Microcoulomb-level electron beam and multi-Joule hard X-rays driven by a high-efficiency laser-plasma accelerator
Abstract
We report on the production of ultrahigh-charge relativistic electron beams and the development of a laser-wakefield acceleration platform at the LMJ facility. Making use of the kilojoule-class, sub-picosecond PETAL laser pulse focused onto a supersonic helium gas jet, electron beams carrying a total charge beyond 1 µC were generated, with energies up to ∼500 MeV. Given the ps-scale laser pulse duration, an on-target intensity approaching 10^19 W/cm^2 , and a plasma density reaching 2% of the critical density, electron energisation arises from a combination of self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration (SMLWFA) and direct laser acceleration (DLA). The resulting electron spectrum exhibits a Maxwellian-like distribution, characteristic of this mixed SMLWFA/DLA regime. The total energy carried by the electron beam is estimated to be up to 17 J, within a sub-ps duration. A broadband Joule-level photon beam was also produced by Bremsstrahlung, demonstrating the potential for future applications. Experimental results are supported by start-to-end numerical simulations, including 3-D particle-in-cell and Monte-Carlo particle transport calculations. These findings pave the way for applications requiring high-charge electron beams, including the generation of high-power secondary radiation or particle sources. The use of these beams to probe matter in high-energy density states driven by the nanosecond-duration LMJ beams represents another promising avenue.
Related
- Direct observation of electron shedding from a laser-plasma accelerator
- Electron Dynamics in a Wakefield Accelerator Driven by Laser Pulses Carrying Orbital Angular Momentum
- An electron injector for the Electron-Ion Collider based on proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration
- Wavefront-Guided Electron Injection for Direct Laser Acceleration in Relativistic Laser-Driven Plasma Channel
- Modeling runaway electron mitigation via passively driven plasma instabilities in a high-current tokamak
BibTeX
@misc{mahieu2026microcoulomblevel,
title = {{Microcoulomb-level electron beam and multi-Joule hard X-rays driven by a high-efficiency laser-plasma accelerator}},
author = {B Mahieu and L Ribotte and W Cayzac and G Boutoux and R Parreault and J Gastineau and E Lamoine and F Audo and R Babjak and D Batani and N Blanchot and J L Bourgade and M Brochier and T Caillaud and P Canel and S Cavaro and C Chappuis and S Debesset and R Diaz and E d'Humières and W Duchastenier and R Du Jeu and A Duval and B Etchessahar and M Ferri and M Garandeau and L Gremillet and V Hénot and E Journot and J C Kieffer and I Lantuéjoul and L Le Déroff and N Lemos and C Rousseaux and F Scol and K Ta Phuoc and W Vaillant and B Vauzour and M Vranic and X Davoine and F Albert},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
eprint = {2608.16459},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05737327v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Microcoulomb-level electron beam and multi-Joule hard X-rays driven by a high-efficiency laser-plasma accelerator
AU - B Mahieu
AU - L Ribotte
AU - W Cayzac
AU - G Boutoux
AU - R Parreault
AU - J Gastineau
AU - E Lamoine
AU - F Audo
AU - R Babjak
AU - D Batani
AU - N Blanchot
AU - J L Bourgade
AU - M Brochier
AU - T Caillaud
AU - P Canel
AU - S Cavaro
AU - C Chappuis
AU - S Debesset
AU - R Diaz
AU - E d'Humières
AU - W Duchastenier
AU - R Du Jeu
AU - A Duval
AU - B Etchessahar
AU - M Ferri
AU - M Garandeau
AU - L Gremillet
AU - V Hénot
AU - E Journot
AU - J C Kieffer
AU - I Lantuéjoul
AU - L Le Déroff
AU - N Lemos
AU - C Rousseaux
AU - F Scol
AU - K Ta Phuoc
AU - W Vaillant
AU - B Vauzour
AU - M Vranic
AU - X Davoine
AU - F Albert
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/18
PB - HAL
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05737327v1
AB - We report on the production of ultrahigh-charge relativistic electron beams and the development of a laser-wakefield acceleration platform at the LMJ facility. Making use of the kilojoule-class, sub-picosecond PETAL laser pulse focused onto a supersonic helium gas jet, electron beams carrying a total charge beyond 1 µC were generated, with energies up to ∼500 MeV. Given the ps-scale laser pulse duration, an on-target intensity approaching 10^19 W/cm^2 , and a plasma density reaching 2% of the critical density, electron energisation arises from a combination of self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration (SMLWFA) and direct laser acceleration (DLA). The resulting electron spectrum exhibits a Maxwellian-like distribution, characteristic of this mixed SMLWFA/DLA regime. The total energy carried by the electron beam is estimated to be up to 17 J, within a sub-ps duration. A broadband Joule-level photon beam was also produced by Bremsstrahlung, demonstrating the potential for future applications. Experimental results are supported by start-to-end numerical simulations, including 3-D particle-in-cell and Monte-Carlo particle transport calculations. These findings pave the way for applications requiring high-charge electron beams, including the generation of high-power secondary radiation or particle sources. The use of these beams to probe matter in high-energy density states driven by the nanosecond-duration LMJ beams represents another promising avenue.
ER -