Waveform Control of Relativistic Electron Dynamics in Laser-Plasma Acceleration

The interaction of ultraintense laser pulses with an underdense plasma is used in laser-plasma acceleration to create compact sources ultrashort relativistic electrons and x rays. accelerating structure a wave, or wakefield, that excited by the ponderomotive force, force usually assumed depend solely on envelope not its exact waveform. Here, we use near-single-cycle controlled carrier-envelope phase show actual waveform field has clear impact response. beam pointing our electron oscillates laser, at amplitude 15 mrad, 30% divergence. Numerical simulations explain this observation through asymmetries injection beam, which are locked phase. These results imply achieve control dynamics. Our pave way high-precision, subcycle accelerators, enabling production attosecond bunches rays.Received 26 May 2021Revised 10 December 2021Accepted 11 January 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.12.011036Published American Physical Society under terms Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution work must maintain attribution author(s) published article’s title, journal citation, DOI.Published SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasHigh intensity interactionsLaser wakefield accelerationPonderomotive effectsUltrashort pulsesAccelerators & BeamsPlasma PhysicsAtomic, Molecular Optical