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Nature 444, 688-689 (7 December 2006) | doi:10.1038/444688a; Published online 6 December 2006

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Plasma physics: On the node of a wave

Tom Katsouleas1

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A compact electron accelerator can be made by the cunning use of laser pulses to let electrons 'surf' on a plasma wave. The problem has been controlling exactly how much the electrons are accelerated.

In the early 1990s, off the north shore of Maui, Hawaii, Laird Hamilton and Buzzy Kerbox invented the sport of tow-in surfing, using jet skis to propel themselves into particularly large or fast waves. Catching these waves by paddling would have been impossible without becoming caught up in the waves' white water (Fig. 1

  1. Tom Katsouleas is in the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, 3737 Watt Way, Los Angeles, California 90089-0271, USA.
    Email: katsoule@usc.edu

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