Plasma Accelerators

Date: 01/14/2025
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST
Credit: 1 Hour

COURSE INTRODUCTION & OUTLINE:

The main advantage of a plasma-based accelerator is that it can support accelerating electric fields many orders of magnitude greater than conventional devices that suffer from breakdown of the waveguide structure, since the plasma is already ‘broken down’. The collective electric field E supported by the plasma is determined by the electron density E ∝ n 1/2 , where n is the electron density, and is known as an electron plasma wave; the collective electric fields are created by a drive beam that may be either a laser or a charged particle beam. These electron plasma waves travel with a phase speed close to the speed of the drive beam. The electric field strength E of the electron plasma wave is approximately determined by the electron density, E ∝ n 1/2 , where n is the density in cm−3 ; for example, a plasma with density 1018 cm−3 can support a field of about 109 V cm−1 , a thousand times greater than a radio-frequency accelerator. 

Let Us explore how this translates to a reduction in size of the accelerator and a reduction in cost

Course Number:  LWP011425
Field of Study: Electrical
Level: Basic
Presenter:
Ronald Finger
Prerequisites: 
None