Dielectric laser acceleration of relativistic beams

Student: Gyanendra Yadav
Supervisor: Carsten Welsch

Laser-driven acceleration in dielectric structures is capable of GV/m acceleration gradients and control of sub-femtosecond beams. The field is undergoing a resurgent interest internationally, with large programmes such as the ‘accelerator on a chip’ programme and ERC programmes in THz-driven acceleration in optimised Dielectric Laser Acceleration (DLA) structures completing in 2018, having delivered a strong track record of publications.

This project will extend DLA modelling and optimisation to high scientific impact experimental demonstrations, working in collaboration between Liverpool, PSI and KIT, Lancaster and ASTeC. The project will develop structures for experimental demonstration of acceleration and deflection at both the Paul Scherer Institute and CLARA at Daresbury. In the context of this project, modelling of structures identified through previous work  will be undertaken, with scaling to longer wavelength narrow-band sources that offer increased acceptance for acceleration. In anticipation of the experimental programme, the electron beam modelling will incorporate known (experimentally determined) beam parameters from Swiss-FEL and CLARA. In collaboration with PSI we participate in the design and manufacture of structures optimised for experiments at Swiss-FEL and CLARA. In addition, we will also have a central role in delivering experiments involving PSI collaborators and CI partners.