Differential pumping for kHz operation of a laser wakefield accelerator based on a continuously flowing hydrogen gas jet
Laser-Wakefield Accelerators (LWFAs) running at kHz repetition rates hold great potential for applications. They typically operate with low-energy, highly compressed laser pulses focused on high-pressure gas targets. Experiments have shown that the best-quality electron beams are achieved using hydrogen gas targets. However, continuous operation with hydrogen requires a dedicated pumping system. In this work, we present a method for designing a differential pumping system, which we successfully implemented in our experiments. This enabled the first demonstration of continuous operation of a kHz LWFA using a high-pressure hydrogen gas jet. The system effectively maintained a pressure below 3 × 10-4 mbar, even with a free-flowing gas jet operating at 140 bar backing pressure. Numerical fluid dynamics and optical simulations were used to guide and validate the system's design.
Authors
- Miglė Mackevičiūtė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7047-4997)
- Jaismeen Kaur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8122-9533)
- Rodrigo López-Martens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-7791)
- J. Monzac
- Julius Huijts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9966-7494)
- I. A. Andriyash (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0313-4496)
- J. Fauré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0538-5774)
- Lucas Rovige (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5267-5574)
- Aline Vernier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8049-1094)
- Valdemar Stankevič (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5465-3328)
- Gediminas Račiukaitis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8560-5062)
- Vidmantas Tomkus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6885-1587)
- Slava Smartsev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6445-6184)
- Valdas Girdauskas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0770-177X)
- Antoine Cavagna
- André Kalouguine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3770-1819)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- École Polytechnique (FR)
- Vytautas Magnus University (LT)
- École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées (FR)
- Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (LT)
- Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Review of Scientific Instruments
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0246912
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.61
Funders
- Laserlab-Europe
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba