Spin-Polarized Particle Beams from Laser-Plasma Based Accelerators

Abstract

Abstract Current laser-plasma based accelerators are promising options with respect to the acceleration of spin-polarized particle beams. We give an overview over the effects relevant during the acceleration process and more specifically discuss the acceleration of protons via Magnetic Vortex Acceleration (MVA). With the aid of particle-in-cell simulations we show that the length of the density down-ramp at the end of the plasma target affects the final beam quality regarding its collimation. The average spin-polarization of the obtained bunch remains largely robust at about 80% and only decreases for significantly longer ramps.