A transportable laser-plasma accelerator in the MeV range

Abstract

Laser-plasma accelerators emerge as ultra-compact and versatile sources for numerous applications. Although the acceleration length is short (a few millimeters), they typically require large-scale infrastructures including ultra-high-power lasers, vacuum chambers and strict stability for temperature and humidity. As a result, most experiments are conducted in laboratories in large areas with controlled environments. Here, we present a highly compact (footprint of ~ 9 m²) and transportable system capable of generating electrons and photons in the MeV range at high repetition rates (up to 10 Hz) with average charge levels of 0.5 nC and up to 1 nC. This achievement shows the feasibility of performing laser-plasma acceleration outside of laboratory environments with a transportable system, significantly expanding the potential for practical applications.

Fig. 1

(a) Photograph of the transportable “ENSTAmobile” laser and interaction chamber. (b) Sketch of the experimental setup and electron beam diagnostics arrangement.

Fig. 2

(a) Beam profile monitor. (b) Electron spectrum and distribution of charge per shot, for 50 shots acquired at 1 Hz (c) and 10 Hz (d).

Fig. 3

(a) Photograph of the radiography setup. (b) X- rays image of the stainless-steel cylinder and block with three increasing steps. (c) Linear attenuation as a function of energy with and without coherent scattering for stainless steel.