Proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration (AWAKE), current status and future plans

by Dr Guoxing 国兴 Xia 夏 (The University of Manchester and the Cockcroft Institute)

Friday 28 Dec 2018, 09:30 → 11:00 Asia/Shanghai

B326 (IHEP)

Proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration (AWAKE), current status and future plans Plasma-based accelerators have achieved tremendous progress in the last three decades, thanks to the availability of ultrashort and high power lasers and relativistic electron beams. Nowadays, laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) has routinely achieved GeV beam energy in centimeter long plasma channel. Electron beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) has achieved the energy doubling of a 42 GeV SLC electron beam at SLAC and proved the high efficiency acceleration for electrons and positrons, respectively. The new plasma-based acceleration experiment, so-called AWAKE at CERN has very recently demonstrated the successful acceleration of electrons to up to 2 GeV in a proton driven plasma wakefield. In this talk, I will introduce the basic principles and the development of proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration scheme. The latest experimental results and its future plans. References: [1] AWAKE Collaboration, Acceleration of electrons in the plasma wakefield of a proton bunch, Nature 561, 363-367 (2018). [2] AWAKE Collaboration, Experimental observation of proton bunch modulation in a plasma, at varying plasma densities, accepted to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett. (2018). [3] AWAKE Collaboration, Experimental observation of plasma wakefield growth driven by the seeded self-modulation of a proton bunch, accepted to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett. (2018). Plasma beam dump-towards a compact future accelerator Plasma wakefield can be used to accelerate the particle bunch to high energies in relatively short distances. Meanwhile the plasma wakefield can also be utilized to decelerate the particle bunches more efficiently than the conventional beam dump facilities. Our recent studies show that a properly designed plasma beam dump can effectively absorb the beam energy in a much compact setup. The other advantage of plasma beam dump lies in the fact that the resultant products after beam dump have much less radioactive hazards, compared to conventional material based beam dumps. An international consortium has been initiated to study this plasma beam dump effect with the aims to achieving the compact future accelerator and the possibility to recycle the energy from plasma. Reference: [1] K. Hanahoe, G. Xia et al., Simulation study of a passive plasma beam dump using varying plasma density, Physics of Plasmas 24, 023120 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4977449. About the speaker: 夏国兴博士，目前任职于英国曼彻斯特大学物理和天文学院和Cockcroft 加速器科学研究所研究员（永久职位）。1997 年毕业于兰州大学现代物理学系原子核物理专业，2000 年兰州大学现代物理系获理学硕士学位 （导师孙别和研究员），2003 年在中国科学院近代物理研究所获加速器物理和工程博士学位（导师魏宝文院士和夏佳文院士）。2003-2005 年在北京大学物理学院做博士后研究 （合作导师：陈佳洱院士，郭之虞教授）。2005 年起在德国电子同步加速器研究所DESY 做博士后研究（合作导师：Prof. Dr. Eckhard Elsen），主要参与国际直线对撞机的研发并负责阻尼环的束流动力学研究，期间因为工作出色获得DESY 的所长研究奖。2008 年起在德国马普物理研究所（Max Planck Institute for Physics）做研究科学家(合作导师：Prof. Dr. Allen Caldwell)，领导先进粒子加速器研究组 （包括质子驱动等离子体尾场加速和Muon 子冷却实验组）。夏国兴博士目前在领导曼彻斯特大学先进粒子加速器研究组，主要参与CERN 的AWAKE 国际合作实验项目 （质子驱动等离子尾场加速实验），另外积极开展基于激光和相对论电子束驱动的等离子尾场加速和电介质加速器研发以及先进材料在高能粒子加速器中的应用等。夏博士是Cockcroft 加速器科学研 究所主管研究生教育和培训的常务主任。负责博士研究生课程的规划，教学和招生等。夏博士研究组主要研究领域包括：基于超短超强激光脉冲和相对论带电粒子束流驱动的先进等离子体加速器，束流和激光驱动电介质加速器的研发，加速器束流动力学，先进材料在加速器中的应用和基于激光冷却原子的超冷强流电子束等。夏博士目前已指导博士生 7 名，博士后3 名。夏博士已在各类期 刊发表论文150 余篇，文章被引用1100 多次，他也是国际期刊Physical Review Letters, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 等的审稿人。另外， 夏博士带领的团队还积极参与欧盟地平线Horizon 2020 资助的科研项目EuPRAXIA (是WP10 的召集人)和FCC (Future Circular Collider)。夏博士还是欧洲先进粒子加速器会议EAAC15 和 EAAC17 国际顾问委员会委员，也是英国等离子体加速器指导委员会核心成员。