First ever acceleration of electrons in a proton-driven plasma wave

Electrons have been successfully accelerated at CERN using a wave generated by protons zipping through plasma, report UCL scientists as part of the AWAKE collaboration. The achievement paves the way for an entirely new range of particle physics experiments at higher energies and lower cost. "We have accelerated particles to greater energies and over shorter distances than is possible with current technology, which could result in accelerators of much reduced length and therefore cost," explained Professor Matthew Wing (UCL Physics & Astronomy), Principle Investigator of AWAKE-UK and the Deputy Spokesperson for the overall AWAKE collaboration. "This is a crucial next step in achieving high-energy collisions to probe the fundamental laws of nature." First proposed in the 1970s, plasma waves - or wakefields - were thought to have the potential to drastically reduce the size of accelerators in the next several decades. AWAKE, which stands for Advanced WAKEfield Experiment, was set up as a proof-of-principle compact accelerator project for accelerating electrons to very high energies over short distances. UCL has contributed significantly to AWAKE and today's discovery by delivering the magnetic spectrometer, the key instrument used to measure the accelerated electrons, from design through to final data analysis and publication.