Control of electron beam energy-spread by beam loading effects in a laser-plasma accelerator

We present experimental results from a laser wakefield electron accelerator driven by 70 TW ultrashort laser pulses in Helium and Helium–Nitrogen gaseous plasmas with two different Nitrogen concentrations, showing distinct electron-beam qualities. In order to get a clear view of the involved phenomenon, two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed which not only agreed with the experimental results but also provided an investigation on the evolution of accelerating structures. The experimental and simulation results depict that the beam loading effect can strongly modify the longitudinal accelerating electric field of the wake wave, imposing diametrically opposite effects on the final electron-beam qualities, especially the energy-spread, in the Helium–Nitrogen gas mixtures with different Nitrogen concentrations. In the Helium–Nitrogen-mixed plasma with a lower Nitrogen concentration (0.5%), if appropriately controlled, the beam loading effect can be employed to flatten the accelerating electric field for reducing the electron-beam energy spread. In contrast, in the Helium–Nitrogen-mixed plasmas with a higher Nitrogen concentration (5%), the accelerating electric field of the wake is locally reversed by the self-fields of the overloaded electron bunch, and the correspondingly generated negative-slope region of electric field increases the electron-beam energy-spread.