Modeling few-cycle shadowgraphy of laser-wakefield accelerators

E Siminos (1) , Stefan Skupin (2, 3) , A Sävert (3) , Jason M. Cole (4) , S.P.D Mangles (4) , M. Kaluza (3)

1 MPI-PKS - Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
2 CELIA - Centre d'Etudes Lasers Intenses et Applications
3 Friedrich-Schiller-Universität = Friedrich Schiller University Jena [Jena, Germany]
4 Blackett Laboratory

Ultrafast shadowgraphy utilizes few cycle probe pulses in order to image density gradients in a plasma allowing to probe structures, such as laser-driven wakes, moving close to the speed of light. Here we study the process of shadowgraphic image formation in the interaction of a few cycle probe pulse with a laser-driven wake using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The output of the PIC code is then post-processed by means of Fourier optics in order to take into account the effect of a typical imaging setup. This allows to construct synthetic shadowgrams which can be compared with experimentally recorded ones. This facilitates the correct interpretation of such involved measurements.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]; Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]; Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]

E Siminos, Stefan Skupin, A Sävert, Jason M. Cole, S.P.D Mangles, et al.. Modeling few-cycle shadowgraphy of laser-wakefield accelerators. Europhys. Conf. Abstr., Jun 2015, Lisbon, Portugal. ⟨hal-01182315⟩