2022/06/17 by Nie, Zan, Li, Fei, Morales, Felipe +11
#Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph) #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Optics (physics.optics) #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2206.09017
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 has 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 Schrodinger equation simulations with particle-in-cell simulations, we show that a sub-femtosecond, 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.