Stability improvement of a laser-accelerated electron beam and the pulse width measurement of the electron beam

Laser wakefield acceleration has the possibility to generate an ultrashort electron beam of the order of femtoseconds or less. In applications of these laser accelerated electron beams, stable and controllable electron beams are necessary. A high stability electron bunch is generated by laser wakefield acceleration with the help of a colliding laser pulse (optical injection). Stable and monoenergetic electron beams have been generated in the self-injection scheme of laser acceleration by using a Nitrogen gas jet target. The electron interaction with the laser field results in transverse oscillations of the electron beam. From the electron oscillation period dependence on the electron energy we find that the electron beam width is equal to 1.7 fs (rms).