Electron bunch trapping and compression by an intense focused pulse laser

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2004 May;69(5 Pt 2):056502. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.69.056502. Epub 2004 May 13.

Abstract

A focused short-pulse laser of TEM (1,0)+TEM (0,1) mode has two intensity peaks in the radial direction, so that the transverse ponderomotive force may trap electrons between the two peaks. At the same time the longitudinal ponderomotive force may accelerate electrons at the head of the laser pulse, when the laser is focused. When the electrons move to the laser tail, the laser may diverge and the electron deceleration becomes relatively weak. Our numerical analyses demonstrate that electrons are trapped well by the laser potential well, and that at the same time the acceleration by the longitudinal ponderomotive force induces the electron bunch compression. This trapping and compression mechanism is unique: the electron bunch can be compressed to the scale of the laser pulse length.