Direct imaging of plasma waves using ultrafast electron microscopy

A femtosecond plasma imaging modality based on a new development of ultrafast electron microscope is introduced. We investigated the laser-induced formation of high-temperature electron microplasmas and their subsequent non-equilibrium evolution. Based on a straightforward field imaging principle, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shuaishuai Sun, Xiaoyi Sun, Daniel Bartles, Elliot Wozniak, Joseph Williams, Peng Zhang, Chong-Yu Ruan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIP Publishing LLC and ACA 2020-11-01
Series:Structural Dynamics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/4.0000044
Description
Summary:A femtosecond plasma imaging modality based on a new development of ultrafast electron microscope is introduced. We investigated the laser-induced formation of high-temperature electron microplasmas and their subsequent non-equilibrium evolution. Based on a straightforward field imaging principle, we directly retrieve detailed information about the plasma dynamics, including plasma wave structures, particle densities, and temperatures. We discover that directly subjected to a strong magnetic field, the photo-generated microplasmas manifest in novel transient cyclotron echoes and form new wave states across a broad range of field strengths and different laser fluences. Intriguingly, the transient cyclotron waves morph into a higher frequency upper-hybrid wave mode with the dephasing of local cyclotron dynamics. The quantitative real-space characterizations of the non-equilibrium plasma systems demonstrate the feasibilities of a new microscope system in studying the plasma dynamics or transient electric fields with high spatiotemporal resolutions.
ISSN:2329-7778