Complete Temporal Characterization of Asymmetric Pulse Compression in a Laser Wakefield

J. Schreiber, C. Bellei, S. P. D. Mangles, C. Kamperidis, S. Kneip, S. R. Nagel, C. A. J. Palmer, P. P. Rajeev, M. J. V. Streeter, and Z. Najmudin

Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 235003 – Published 2 December 2010

Abstract

We present complete experimental characterization of the temporal shape of an intense ultrashort 200-TW laser pulse driving a laser wakefield. The phase of the pulse was uniquely measured by using (second-order) frequency-resolved optical gating. The pulses are asymmetrically compressed and exhibit a positive chirp consistent with the expected asymmetric self-phase-modulation due to photon acceleration or deceleration in a relativistic plasma wave. The measured pulse duration decreases linearly with increasing length and density of the plasma, in quantitative agreement with the intensity-dependent group velocity variation in the plasma wave.

Received 3 August 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.235003

Authors & Affiliations

J. Schreiber^1,*, C. Bellei^1,†, S. P. D. Mangles¹, C. Kamperidis^1,‡, S. Kneip¹, S. R. Nagel¹, C. A. J. Palmer¹, P. P. Rajeev², M. J. V. Streeter¹, and Z. Najmudin¹

¹Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
²Central Laser Facility, Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom

^*j.schreiber@imperial.ac.uk
^†Present address: University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
^‡Present address: Technical Institute of Crete, Greece.

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Vol. 105, Iss. 23 — 3 December 2010

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