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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Gas-dynamic density downramp injection in a beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator

J. P. Couperus Cabadağ1,*, R. Pausch1, S. Schöbel1,2, M. Bussmann3,1, Y.-Y. Chang1, S. Corde4, A. Debus1, H. Ding5,6, A. Döpp5,6 et al.

F. M. Foerster5, M. Gilljohann4,5,6, F. Haberstroh5, T. Heinemann7,8,9, B. Hidding8,9, S. Karsch5,6, A. Koehler1, O. Kononenko4, A. Knetsch4, T. Kurz1,2, A. Martinez de la Ossa7, A. Nutter8,9, G. Raj4, K. Steiniger1, U. Schramm1,2, P. Ufer1,2, and A. Irman1

  • 1Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
  • 2Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Physics, 01069 Dresden, Germany
  • 3Center for Advanced Systems Understanding, Untermarkt 20, Görlitz, Germany
  • 4LOA, ENSTA Paris, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91762 Palaiseau, France
  • 5Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Faculty of Physics, Am Coulombwall 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
  • 6Max Planck Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, Garching 85748, Germany
  • 7Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
  • 8The Cockcroft Institute, Keckwick Lane, Warrington WA4 4AD, United Kingdom
  • 9University of Strathclyde, 107 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom

  • *j.couperus@hzdr.de

Phys. Rev. Research 3, L042005 – Published 15 October, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L042005

Abstract

We present the experimental demonstration of density downramp injection at a gas-dynamic shock in a beam-driven plasma accelerator. The ultrashort driver electron beam with a peak-current exceeding 10 kA allows operation in the blowout regime and enables injection of electron witness bunches at gentle density ramps, i.e., longer than the plasma wavelength, which nurtures prospects for ultralow bunch emittance. By precision control over the position of injection we show that these bunches can be energy-tuned in acceleration gradients of near 120 GV m−1.

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