An electron magnetic spectrometer for experiments on a terawatt femtosecond laser

Abstract

Photonuclear methods used earlier in experiments at electron accelerators have been adapted for femtosecond pulsed lasers. In particular, the problem of measuring wide electron spectra under conditions of a high counting rate and, hence, a high probability of pulse pileup has been solved. To provide long-term stability of electron beams from plasma, a magnetic spectrometer combined with a magnetic-induction sensor has been developed. This spectrometer is capable of measuring the electron-beam characteristics in each ultrashort laser pulse. The results of the experiments carried out with the femtosecond laser system at the International Laser Center of the Moscow State University are presented.