Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 174802 (2002) [4 pages]Electron-Yield Enhancement in a Laser-Wakefield Accelerator Driven by Asymmetric Laser PulsesReceived 1 February 2002; published 8 October 2002 The effect of asymmetric laser pulses on electron yield from a laser wakefield accelerator has been experimentally studied using >1019 cm-3 plasmas and a 10 TW, >45 fs, Ti∶Al2O3 laser. The laser pulse shape was controlled through nonlinear chirp with a grating pair compressor. Pulses (76 fs FWHM) with a steep rise and positive chirp were found to significantly enhance the electron yield compared to pulses with a gentle rise and negative chirp. Theory and simulation show that fast rising pulses can generate larger amplitude wakes that seed the growth of the self-modulation instability, and that frequency chirp is of minimal importance for the experimental parameters. © 2002 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.174802
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.174802
PACS:
41.75.Jv, 41.75.Ht, 42.65.Re, 52.38.–r
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