Speaker
Description
The MITHRA electron linear accelerator at UCLA is being developed as a platform for studying plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) and its relevance to near-planetary electron spectra. The facility can deliver electron beams with hundreds of picocoulombs of charge, sub-picosecond bunch lengths, low transverse emittance, and energies of 30 MeV, extendable to 80 MeV with the full linac configuration. We have also developed a capillary discharge based plasma source. The beam and plasma parameters enable strong wake excitation and the production of broad, structured energy spectra after beam–plasma interaction, analogous to those observed in space-plasma environments. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations model the expected beam–plasma dynamics and guide experimental design. Recent progress on beamline installation, plasma-source development, and initial beam plasma runs are discussed here.
| Working group | WG3 |
|---|