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Single-Shot Reconstruction of Electron Beam Longitudinal Phase Space in a Laser Wakefield Accelerator

Y. Ma1,2,3,4,*, M. J. V. Streeter2,3,5, F. Albert6, N. Bourgeois7, S. Cipiccia8,9, J. M. Cole10, S. J. D. Dann2,3, K. Falk11,12,13, E. Gerstmayr10,5 et al.

I. Gallardo González14, A. Higginbotham15, A. E. Hussein1, D. A. Jaroszynski16, A. S. Joglekar17,4, B. Kettle10, K. Krushelnick1,4, N. Lemos6, N. C. Lopes10,18, C. Lumsden15, O. Lundh14, S. P. D. Mangles10, K. G. Miller19, W. Mori19, Z. Najmudin10, Q. Qian1, P. P. Rajeev7, D. Seipt1,2,3,20,21, M. Shahzad16, M. Šmíd11, R. Spesyvtsev16, D. R. Symes7, G. Vieux16, L. Willingale1,2,3, J. C. Wood10, and A. G. R. Thomas1,2,3,4,†

  • *Contact author: yongm@umich.edu
  • †Contact author: agrt@umich.edu
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Phys. Rev. X 15, 031062 – Published 2 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/sxqf-l6mp

Abstract

We report on a single-shot longitudinal phase-space reconstruction diagnostic for electron beams in a laser wakefield accelerator via the experimental observation of distinct periodic modulations in the angularly resolved spectra. Such modulated angular spectra arise as a result of the direct interaction between the ultrarelativistic electron beam and the laser driver in the presence of the wakefield. A constrained theoretical model for the coupled oscillator, assisted by a genetic algorithm, can recreate the experimental electron spectra and, thus, fully reconstructs the longitudinal phase-space distribution of the electron beam with a temporal resolution of approximately 1.3 fs. In particular, it reveals the slice energy spread of the electron beam, which is important to measure for applications such as x-ray free electron lasers. In our experiment, the root-mean-square slice energy spread retrieved is bounded at 9.9 MeV, corresponding to a 0.9%–3.0% relative spread, despite the overall GeV energy beam having approximately 100% relative energy spread.

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Popular Summary

Current x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) require kilometer-scale accelerators to produce the high-energy electron beams needed for imaging at the scale of viruses. A promising alternative, laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), could shrink these accelerators to tabletop size. The challenge is that LWFA produces beams so short in duration that measuring their properties has been extremely difficult. In our study, we present a new technique that allows us to fully map these ultrashort beams.

In LWFA, an intense laser pulse is focused onto a plasma, which creates a wake of electric fields that accelerates electrons, much like a surfer rides a wave. The resulting electron bunch is very short in duration, less than the time it takes light to cross a human hair. To measure it, we let the electrons interact with the laser that drives the wake, causing tiny, controlled deflections. By precisely measuring these deflections and knowing the oscillations of the laser field, we determine the positions and momenta of the electrons, creating a complete map of the beam’s structure and energy.

This breakthrough provides a powerful diagnostic tool that can guide the optimization of LWFA-based accelerators. With this capability, we move closer to realizing compact XFELs and other advanced applications, such as ultrafast imaging and medical technologies.

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Phys. Rev. X 15, 031062– Published 2 September, 2025
  • Received 3 June 2025
  • Accepted 22 July 2025
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