Betatron oscillations of electrons accelerated in laser wakefields characterized by spectral x-ray analysis

Abstract : Relativistic electrons accelerated by laser wakefields can produce x-ray beams from their motion in plasma termed betatron oscillations. Detailed spectral characterization is presented in which the amplitude of the betatron oscillations r is studied by numerical analysis of electron and x-ray spectra measured simultaneously. We find that r reaches as low as 1 μm in agreement with previous studies of radiation based on coherence and far-field spatial profile.