Extreme Ultraviolet Generation and Spectroscopy in Laser Wakefield Accelerators

该奖项支持研究如何使用强大的激光来制造极紫外光源。光使我们能够看到我们周围的世界，既可以用我们的眼睛，也可以通过使用显微镜等工具。我们能看到的最小物体取决于所用光的颜色；蓝光可以看到比红光更小的物体，紫外线可以看到更小的物体。极紫外光可以看到小到分子的物体，是目前用于制造最先进的计算机芯片的光。高亮度的极紫外光（EUV）光源是非常困难和昂贵的。该项目旨在了解如何使用超强激光来制造极紫外光源，并评估该光源在应用中的实用性。该项目将实验表征在激光尾流场加速（LWFA）中产生的EUV光的发射。本研究主要有两个方面：(1)利用EUV发射来表征和更好地了解与LWFA相关的等离子体条件；(2)研究LWFA作为EUV光源的潜力。实验将在PetaWatt激光设备上进行，例如ZEUS激光器，在那里将研究各种加速和注入制度以及EUV光谱。将进行激光等离子体相互作用的数值模拟，以确定最合适的模型来描述这个中间能量范围内的物理。通过对等离子体发射的测量，等离子体温度将被推断出来，并通过模拟与注入的电荷相关联。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports a study of how powerful lasers may be used to make extreme ultraviolet light sources. Light enables us to see the world around us, both literally with our eyes but also through the use of tools such as microscopes. The smallest objects we can see depend on the color of the light used; blue light can see smaller objects than red light, and ultraviolet light can see smaller objects still. Extreme ultraviolet light can see objects as small as molecules and is the light that is currently used to manufacture state-of-the-art computer chips. High brightness sources of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light are very difficult and expensive to make. This project aims to understand how extremely powerful lasers may be used to make an EUV light source, and to gauge the practicality of the light for applications. The project will experimentally characterize the emission of EUV light as generated in laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). There are two main facets of this research: (1) to use EUV emission to characterize and better understand the plasma conditions related to LWFA, and (2) to investigate the potential of LWFA as an EUV light source. Experiments will be performed on PetaWatt laser facilities such as the ZEUS laser, where various acceleration and injection regimes and EUV spectroscopy will be investigated. Numerical modeling of laser-plasma interactions will be performed to determine the most suitable models to describe the physics in this intermediate energy range. With measurements of plasma emission, the plasma temperature will be inferred and correlated with injected charge via simulations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.