Beam (structure)

Engineering

Particle accelerator

Planar

Nuclear physics

Computer graphics (images)

Optical vortex

Vortex

Atomic physics

Plasma

Economics

Computer science

Classical mechanics

Transverse plane

Laser

Physics

Plasma acceleration

Optics

Angular momentum

Momentum (technical analysis)

Optical physics

Structural engineering

Finance

Acceleration

Electron

Mechanics

Physical Review Letters

We propose a twisted plasma accelerator capable of generating relativistic electron vortex beams with helical current profiles. The angular momentum of these vortex bunches is quantized, dominates their transverse motion, and results in spiraling particle trajectories around the twisted wakefield. We focus on a laser wakefield acceleration scenario, driven by a laser beam with a helical spatiotemporal intensity profile, also known as a light spring. We find that these light springs can rotate as they excite the twisted plasma wakefield, providing a new mechanism to control the twisted wakefield phase velocity and enhance energy gain and trapping efficiency beyond planar wakefields.

Optical Control of the Topology of Laser-Plasma Accelerators