Measurements of plasma wake-fields in the blow-out regime

Initial results from nonlinear plasma wake-field experiments at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA) test facility are reported. This nonlinear “blow-out” regime is characterized by the complete ejection of the plasma electrons from the beam channel. The wake-fields in this case are of notably high quality for acceleration of electrons, as the acceleration is independent of transverse position, and the focusing is linear and independent of longitudinal position within the electron depleted region, allowing self-consistent guiding of the majority of the driving electron beam. Initial measurements of the energy gain in a witness beam indicate a positive shift in its energy distribution of at least 0.5 MeV