Abstract
The interaction of a laser-produced electron beam with an ultraintense laser pulse in free space is studied. We show that the optical pulse with a0=0.5 imparts momentum to the electron beam, causing it to deflect along the laser propagation direction. The observed 3-degree angular deflection is found to be independent of polarization and in good agreement with a theoretical model for the interaction of free electrons with a tightly focused Gaussian pulse, but only when longitudinal fields are taken into account. This technique is used to temporally characterize a subpicosecond laser-wakefield-driven electron bunch. Applications to electron-beam conditioning are also discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Article number | 035004 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 95 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 15 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy