Experimental Study of the Plasma Beat Wave Accelerator

The physics of the beat-excited, relativistic electron plasma wave, a candidate for a laser particle accelerator, is studied in experiments at UCLA. Preliminary experiments have shown waves excited up to 1-3% of the cold wavebreaking amplitude, corresponding to longitudinal electric fields of 0.3-1.0 GeV/m. Issues addressed here include possible experimental limitations on the length, growth time, and amplitude of this plasma wave. Plans for future experiments on the acceleration of test charges will also be presented.