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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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178 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Breakdown insensitive acceleration regime in a metamaterial accelerating structure

A new regime in radiofrequency (rf) breakdown, named the breakdown insensitive acceleration regime (BIAR), was observed in an 11.7 GHz metamaterial structure for wakefield acceleration driven by rf pulses with a duration of a few nanoseconds. In the BIAR, rf breakdown occurs without interrupting potential beam acceleration, resulting in greater resilience to breakdown. We have investigated the possibility that BIAR can support higher gradients by characterizing the breakdown in a high-power test. The peak gradient reached 190 MV / m when the structure was powered by 6 ns long rf pulses with 115 MW peak power. The short rf pulses were extracted from 65 MeV electron bunch trains with a total charge of up to 210 nC. This work has revealed the benefits of short-pulse acceleration by characterizing rf breakdown in the previously unexplored parameter space. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Meter-scale plasma waveguides for multi-GeV laser wakefield acceleration

Here, we present results from two new techniques for the generation of meter-scale, low density (~10 17 cm -3 on axis) plasma waveguides, the “two-Bessel” technique, and the “self-waveguiding” technique. Plasma waveguides of this density and length range are needed for demonstration of a ~10 GeV laser wakefield accelerator module, key for future staging for a ~TeV lepton collider. Both techniques require the use of high quality ultrashort pulse Bessel beams to efficiently and uniformly ionize hydrogen gas in meter-scale supersonic gas jets via optical field ionization. We review these two techniques, describe our meter-scale gas jets, and present a new method for correction of optical aberrations in Bessel beams. Finally, we briefly present results from recent experiments employing one of our techniques, demonstrating quasi-monoenergetic acceleration of ~5 GeV electron bunches in 20 cm long, low density plasma waveguides.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

On possibility of low-emittance high-energy muon source based on plasma wakefield acceleration

We report plasma wakefield acceleration (PWA) channels are characterized by very high accelerating gradients and very strong focusing fields. We propose to employ these properties for effective production of low emittance high energy muon beams, consider muon beam dynamics in the PWFA cell and analyze various options and potential of the PWA-based muon sources.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evolution of the self-injection process in long wavelength infrared laser driven LWFA

In this work, long wavelength infrared laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerators are investigated in the self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration (SM-LWFA) and blowout regimes using 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The simulation results show that in the SM-LWFA regime, self-injection arises with wave breaking, whereas in the blowout regime, self-injection is not observed under the simulation conditions. The wave breaking process in the SM-LWFA regime occurs at a field strength that is significantly below the 1D wave-breaking threshold. This process intensifies at higher laser power and plasma density and is suppressed at low plasma densities (≤1×10 17 cm –3 here). The produced electrons show spatial modulations with a period matching that of the laser wavelength, which is a clear signature of direct laser acceleration.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Three-dimensional analysis of microbunched electron cooling

Microbunched electron cooling (MBEC, Ratner, ), a special category of coherent electron cooling, has been under consideration as a candidate method for the strong hadron cooling component of the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) at BNL. Most of the theoretical treatments of this scheme so far have been based on simplified models for the key space charge effect in which electrons and/or hadrons are approximated by charged disks. Although such disk-based models provide a flexible tool that captures a good part of the underlying physics, they lack the fidelity and robustness of a rigorous analysis that explicitly treats the hadron and cooler electron beams as collections of point charges. In this paper, we present such a rigorous, three-dimensional (3D) model, both from a theory-based and a simulation perspective. Specifically, we calculate the generalized wakefield (or Green’s function) of the cooling system—a crucial quantity that determines the overall performance—paying special attention to the dependence of the wake on the hadron transverse positions. Additionally, our treatment takes into account previously neglected 3D effects that can cause damping of the plasma oscillations in the amplification section of the cooler, such as focusing and the angular spread of the electron beam. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Channeling and radiation experiments at SLAC

Since 2014, a SLAC-Aarhus-Ferrara-CalPoly collaboration augmented by members of ANL and MIT has performed electron and positron channeling experiments using bent silicon crystals at the SLAC End Station A Test Beam as well as the FACET accelerator test facility. These experiments have revealed a remarkable channeling efficiency of about 24% under our conditions. Volume reflection is even more efficient with almost the whole beam taking part in the reflection process. A positron experiment demonstrated quasi-channeling oscillations for the first time at high beam energy. In our most recent experiment we measured the spectrum of gamma radiation for crystal orientations covering channeling and volume reflection. We report this series of experiments supports the development of more advanced crystalline devices capable e.g. of producing narrow-band gamma rays with electron beams or studying the interaction of the electrons with the wakefields generated in the crystal at high beam intensity.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Wavelength scaling and multicolor operation of a plasma-driven attosecond x-ray source via harmonic generation

