Plasma-based accelerators articles from across Nature Portfolio

Plasma-based accelerators use plasmas to increase the kinetic energy of charged particles such as electrons, protons, and ions. Plasma-based accelerators usually use laser-produced plasmas in which charge neutrality is broken in a localized area. The plasma-based approach enables devices much smaller than conventional particle accelerators.

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
06 June 2023 | Open Access

Refractive plasma optics for relativistic laser beams

Intense laser interaction with matter creates plasma which can act as a nonlinear optical medium. Here the authors demonstrate plasma as a refractive optics for relativistic intensity radiation, evident by the acceleration of multiple electron beams from a single laser pulse passing through the plasma.
- Omri Seemann
- , Yang Wan
- & Victor Malka
Nature Communications 14, 3296
Research
31 May 2023 | Open Access

A beamline to control longitudinal phase space whilst transporting laser wakefield accelerated electrons to an undulator
- Kay A. Dewhurst
- , Bruno D. Muratori
- & Dino A. Jaroszynski
Scientific Reports 13, 8831
Research
11 May 2023 | Open Access

Femtosecond electron microscopy of relativistic electron bunches

The first direct, non-invasive characterization of the lateral structure of a relativistic, micro-sized electron bunch generated from a laser-plasma accelerator.
- Yang Wan
- , Sheroy Tata
- & Victor Malka
Light: Science & Applications 12, 116
Research
14 March 2023 | Open Access

Laser-driven low energy electron beams for single-shot ultra-fast probing of meso-scale materials and warm dense matter
- Katerina Falk
- , Michal Šmíd
- & Michaela Kozlová
Scientific Reports 13, 4252
Research
13 March 2023 | Open Access

Enhanced ion acceleration from transparency-driven foils demonstrated at two ultraintense laser facilities

High energy ions were accelerated by extreme space charge fields induced during relativistic transparency and optimised by tuning the target thickness to the individual laser parameters
- Nicholas P. Dover
- , Tim Ziegler
- & Mamiko Nishiuchi
Light: Science & Applications 12, 71
Research
24 February 2023 | Open Access

Attosecond-Angstrom free-electron-laser towards the cold beam limit

Free-electron lasers (FELs) can produce bright X-ray pulses, but require high quality electron beams. Here the authors show how to generate and preserve ultrabright electron beams from plasma-based accelerators for ultra-compact, high-brightness X-ray FELs.
- A. F. Habib
- , G. G. Manahan
- & B. Hidding
Nature Communications 14, 1054

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

News & Views | 06 February 2023

Lighting up a nest for X-ray emission

Enhancement of laser energy conversion into X-rays is obtained using a target made by entwined carbon nanotubes.
- Andrea Macchi
- & Francesco Pegoraro
Nature Photonics 17, 129-130
News & Views
29 July 2022 | Open Access

Plasma optics improving plasma accelerators
- Andreas Döpp
Light: Science & Applications 11, 239
Editorial | 15 March 2022

Accelerate to the next level

The merits of conventional particle accelerators range from fundamental science to applications like radiotherapy. Plasma-based accelerators are getting up to speed and may overtake conventional ones in the near future.

Nature Physics 18, 223
News & Views | 14 March 2022

Ready for translational research

Laser accelerators promised to deliver high-energy particle beams for biomedical uses, but have struggled to meet constraints on dose control and stability. An experiment now enables translational research with proton beams at ultrahigh dose rate.
- Leonida A. Gizzi
- & Maria Grazia Andreassi
Nature Physics 18, 237-238
Research Highlights | 08 March 2019

Riding the plasma wave
- Giulia Pacchioni
Nature Reviews Materials 4, 227
News & Views
20 June 2018 | Open Access

Seamless multistage laser-plasma acceleration toward future high-energy colliders
- Kazuhisa Nakajima
Light: Science & Applications 7, 21