2024/10/25 by J. Monzac, Slava Smartsev, Monzac, Joséphine +29
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph) #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #FOS: Physical sciences #Laser Design and Applications #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Optics (physics.optics) #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2410.21309
openalex publication_date 2024/10/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Laser-Wakefield Accelerators (LWFA) running at kHz repetition rates hold great potential for applications. They typically operate with low-energy, highly compressed laser pulses focused in high-pressure gas targets. Experiments have shown that the best-quality electron beams are achieved using Hydrogen gas targets. However, continuous operation with Hydrogen requires a dedicated pumping system. In this work, we present a method for designing a differential pumping system, which we successfully implemented in our experiments. This enabled the first demonstration of continuous operation of a kHz LWFA using a high-pressure Hydrogen gas jet. The system effectively maintained a pressure below 3e-4 mbar, even with a free-flowing gas jet operating at 140 bar backing pressure. Numerical fluid dynamics and optical simulations were used to guide and validate the system's design.