Author: Esarey, E.
Paper Title Page
TUP053
Short-period Undulators based on Laser-driven Wakefields in Plasma Channels  
 
  • C.B. Schroeder, E. Esarey, C.G.R. Geddes, W. Leemans, S.G. Rykovanov
    LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
 
  Funding: Work supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No.DE-AC02-05CH11231.
We present a novel type of short-period undulator based on controlling the focusing forces on a beam in a plasma wave excited by an intense laser pulse undergoing centroid oscillations in a plasma channel. The period of such a plasma undulator is proportional to the Rayleigh length of the laser pulse and can be sub-mm with an effective undulator strength parameter of order unity. The undulator period can further be controlled and reduced by beating laser modes, or using multiple colors, in the plasma channel. We present analytic expressions for the electron trajectories in the plasma undulator. Analytic work is compared to numerical modeling. Examples are presented of short-period laser-driven plasma undulators based on available laser and plasma channel parameters.