Abstract

We report with single-particle simulations that longitudinal chromatism, a commonly occurring spatio-temporal coupling in ultrashort laser pulses, can have a significant influence in the longitudinal acceleration of electrons via high-power, tightly-focused, and radially polarized laser beams. This effect can be advantageous, and even more so when combined with small values of temporal chirp. However, the effect can also be highly destructive when the magnitude and sign of the longitudinal chromatism is not ideal, even at very small magnitudes. This motivates the characterization and understanding of the driving laser pulses and further study of the influence of similar low-order spatial-temporal couplings on such acceleration.

© 2019 Optical Society of America

On the importance of frequency-dependent beam parameters for vacuum acceleration with few-cycle radially polarized laser beams

Spencer W. Jolly
Opt. Lett. 45(14) 3865-3868 (2020)

Direct acceleration of an electron in infinite vacuum by a pulsed radially-polarized laser beam

Liang Jie Wong and Franz X. Kärtner
Opt. Express 18(24) 25035-25051 (2010)

Laser nanoprocessing via an enhanced longitudinal electric field of a radially polarized beam

Yukine Tsuru, Yuichi Kozawa, Yuuki Uesugi, and Shunichi Sato
Opt. Lett. 49(6) 1405-1408 (2024)

Validity of the paraxial approximation for electron acceleration with radially polarized laser beams

Vincent Marceau, Charles Varin, and Michel Piché
Opt. Lett. 38(6) 821-823 (2013)

Acceleration in vacuum of bare nuclei by tightly focused radially polarized laser light

Yousef I. Salamin
Opt. Lett. 32(23) 3462-3464 (2007)