Direct observation of betatron oscillations in a laser-plasma electron accelerator

Abstract : During experiments performed on a laser-plasma–based accelerator, correlation of the electron output angle with the electron energy has been observed. These spectral oscillations of the electron beam centroid are attributed to betatron oscillations of the electron beam during its propagation. An analytical model for betatron oscillations including constant longitudinal acceleration is described and used to validate the scenario and retrieve physical parameters. The oscillations can arise from an off-axis injection of the electrons, which can be reproduced using an asymmetric laser intensity profile in Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations. This study emphasizes the influence of non-ideal interaction conditions inherent to experiments.