Development of a modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer for time and space density measurements for laser wakefield acceleration

This work reports the development of a modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer aimed at determining the density of gas targets and laser generated plasmas, in time and space. This interferometer will compose our laboratory implementations for laser wakefield acceleration, allowing the characterizations of gas jet profiles generated by submillimeter nozzles. The technique also allows us to estimate the temporal evolution of the plasma density.