The generation of high-power coherent soft x-ray pulses of sub-100 as duration and 10 nm wavelength using beams from a GeV energy plasma wakefield accelerator has been recently investigated in Emma []. As a future upgrade to this concept, this contribution investigates scaling to shorter x-ray wavelengths by cascading undulators tuned to higher harmonics of the fundamental. We present two simulation studies for plasma-driven attosecond harmonic generation schemes with final photon wavelengths of 2 and 0.40 nm. We demonstrate in these schemes that using undulators with retuned fundamental frequencies can produce GW-scale pulses of sub-nm radiation with tens of attosecond-scale pulse lengths, an order of magnitude shorter than current state-of-the-art attosecond x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). This multipulse multicolor operation will be broadly applicable to attosecond pump-probe experiments. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterisation of a laser plasma betatron source for high resolution x-ray imaging

Abstract We report on the characterisation of an x-ray source, generated by a laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerator. The spectrum of the optimised source was consistent with an on-axis synchrotron spectrum with a critical energy of 13.8 − 1.9 + 2.2 keV and the number of photons per pulse generated above 1 keV was calculated to be 6 − 0.9 + 1.2 × 10 9 . The x-ray beam was used to image a resolution grid placed 37 cm from the source, which gave a measured spatial resolution of 4 µ m × 5 µ m. The inferred emission region had a radius and length of 0.5 ± 0.2 µ m and 3.2 ± 0.9 mm respectively. It was also observed that laser damage to the exit aperture of the gas cell led to a reduction in the accelerated electron beam charge and a corresponding reduction in x-ray flux due to the change in the plasma density profile.

plasma acceleration↗
DOE OSTI2020

Automation and control of laser wakefield accelerators using Bayesian optimization

Laser wakefield accelerators promise to revolutionize many areas of accelerator science. However, one of the greatest challenges to their widespread adoption is the difficulty in control and optimization of the accelerator outputs due to coupling between input parameters and the dynamic evolution of the accelerating structure. Here, we use machine learning techniques to automate a 100 MeV-scale accelerator, which optimized its outputs by simultaneously varying up to six parameters including the spectral and spatial phase of the laser and the plasma density and length. Most notably, the model built by the algorithm enabled optimization of the laser evolution that might otherwise have been missed in single-variable scans. Subtle tuning of the laser pulse shape caused an 80% increase in electron beam charge, despite the pulse length changing by just 1%.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Laser-Produced Coherent X-ray Sources. Final report

This is the final report for the DOE-AMO DE-FG02-05ER15663 grant. Using a high-peak-power laser system at the Extreme Light Laboratory of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we develop novel femtosecond radiation sources and use them to investigate ultrafast photo-induced processes. Pulses of high energy electrons and x-rays are generated when an optical pulse is focused to ultra-high intensity. The radiation is used to probe the evolution of matter under highly non-equilibrium conditions with atomic-scale temporal and spatial resolution. Moreover, the facility is small enough to fit in a university laboratory and is operated by graduate students and postdocs.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Updates on the Wake Potential Calculations for the Electron-ion Collider with ECHO3D

ECHO3D has been used for calculating the geometric impedance and short-range wakefields for several EIC (Electron-Ion Collider) beamline vacuum components in the past few years. This note summarizes the wake potential calculations conducted in 2023 with ECHO3D for components from both the hadron storage ring (HSR) and the electron storage ring (ESR). For the HSR, calculations have been carried out for the polarimeter, the beam screen with pump slots and the bellow with pump ports. For the ESR, the short-range wake potential for the flange weld as well as various designs of the storage ring cavity have been calculated.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The European ERL Roadmap

Following the European Strategy process in 2019, five Roadmap Panels were set up to prepare the technologies needed for future accelerators and colliders: high-field magnets, SRF, muon colliders, plasma wakefield accelerators and Energy Recovery Linacs (ERLs). The ERL Roadmap Panel, consisting of ERL experts from around the world, first developed a comprehensive overview of current and future ERLs. From this a gap analysis was carried out to evaluate the necessary R&D, which led to the development of the Roadmap. The European ERL Roadmap focused on three main aspects: 1) the continuation and development of facility programs for which no additional funds are needed (S-DALINAC in Darmstadt and MESA in Mainz); 2) technology development for room-temperature HOM damping and twin-axis SRF cavities; 3) the timely upgrade of bERLinPro for 100mA current, and 4) the construction of PERLE at Orsay as a dedicated 10MW beam-power multi-turn facility. The Roadmap also describes a vision for future energy-frontier electron-positron and electron-hadron colliders, and describes a high-quality ERL program for 4.4K SRF technology at high Q0. The presentation will address the ERL Roadmap process and results in detail.

Hutton, Andrew↗
DOE OSTI2022

U.S. advanced and novel accelerator beam test facilities

Demonstrating the viability of Advanced Accelerator Concepts (AAC) relies on experimental validation. Over the last three decades, the U.S. has maintained a portfolio of advanced and novel accelerator test facilities to support research critical to AAC. The facilities have enabled pioneering developments in a wide variety of beam and accelerator physics, including plasma-wakefield and structure-wakefield acceleration. This work provides an overview of the current portfolio of U.S. facilities possessing charged particle drive beams with high energies, on the order of tens of joules per pulse, or drive lasers with high peak powers, on the order of a petawatt, and are actively conducting AAC research.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The European ERL Roadmap

Following the European Strategy process in 2019, five Roadmap Panels were set up to prepare the technologies needed for future accelerators and colliders: high-field magnets, SRF, muon colliders, plasma wakefield accelera-tors and Energy Recovery Linacs (ERLs). The ERL Roadmap Panel, consisting of ERL experts from around the world, first developed an overview of current and future ERLs. From this it was possible to carry out a gap analysis to see what R&D would be needed, from which the roadmap could be developed. The European ERL Roadmap [1] focused on three main aspects: 1) the con-tinuation and development of facility programs for which no additional funds are needed, S-DALINAC in Darm-stadt and MESA in Mainz; 2) technology development for room-temperature HOM damping and twin-axis SRF cavities; 3) the timely upgrade of bERLinPro for 100 mA current and the construction of PERLE at Orsay as a dedi-cated 10 MW power multi-turn facility. The roadmap entails a vision of a future energy frontier electron-positron and electron-hadron collider and describes a high-quality ERL program for 4.4K SRF technology at high Q0.

Hutton, A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-GeV wakefield acceleration in a plasma-modulated plasma accelerator

We investigate the accelerator stage of a plasma-modulated plasma accelerator (P-MoPA) [Jakobsson , ] using both the paraxial wave equation and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. We show that adjusting the laser and plasma parameters of the modulator stage of a P-MoPA allows the temporal profile of pulses within the pulse train to be controlled, which in turn allows the wake amplitude in the accelerator stage to be as much as 72 % larger than that generated by a plasma beat-wave accelerator with the same total drive laser energy. Our analysis shows that Rosenbluth-Liu detuning is unimportant in a P-MoPA if the number of pulses in the train is less than ∼ 30 , and that this detuning is also partially counteracted by increased red-shifting, and hence increased pulse spacing, towards the back of the train. An analysis of transverse mode oscillations of the driving pulse train is found to be in good agreement with 2D (Cartesian) PIC simulations. PIC simulations demonstrating energy gains of ∼ 1.5 GeV ( ∼ 2.5 GeV ) for drive pulse energies of 2.4 J ( 5.0 J ) are presented. Our results suggest that P-MoPAs driven by few-joule, picosecond pulses, such as those provided by high-repetition-rate thin-disk lasers, could accelerate electron bunches to multi-GeV energies at pulse repetition rates in the kilohertz range. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

van de Wetering, J. J. (ORCID:0000000303292355)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydrodynamic modeling of plasma channel systems for laser plasma accelerators

Structured plasma channels are an essential technology for driving high-gradient, plasma-based acceleration and control of electron and positron beams for advanced concepts accelerators. Laser and gas technologies can permit the generation of long plasma columns known as hydrodynamic, optically-field-ionized (HOFI) channels, which feature low on-axis densities and steep walls. By carefully selecting the background gas and laser properties, one can generate narrow, tunable plasma channels for guiding high intensity laser pulses. Here, we present on the development of simulations of HOFI channels using the FLASH code, a publicly available radiation hydrodynamics code. We explore sensitivities of the channel evolution to laser profile, intensity, and background gas conditions, and identify relevant scalings with laser intensity through a range of practical channel delays.

Accelerators↗