III.10 — Dielectric laser accelerators

The concept of a dielectric laser accelerator (DLA) leverages manifold improvements in semiconductor manufacturing and near-infrared laser technology. Energy from a driving laser is transferred to charged particles through the interaction in a sub-micron-scale structure made of glass, silicon, or other dielectrics. Due to high breakdown voltages, acceleration gradients in the order of 1 GV/m are tangible. However, the small aperture of the structure and short bucket length require ultra-high-brightness electron sources for efficient injection into the DLA. Future applications will exploit the compactness, high repetition rate, and most notably the attosecond time structure of a DLA's particle beam.