Highly spin-polarized multi-GeV electron beams generated by single-species plasma photocathodes
Nie Z, Li F, Morales F, Patchkovskii S, Smirnova O, An W, Zhang C, Wu Y, Nambu N, Matteo D, Marsh KA, Tsung F, Mori WB, Joshi C (2022)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2022
Journal
Book Volume: 4
Article Number: 033015
Journal Issue: 3
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033015
Abstract
High-gradient and high-efficiency acceleration in plasma-based accelerators has been demonstrated, showing its potential as the building block for a future collider operating at the energy frontier of particle physics. However, generating and accelerating the required spin-polarized beams in such a collider using plasma-based accelerators have been a long-standing challenge. Here we show that the passage of a highly relativistic, high-current electron beam through a single-species (ytterbium) vapor excites a nonlinear plasma wake by primarily ionizing the two outer 6s electrons. Further photoionization of the resultant Yb2+ ions by a circularly polarized laser injects the 4f14 electrons into this wake, generating a highly spin-polarized beam. Combining time-dependent Schrödinger equation simulations with particle-in-cell simulations, we show that a subfemtosecond, high-current (4 kA) electron beam with up to 56% net spin polarization can be generated and accelerated to 15 GeV in just 41 cm. This relatively simple scheme solves the perplexing problem of producing spin-polarized relativistic electrons in plasma-based accelerators.
Involved external institutions
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States (USA) (US)
Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. / Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy
Germany (DE)
Beijing Normal University
China (CN)
United States (USA) (US)
Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. / Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy
Germany (DE)
Beijing Normal University
China (CN)
How to cite
APA:
Nie, Z., Li, F., Morales, F., Patchkovskii, S., Smirnova, O., An, W.,... Joshi, C. (2022). Highly spin-polarized multi-GeV electron beams generated by single-species plasma photocathodes. Physical Review Research, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033015
MLA:
Nie, Zan, et al. "Highly spin-polarized multi-GeV electron beams generated by single-species plasma photocathodes." Physical Review Research 4.3 (2022).
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