- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review E

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

Plasma discharge undulator: Concept, theory, and numerical study

A. Frazzitta

PDF

Phys. Rev. E 113, 055204 – Published 8 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/g2z4-wgbn

Abstract

Plasma discharge devices have recently emerged as compact and versatile tools for particle beam manipulation. Building upon the active plasma lens (APL) and its curved extension, the active plasma bending, this work introduces the concept of the plasma discharge undulator (PDU). In a PDU, a high-current discharge within a capillary generates an azimuthal magnetic field providing strong linear focusing [O(kT/m)], while a controlled and periodical spatial modulation of the discharge axis acts as a geometric driving term. The resulting beam dynamics can be modeled as a forced harmonic oscillator, yielding a well-defined oscillation at wavelength λPDU, distinct from the natural betatron wavelength λβ related to APL focusing. Proper injection conditions result in the suppression of collective betatron oscillations, significantly reducing the intrinsic undulator strength spread typical of conventional plasma undulators while allowing for matched beam transport thanks to strong APL focusing. Analytical models for particle trajectories and radiation emission are developed, and the one-dimensional requirements for free-electron laser (FEL) emission are evaluated, providing scaling relations and feasibility criteria for FEL operation in the proposed scheme. Theoretical estimates are validated through multiparticle simulations of beam dynamics and radiation emission, confirming that the PDU can operate in the short-period regime (λPDU of millimeters to centimeters) with tunable undulator strength KPDU, supporting narrow-band radiation emission. Numerical studies further demonstrate that the PDU is capable of sustaining seeded longitudinal microbunching analogous to that occurring in conventional magnetic undulators. The PDU thus provides a pathway toward miniaturized, tunable, fully plasma based light sources with enhanced control over focusing and spectral properties.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (37)

