Investigation of electron dynamics in a ionization-injection laser-wakefield accelerator via betatron radiation

The features of betatron radiation emitted from accelerated electrons in a laser-wakefield accelerator can help as a diagnostic tool to investigate their dynamics during the acceleration. Here we describe our recent LWFA experiments deploying the ionization induced injection technique carried out with the Draco Ti:Sapphire laser. Equipped with an 2D spectroscopy technique based on single pixel absorption events, we analyze the spectral features of the emitted betatron radiation for a set of different plasma densities. Combined with electron spectra acquired at the same time, the betatron source size for a set of different electron bunches is deduced.