma media.

The dynamics of ionization-induced electron injection in high density (∼1.2 × 1019 cm−3) regime of laser wakefield acceleration is investigated by analyzing the betatron X-ray emission. In such high density operation, the laser normalized vector potential exceeds the injection-thresholds of both ionization-injection and self-injection due to self-focusing. In this regime, direct experimental evidence of early on-set of ionization-induced injection into the plasma wave is given by mapping the X-ray emission zone inside the plasma. Particle-In-Cell simulations show that this early on-set of ionization-induced injection, due to its lower trapping threshold, suppresses the trapping of self-injected electrons. A comparative study of the electron and X-ray properties is performed for both self-injection and ionization-induced injection. An increase of X-ray fluence by at least a factor of two is observed in the case of ionization-induced injection due to increased trapped charge compared to self-injection mechanism.

The stability of accelerated electron beams produced by self-injection of plasma electrons into the wakefield driven by a laser pulse guided inside capillary tubes is analyzed statistically in relation to laser and plasma parameters, and compared to results obtained in a gas jet. The analysis shows that reproducible electron beams are achieved with a charge of 66 pC ±11%, a FWHM beam divergence of 9 mrad ±14%, a maximum energy of 120 MeV ±10% and pointing fluctuations of 2.3 mrad using 10 mm long, 178μm diameter capillary tubes at an electron density of (10.0±1.5)×1018 cm−3. Active stabilization of the laser pointing was used and laser parameters were recorded on each shot. Although the shot-to-shot laser energy fluctuations can account for a fraction of the electrons fluctuations, gas density fluctuations are suspected to be a more important source of instability.

We report on a setup for the investigation of proton acceleration in the regime of target normal sheath acceleration. The main interest here is to focus on stable laser beam parameters as well as a reliable target setup and diagnostics in order to do extensive and systematic studies on the acceleration mechanism. A motorized target alignment system in combination with large target mounts allows for up to 340 shots with high repetition rate without breaking the vacuum. This performance is used to conduct experiments with a split mirror setup exploring the effect of spatial and temporal separation between the pulses on the acceleration mechanism and on the resulting proton beam.

By controlling the focal spot quality with a deformable mirror, we are able to show that increasing the fraction of pulse energy contained within the central part of the focal spot, while keeping the total energy and central spot size constant, significantly increases the amount of energy transferred to the wakefield: Our measurements show that the laser loses significantly more laser energy and undergoes greater redshifting and that more charge is produced in the accelerated beam. Three dimensional particle in cell simulations performed with accurate representations of the measured focal spot intensity distribution confirm that energy in the wings of the focal spot is effectively wasted. Even though self-focusing occurs, energy in the wings of the focal spot distribution is not coupled into the wakefield, emphasising the vital importance of high quality focal spot profiles in experiments.

We develop and implement an experimental strategy for the generation of high-energy high-order harmonics (HHG) in gases for studies of nonlinear processes in the soft x-ray region. We generate high-order harmonics by focusing a high energy Ti:Sapphire laser into a gas cell filled with argon or neon. The energy per pulse is optimized by an automated control of the multiple parameters that influence the generation process. This optimization procedure allows us to obtain energies per pulse and harmonic order as high as 200 nJ in argon and 20 nJ in neon, with good spatial properties, using a loose focusing geometry (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$f_\# \approx 400$\end{document}f#≈400) and a 20 mm long medium. We also theoretically examine the macroscopic conditions for absorption-limited conversion efficiency and optimization of the HHG pulse energy for high-energy laser systems.

A novel approach to implement and control electron injection into the accelerating phase of a laser wakefield accelerator is presented. It utilizes a wire, which is introduced into the flow of a supersonic gas jet creating shock waves and three regions of differing plasma electron density. If tailored appropriately, the laser plasma interaction takes place in three stages: Laser self-compression, electron injection, and acceleration in the second plasma wave period. Compared to self-injection by wave breaking of a nonlinear plasma wave in a constant density plasma, this scheme increases beam charge by up to 1 order of magnitude in the quasimonoenergetic regime. Electron acceleration in the second plasma wave period reduces electron beam divergence by � 25%, and the localized injection at the density downramps results in spectra with less than a few percent relative spread.

Laser wakefield is generated inside capillary tubes in order to study the conditions for self-injection of plasma electrons and their acceleration inside a large domain of parameters. Dielectric capillary tubes are employed to guide the laser pulse and collect laser energy around the central focal spot to favor laser propagation. Electrons are observed to be self-injected and accelerated to the 200 MeV range when a peak laser intensity as low as 5x10(17) W/cm(2) is used. X-rays emitted by betatron radiation constitute a precise diagnostic of the electron acceleration process. Furthermore, the peak brightness of X-rays is increased to 10(21) ph/s/mm(2)/mrad(2)/0.1%BW when the laser pulse is focused to 5x10(18) W/cm(2), which is about 30 times higher than the value obtained by using a 2 mm gas jet.

We report on the fabrication and characterization of amplitude and phase samples consisting of well defined Au or Al features formed on ultrathin silicon nitride membranes. The samples were manufactured using electron beam lithography, metallization and a lift-off technique, which allow precise lateral control and thickness of the metal features. The fabricated specimens were evaluated by conventional microscopy, atomic force microscopy and with the digital in-line holography set-up at the Lund Laser Centre. The latter uses high-order harmonic generation as a light source, and is capable of recovering both the shape and phase shifting properties of the samples. We report on the details of the sample production and on the imaging tests with the holography set-up.

Electrons accelerated in the nonlinear regime in a laser wakefield accelerator experience transverse oscillations inside the plasma cavity, giving rise to ultra-short pulsed x-rays, also called the betatron radiation. We show that the fluence of x-ray can be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude when the laser is guided by a 10 mm long capillary tube instead of interacting with a 2 mm gas jet. X-rays with a synchrotron-like spectrum and associated critical energy ∼5 keV, with a peak brightness of ∼1×1021 ph/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1%BW, were achieved by employing 16 TW laser pulses.

The beam pointing of a multi-terawatt laser [corrected] is stabilized on a millisecond time scale using an active control system. Two piezo mirrors, two position sensing detectors, and a computer based optimization program ensure that both near- and far-field are stable, even during single shot operation. A standard deviation for the distribution of laser shots of 2.6 μ rad is achieved.