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Experimental demonstration of dephasing reduction in an optically guided laser-plasma accelerator

Ronan Lahaye*, Igor A. Andriyash, Julien Gautier, Olena Kononenko, Adrien Leblanc, Jean-Philippe Goddet, Amar Tafzi, and Cédric Thaury†

  • *Contact author: ronan.lahaye@ensta.org
  • †Contact author: cedric.thaury@ensta.fr
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023274 – Published 10 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/pc2y-hxj9

Abstract

Laser-plasma accelerators offer a compact means of producing high-energy electron beams, but their performance is fundamentally limited by dephasing between the accelerated electrons and the plasma wave. To overcome this limitation, we investigate the combination of plasma density tapering and optical guiding to extend the effective acceleration length. Using a Joule-class femtosecond laser coupled into an optical-field-ionized plasma waveguide with a controlled density gradient, we experimentally achieve electron beam energies exceeding 1.6 GeV, a 40% increase compared to the constant-density case. Particle-in-cell simulations reproduce the main experimental features and reveal the central roles of delayed injection, nonlinear laser evolution, and self-focusing in enhancing energy gain.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023274– Published 10 June, 2026
  • Received 4 August 2025
  • Accepted 23 April 2026
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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.

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