IOS Seminar
Towards Dephasingless Laser-Wakefield Acceleration
Aaron Liberman
Postdoctoral Researcher, Weizmann Institute of Science
Time: Monday, October 19th 2026 at 1:00PM
Location: Physics Research Building 1080
ABSTRACT: Laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) have demonstrated the ability to generate high-quality, monoenergetic electron beams. Yet, efforts to achieve higher electron energies are hampered by electron dephasing and beam diffraction. One promising approach to mitigating these limitations is the use of structured light to control the on-axis propagation velocity within LWFAs. This method promises an improved balance of extended acceleration distances and strong accelerating gradients. In this talk, we report the first experimental observation of wakefields driven by such structured-light beams as well as the first experimental evidence of the mitigation of dephasing in electron acceleration. Spatiotemporally engineered laser pulses are focused using a specialized mirror to produce a quasi-Bessel beam, and the resulting wakefields are directly measured using femtosecond relativistic electron microscopy. We experimentally demonstrate control over the on-axis propagation velocity of the wakefield and follow its evolution throughout the focal region. We investigate how targeted spatiotemporal modifications affect both the wakefield structure and its propagation velocity. Finally, we present the first successful acceleration of electrons using these wakefields, demonstrating partial mitigation of dephasing.
BIO: Aaron Liberman just completed his PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Prof. Victor Malka where he focused on structured-light-based solutions to dephasing in laser-wakefield accelerators. His thesis work received the Israeli Physical Society's Outstanding PhD Prize, the Weizmann Institute’s Dostrovsky Excellence Prize, a SPIE Optics and Photonics Scholarship, a SPIE Best Paper Award, among other awards and recognitions. His IMPALA spatio-spectral laser diagnostic was named one of the “breakthroughs in Optics in 2024” by Optics and Photonics News.
- No Registration Needed - Refreshments will be provided - This event is open to the public -
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