All Publications


  • Measurement of Transverse Wakefields Induced by a Misaligned Positron Bunch in a Hollow Channel Plasma Accelerator PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS Lindstrom, C. A., Adli, E., Allen, J. M., An, W., Beekman, C., Clarke, C. I., Clayton, C. E., Corde, S., Doche, A., Frederico, J., Gessner, S. J., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Litos, M., Lu, W., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., O'Shea, B. D., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Yakimenko, V. 2018; 120 (12): 124802

    Abstract

    Hollow channel plasma wakefield acceleration is a proposed method to provide high acceleration gradients for electrons and positrons alike: a key to future lepton colliders. However, beams which are misaligned from the channel axis induce strong transverse wakefields, deflecting beams and reducing the collider luminosity. This undesirable consequence sets a tight constraint on the alignment accuracy of the beam propagating through the channel. Direct measurements of beam misalignment-induced transverse wakefields are therefore essential for designing mitigation strategies. We present the first quantitative measurements of transverse wakefields in a hollow plasma channel, induced by an off-axis 20 GeV positron bunch, and measured with another 20 GeV lower charge trailing positron probe bunch. The measurements are largely consistent with theory.

    View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124802

    View details for Web of Science ID 000428167200014

    View details for PubMedID 29694092

  • Acceleration of a trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator SCIENTIFIC REPORTS Doche, A., Beekman, C., Corde, S., Allen, J. M., Clarke, C. I., Frederico, J., Gessner, S. J., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., O'Shea, B., Yakimenko, V., An, W., Clayton, C. E., Joshi, C., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Litos, M. D., Adli, E., Lindstrom, C. A., Lu, W. 2017; 7: 14180

    Abstract

    High gradients of energy gain and high energy efficiency are necessary parameters for compact, cost-efficient and high-energy particle colliders. Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFA) offer both, making them attractive candidates for next-generation colliders. In these devices, a charge-density plasma wave is excited by an ultra-relativistic bunch of charged particles (the drive bunch). The energy in the wave can be extracted by a second bunch (the trailing bunch), as this bunch propagates in the wake of the drive bunch. While a trailing electron bunch was accelerated in a plasma with more than a gigaelectronvolt of energy gain, accelerating a trailing positron bunch in a plasma is much more challenging as the plasma response can be asymmetric for positrons and electrons. We report the demonstration of the energy gain by a distinct trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator, spanning nonlinear to quasi-linear regimes, and unveil the beam loading process underlying the accelerator energy efficiency. A positron bunch is used to drive the plasma wake in the experiment, though the quasi-linear wake structure could as easily be formed by an electron bunch or a laser driver. The results thus mark the first acceleration of a distinct positron bunch in plasma-based particle accelerators.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-14524-4

    View details for Web of Science ID 000413907000003

    View details for PubMedID 29079817

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5660186

  • Long-range attraction of an ultrarelativistic electron beam by a column of neutral plasma NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS Adli, E., Lindstrom, C. A., Allen, J., Clarke, C. I., Frederico, J., Gessner, S. J., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Litos, M. D., O'Shea, B., Yakimenko, V., An, W., Clayton, C. E., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Joshi, C., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Corde, S., Lu, W. 2016; 18
  • Staging optics considerations for a plasma wakefield acceleration linear collider NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION A-ACCELERATORS SPECTROMETERS DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT Lindstrom, C. A., Adli, E., Allen, J. M., Delahaye, J. P., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Muggli, P., Raubenheimer, T. O., Yakimenko, V. 2016; 829: 224-228
  • Transverse oscillations in plasma wakefield experiments at FACET Adli, E., Lindstrom, C. A., Allen, J., Clarke, C. I., Frederico, J., Gessner, S. J., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Litos, M. D., White, G. R., Yakimenko, V., An, W., Clayton, C. E., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Joshi, C., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Corde, S., Lu, W. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2016: 94–98
  • Self-mapping the longitudinal field structure of a nonlinear plasma accelerator cavity NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Clayton, C. E., Adli, E., Allen, J., An, W., Clarke, C. I., Corde, S., Frederico, J., Gessner, S., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Litos, M., Lu, W., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Xu, X., Yakimenko, V. 2016; 7: 12483

    Abstract

    The preservation of emittance of the accelerating beam is the next challenge for plasma-based accelerators envisioned for future light sources and colliders. The field structure of a highly nonlinear plasma wake is potentially suitable for this purpose but has not been yet measured. Here we show that the longitudinal variation of the fields in a nonlinear plasma wakefield accelerator cavity produced by a relativistic electron bunch can be mapped using the bunch itself as a probe. We find that, for much of the cavity that is devoid of plasma electrons, the transverse force is constant longitudinally to within ±3% (r.m.s.). Moreover, comparison of experimental data and simulations has resulted in mapping of the longitudinal electric field of the unloaded wake up to 83 GV m(-1) to a similar degree of accuracy. These results bode well for high-gradient, high-efficiency acceleration of electron bunches while preserving their emittance in such a cavity.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/ncomms12483

    View details for Web of Science ID 000381691100001

    View details for PubMedID 27527569

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4990705

  • Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Gessner, S., Adli, E., Allen, J. M., An, W., Clarke, C. I., Clayton, C. E., Corde, S., Delahaye, J. P., Frederico, J., Green, S. Z., Hast, C., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Lindstrom, C. A., Lipkowitz, N., Litos, M., Lu, W., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., O'Shea, B., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Walz, D., Yakimenko, V., Yocky, G. 2016; 7

    Abstract

    Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m(-1) is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/ncomms11785

    View details for Web of Science ID 000377144600001

    View details for PubMedID 27250570

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4895722

  • High-field plasma acceleration in a high-ionization-potential gas NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Corde, S., Adli, E., Allen, J. M., An, W., Clarke, C. I., Clausse, B., Clayton, C. E., Delahaye, J. P., Frederico, J., Gessner, S., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Litos, M., Lu, W., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Walz, D., Yakimenko, V. 2016; 7: 11898

    Abstract

    Plasma accelerators driven by particle beams are a very promising future accelerator technology as they can sustain high accelerating fields over long distances with high energy efficiency. They rely on the excitation of a plasma wave in the wake of a drive beam. To generate the plasma, a neutral gas can be field-ionized by the head of the drive beam, in which case the distance of acceleration and energy gain can be strongly limited by head erosion. Here we overcome this limit and demonstrate that electrons in the tail of a drive beam can be accelerated by up to 27 GeV in a high-ionization-potential gas (argon), boosting their initial 20.35 GeV energy by 130%. Particle-in-cell simulations show that the argon plasma is sustaining very high electric fields, of ∼150 GV m(-1), over ∼20 cm. The results open new possibilities for the design of particle beam drivers and plasma sources.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/ncomms11898

    View details for Web of Science ID 000379080100001

    View details for PubMedID 27312720

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4915014

  • 9 GeV energy gain in a beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator PLASMA PHYSICS AND CONTROLLED FUSION Litos, M., Adli, E., Allen, J. M., An, W., Clarke, C. I., Corde, S., Clayton, C. E., FREDERICO, J., Gessner, S. J., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Lu, W., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Schmeltz, M., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Yakimenko, V. 2016; 58 (3)
  • Evidence for high-energy and low-emittance electron beams using ionization injection of charge in a plasma wakefield accelerator Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., An, W., Clayton, C. E., Joshi, C., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Welch, E. C., Lu, W., Adli, E., Allen, J., Clarke, C. I., Corde, S., Frederico, J., Gessner, S. J., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Litos, M. D., Yakimenko, V. IOP PUBLISHING LTD. 2016
  • Optical Characterization of Beam-Driven Plasma Wake Field Accelerators Zgadzaj, R., Li, Z., Downer, M. C., Gessner, S., Corde, S., Litos, M., Clarke, C., Schmeltz, M., Allen, J., Green, S., Hogan, M., Yakimenko, V., Hogan, M. J. AMER INST PHYSICS. 2016

    View details for DOI 10.1063/1.4965657

    View details for Web of Science ID 000389510300068

  • Multi-gigaelectronvolt acceleration of positrons in a self-loaded plasma wakefield NATURE Corde, S., Adli, E., Allen, J. M., An, W., Clarke, C. I., Clayton, C. E., Delahaye, J. P., FREDERICO, J., Gessner, S., Green, S. Z., Hogan, M. J., Joshi, C., Lipkowitz, N., Litos, M., Lu, W., Marsh, K. A., Mori, W. B., Schmeltz, M., Vafaei-Najafabadi, N., Walz, D., Yakimenko, V., Yocky, G. 2015; 524 (7566): 442-?

    Abstract

    Electrical breakdown sets a limit on the kinetic energy that particles in a conventional radio-frequency accelerator can reach. New accelerator concepts must be developed to achieve higher energies and to make future particle colliders more compact and affordable. The plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) embodies one such concept, in which the electric field of a plasma wake excited by a bunch of charged particles (such as electrons) is used to accelerate a trailing bunch of particles. To apply plasma acceleration to electron-positron colliders, it is imperative that both the electrons and their antimatter counterpart, the positrons, are efficiently accelerated at high fields using plasmas. Although substantial progress has recently been reported on high-field, high-efficiency acceleration of electrons in a PWFA powered by an electron bunch, such an electron-driven wake is unsuitable for the acceleration and focusing of a positron bunch. Here we demonstrate a new regime of PWFAs where particles in the front of a single positron bunch transfer their energy to a substantial number of those in the rear of the same bunch by exciting a wakefield in the plasma. In the process, the accelerating field is altered--'self-loaded'--so that about a billion positrons gain five gigaelectronvolts of energy with a narrow energy spread over a distance of just 1.3 metres. They extract about 30 per cent of the wake's energy and form a spectrally distinct bunch with a root-mean-square energy spread as low as 1.8 per cent. This ability to transfer energy efficiently from the front to the rear within a single positron bunch makes the PWFA scheme very attractive as an energy booster to an electron-positron collider.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/nature14890

    View details for Web of Science ID 000360069300032