  1. S. Wang, C. E. Clayton, B. E. Blue, E. S. Dodd, K. A. Marsh, W. B. Mori, C. Joshi, S. Lee, P. Muggli, T. Katsouleas, F. J. Decker, M. J. Hogan, R. H. Iverson, P. Raimondi, D. Walz, R. Siemann, and R. Assmann, X-ray emission from betatron motion in a plasma wiggler, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 135004 (2002).
  2. E. Esarey, B. A. Shadwick, P. Catravas, and W. P. Leemans, Synchrotron radiation from electron beams in plasma-focusing channels, Phys. Rev. E 65, 056505 (2002).
  3. I. Kostyukov, S. Kiselev, and A. Pukhov, X-ray generation in an ion channel, Phys. Plasmas 10, 4818 (2003).
  4. A. Rousse, K. T. Phuoc, R. Shah, A. Pukhov, E. Lefebvre, V. Malka, S. Kiselev, F. Burgy, J.-P. Rousseau, D. Umstadter, and D. Hulin, Production of a keV x-ray beam from synchrotron radiation in relativistic laser-plasma interaction, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 135005 (2004).
  5. S. Kneip et al., Bright spatially coherent synchrotron x-rays from a table-top source, Nat. Phys. 7, 737 (2011).
  6. A. Döpp, B. Mahieu, A. Lifschitz, C. Thaury, A. Doche, E. Guillaume, G. Grittani, O. Lundh, M. Hansson, J. Gautier, M. Kozlova, J. P. Goddet, P. Rousseau, A. Tafzi, V. Malka, A. Rousse, S. Corde, and K. Ta Phuoc, Stable femtosecond x-rays with tunable polarization from a laser-driven accelerator, Light: Sci. Appl. 6, e17086 (2017).
  7. O. N. Rosmej, X. F. Shen, A. Pukhov, L. Antonelli, F. Barbato, M. Gyrdymov, M. M. Günther, S. Zähter, V. S. Popov, N. G. Borisenko, and N. E. Andreev, Bright betatron radiation from direct-laser-accelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity, Matter Radiat. Extremes 6, 048401 (2021).
  8. A. Frazzitta, A. Bacci, A. Carbone, A. Cianchi, A. Curcio, I. Drebot, M. Ferrario, V. Petrillo, M. R. Conti, S. Samsam, L. Serafini, and A. R. Rossi, First simulations for the EuAPS betatron radiation source: A dedicated radiation calculation code, Instruments 7, 52 (2023).
  9. F. Galdenzi et al., The EuAPS betatron radiation source: Status update and photon science perspectives, Condens. Matter 9, 30 (2024).
  10. D. H. Whittum, A. M. Sessler, and J. M. Dawson, Ion-channel laser, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 2511 (1990).
  11. M. Litos, R. Ariniello, C. Doss, K. Hunt-Stone, and J. R. Cary, Experimental opportunities for the ion channel laser, in Proceedings of 18th Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop (AAC 2018) (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 2018), pp. 1–5.
  12. X. Davoine, F. Fiúza, R. A. Fonseca, W. B. Mori, and L. O. Silva, Ion-channel laser growth rate and beam quality requirements, J. Plasma Phys. 84, 905840304 (2018).
  13. K.-R. Chen, T. Katsouleas, and J. Dawson, On the amplification mechanism of the ion-channel laser, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 18, 837 (1990).
  14. J. D. Jackson, Classical Electrodynamics, 3rd ed. (Wiley, New York, 1999).
  15. A. Pukhov and J. Meyer-ter Vehn, Laser wake field acceleration: The highly non-linear broken-wave regime, Appl. Phys. B 74, 355 (2002).
  16. E. Esarey, C. B. Schroeder, and W. P. Leemans, Physics of laser-driven plasma-based electron accelerators, Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1229 (2009).
  17. A. Frazzitta, Theory and simulations of beam dynamics and radiation emission in plasma-based devices, https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1758808.
  18. C. Huang, W. Lu, M. Zhou, C. E. Clayton, C. Joshi, W. B. Mori, P. Muggli, S. Deng, E. Oz, T. Katsouleas, M. J. Hogan, I. Blumenfeld, F. J. Decker, R. Ischebeck, R. H. Iverson, N. A. Kirby, and D. Walz, Hosing instability in the blow-out regime for plasma-wakefield acceleration, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 255001 (2007).
  19. J. van Tilborg, S. Steinke, C. G. R. Geddes, N. H. Matlis, B. H. Shaw, A. J. Gonsalves, J. V. Huijts, K. Nakamura, J. Daniels, C. B. Schroeder, C. Benedetti, E. Esarey, S. S. Bulanov, N. A. Bobrova, P. V. Sasorov, and W. P. Leemans, Active plasma lensing for relativistic laser-plasma-accelerated electron beams, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 184802 (2015).
  20. R. Pompili, G. Castorina, M. Ferrario, A. Marocchino, and A. Zigler, Guiding of charged particle beams in curved capillary-discharge waveguides, AIP Adv. 8, 015326 (2018).
  21. R. Pompili et al., Focusing of high-brightness electron beams with active-plasma lenses, Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 174801 (2018).
  22. R. Pompili et al., Guiding of charged particle beams in curved plasma-discharge capillaries, Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 215001 (2024).
  23. A. Frazzitta, R. Pompili, and A. Rossi, Theory of particle beams transport over curved plasma-discharge capillaries, Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 27, 091301 (2024).
  24. D. J. Spence and S. M. Hooker, Investigation of a hydrogen plasma waveguide, Phys. Rev. E 63, 015401(R) (2000).
  25. A. Biagioni, M. P. Anania, S. Arjmand, E. Behar, G. Costa, A. Del Dotto, M. Ferrario, M. Galletti, V. Lollo, D. Pellegrini, G. Di Pirro, R. Pompili, Y. Raz, G. Russo, and A. Zigler, Gas-filled capillary-discharge stabilization for plasma-based accelerators by means of a laser pulse, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 63, 115013 (2021).
  26. L. Crincoli, R. Demitra, V. Lollo, D. Pellegrini, M. Pitti, L. Pronti, M. Romani, M. Ferrario, and A. Biagioni, Advanced ceramic plasma discharge capillaries for high repetition rate operation, Sci. Rep. 15, 12456 (2025).
  27. S. Arjmand, A. Amato, R. Catalano, C. Manna, D. Mascali, G. Mauro, D. Oliva, A. Pappalardo, A. Pidatella, J. Suarez, F. Vinciguerra, and G. Cirrone, Parametric study of voltage in plasma-discharge capillary systems: A benchmarking of experimental and simulation data, J. Instrum. 20, C03035 (2025).
  28. S. M. Mewes, G. J. Boyle, R. D'Arcy, J. M. Garland, M. Huck, H. Jones, G. Loisch, A. R. Maier, J. Osterhoff, T. Parikh, S. Wesch, J. C. Wood, and M. Thévenet, Characterization of discharge capillaries via benchmarked hydrodynamic plasma simulations, Phys. Rev. Res. 7, 043193 (2025).
  29. N. A. Bobrova, A. A. Esaulov, J.-I. Sakai, P. V. Sasorov, D. J. Spence, A. Butler, S. M. Hooker, and S. V. Bulanov, Simulations of a hydrogen-filled capillary discharge waveguide, Phys. Rev. E 65, 016407 (2001).
  30. A. Curcio, F. Bisesto, G. Costa, A. Biagioni, M. P. Anania, R. Pompili, M. Ferrario, and M. Petrarca, Modeling and diagnostics for plasma discharge capillaries, Phys. Rev. E 100, 053202 (2019).
  31. D. Bohm, The Characteristics of Electrical Discharges in Magnetic Fields (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1949).
  32. F. Ciocci, G. Dattoli, A. Torre, and A. Renieri, Insertion Devices for Synchrotron Radiation and Free Electron Laser (World Scientific, Singapore, 2000).
  33. F. Stocchi, M. Anania, A. Cianchi, G. Costa, A. Curcio, M. Del Giorno, V. Dompè, D. Francescone, M. Galletti, A. Ghigo, and M. Ferrario, Diagnostics for plasma acceleration and secondary radiation sources for EuAPS project at FLAME laser facility, J. Instrum. 20, C06079 (2025).
  34. P. Schmüser, M. Dohlus, and J. Rossbach, Ultraviolet and Soft X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers: Introduction to Physical Principles, Experimental Results, Technological Challenges (Springer, Berlin, 2009).
  35. A. Frazzitta, radyno, 2024, https://pypi.org/project/radyno/.
  36. C. Hansel, A. Marinelli, Z. Huang, and M. Litos, Three dimensional theory of the ion channel laser, arXiv:2509.20995.
  37. G. Dattoli, L. Giannessi, A. Torre, G. Voykov, and R. Caloi, Linear undulator brightness: Inclusion of low energy corrections and of betatron motion, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A 318, 505 (1992).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. E 113, 055204– Published 8 May, 2026
  • Received 13 January 2026
  • Accepted 22 April 2026
Crossmark - Check for updates button
Creative Commons Logo

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation