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journal article·2026-04-01Open access

Development of a high-spatial-resolution schlieren measurement system for observing shock waves in laser wakefield accelerator target

Shingo Sato, Zhan Jin, Yan-Jun Gu, Zhenzhe Lei, Yoshio Mizuta, Toshiya Muto, Izuru Daito, Kai Huang, Nobuhiko Nakanii, Masaki Kando, Tomonao Hosokai

AIP Advances· Volume 16· Issue 4
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Source abstract

Abstract

Laser wakefield acceleration is promising for compact electron acceleration by offering an ultra-high electric field. However, producing stable, high-quality electron beams remains challenging, particularly in the shock-injection regime where most of the instabilities arise during the injection stage. This indicates a strong sensitivity of beam quality to the shock front structure and its position relative to the laser focal position. A Schlieren imaging system is developed with ∼1μm spatial resolution to directly visualize the shock structure and quantify its position stability. By reducing the fluctuation of the shock position from 9.9 to 4.3 μm, the electron beam pointing stability has been improved by an order of magnitude.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics · Particle Accelerators and Free-Electron Lasers · Space Satellite Systems and Control

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

SANKEN, The University of Osaka 1 , Mihogaoka 8-1, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047,

Graduate School of Science, The University of Osaka 2 , 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043,

Laser Accelerator R&D, Innovative Light Sources Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center 3 , 1-1-1, Kouto Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148,

Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University 4 , 1-2-1 Mikamine, 982-0826 Sendai, Miyagi,

Kansai Institute for Photon Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) 5 , 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kizugawa, Kyoto,

Funding

JST MIRAI

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