Ronan Lahaye: Publications

Experimental demonstration of dephasing reduction in an optically guided laser-plasma accelerator

Physical Review Research American Physical Society (APS) 8:2 (2026) 023274

Authors:

Ronan Lahaye, Igor A Andriyash, Julien Gautier, Olena Kononenko, Adrien Leblanc, Jean-Philippe Goddet, Amar Tafzi, Cédric Thaury

Abstract:

Laser-plasma accelerators offer a compact means of producing high-energy electron beams, but their performance is fundamentally limited by dephasing between the accelerated electrons and the plasma wave. To overcome this limitation, we investigate the combination of plasma density tapering and optical guiding to extend the effective acceleration length. Using a Joule-class femtosecond laser coupled into an optical-field-ionized plasma waveguide with a controlled density gradient, we experimentally achieve electron beam energies exceeding 1.6 GeV, a 40% increase compared to the constant-density case. Particle-in-cell simulations reproduce the main experimental features and reveal the central roles of delayed injection, nonlinear laser evolution, and self-focusing in enhancing energy gain.

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Quasimonoenergetic multi-GeV electron acceleration in a plasma waveguide

Physical Review Accelerators and Beams American Physical Society (APS) 28:9 (2025) 091301

Authors:

Ronan Lahaye, Kosta Oubrerie, Olena Kononenko, Julien Gautier, Igor A Andriyash, Cedric Thaury

Abstract:

Laser-plasma accelerators present a promising alternative to conventional accelerators. To fully exploit the extreme amplitudes of the plasma fields and produce high-quality beams, precise control over electron injection into the accelerating structure is required, along with effective laser pulse guiding to extend the acceleration length. Recent studies have demonstrated efficient guiding and acceleration using hydrodynamic optically field-ionized plasma channels. This guiding technique has also been combined with controlled electron injection to produce high-quality electron beams at the GeV level using a 50 TW laser. The present work extends these results to higher laser power, demonstrating the generation of quasimonoenergetic electron beams with peak energies exceeding 2 GeV, for a PW-class laser.

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Decoupling acceleration and wiggling in a laser-produced Betatron source

Physics of Plasmas AIP Publishing 32:8 (2025) 083108

Authors:

Julien Gautier, Igor A Andriyash, Andreas Döpp, Michaela Kozlova, Aimé Matheron, Benoit Mahieu, Cedric Thaury, Ronan Lahaye, Jean-Philippe Goddet, Amar Tafzi, Pascal Rousseau, Stéphane Sebban, Antoine Rousse, Kim Ta Phuoc

Abstract:

Betatron radiation is produced in laser plasma accelerators when the electrons are accelerated and simultaneously wiggle across the propagation axis [Rousse et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 135005 (2004)]. The mechanisms of electron acceleration and x-ray radiation production follow different scaling laws [Corde et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 1–48 (2013)], and the brightest x-ray radiation is often produced for an electron beam with a lower quality in terms of energy and divergence. Here, we report a laser-driven betatron x-ray source where the plasma density profile is tailored in order to separate the acceleration and wiggler stages, which allows for the independent optimizations of acceleration and x-ray production. We demonstrate this concept experimentally and show that the betatron photon energy can be controlled by adjusting the length of the plasma wiggler. This scheme offers a path to overcome the limitations of conventional betatron sources, enabling the production of bright, stable, energetic, and collimated x-ray beams.

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Experimental Demonstration of Dephasing Reduction in an Optically Guided Laser-Plasma Accelerator

ArXiv 2508.00145 (2025)

Authors:

Ronan Lahaye, Igor A Andriyash, Julien Gautier, Olena Kononenko, Adrien Leblanc, Jean-Philippe Goddet, Amar Tafzi, Cedric Thaury

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Quasi-monoenergetic multi-GeV electron acceleration in a plasma waveguide

ArXiv 2503.22472 (2025)

Authors:

Ronan Lahaye, Kosta Oubrerie, Olena Kononenko, Julien Gautier, Igor A Andriyash, Cedric Thaury

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Ronan Lahaye

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Experimental demonstration of dephasing reduction in an optically guided laser-plasma accelerator

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Abstract:

Quasimonoenergetic multi-GeV electron acceleration in a plasma waveguide

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Abstract:

Decoupling acceleration and wiggling in a laser-produced Betatron source

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Experimental Demonstration of Dephasing Reduction in an Optically Guided Laser-Plasma Accelerator

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Quasi-monoenergetic multi-GeV electron acceleration in a plasma waveguide

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Ronan Lahaye

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Experimental demonstration of dephasing reduction in an optically guided laser-plasma accelerator

Authors:

Abstract:

Quasimonoenergetic multi-GeV electron acceleration in a plasma waveguide

Authors:

Abstract:

Decoupling acceleration and wiggling in a laser-produced Betatron source

Authors:

Abstract:

Experimental Demonstration of Dephasing Reduction in an Optically Guided Laser-Plasma Accelerator

Authors:

Quasi-monoenergetic multi-GeV electron acceleration in a plasma waveguide

Authors: