Spectral and spatial characterisation of laser-driven positron beams

• Published in: Plasma physics and controlled fusion Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 14015 - 14021
• Main Authors: Sarri, G, Warwick, J, Schumaker, W, Poder, K, Cole, J, Doria, D, Dzelzainis, T, Krushelnick, K, Kuschel, S, P D Mangles, S, Najmudin, Z, Romagnani, L, M Samarin, G, Symes, D, G R Thomas, A, Yeung, M, Zepf, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IOP Publishing 01.01.2017; IOP Science
• Subjects: hybrid accelerators; injection; laser wakefield acceleration; NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; PARTICLE ACCELERATORS; positron beams
• ISSN: 0741-3335; 1361-6587
• DOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/59/1/014015

The generation of high-quality relativistic positron beams is a central area of research in experimental physics, due to their potential relevance in a wide range of scientific and engineering areas, ranging from fundamental science to practical applications. There is now growing interest in developing hybrid machines that will combine plasma-based acceleration techniques with more conventional radio-frequency accelerators, in order to minimise the size and cost of these machines. Here we report on recent experiments on laser-driven generation of high-quality positron beams using a relatively low energy and potentially table-top laser system. The results obtained indicate that current technology allows to create, in a compact setup, positron beams suitable for injection in radio-frequency accelerators.