High-efficiency and high-quality laser-plasma accelerator stages for a plasma-based linear collider

The viability of next generation plasma-based linear colliders relies on the possibility of accelerating high-charge and low-emittance bunches to high energies over short distances with high efficiency, while keeping a small relative energy spread. Laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs) can operate in different regimes, namely, linear (or mildly nonlinear) stages, where laser guiding is achieved by means of an external wave guide such as a plasma channel, or nonlinear stages where the laser is self-guided through the plasma. For the same laser driver energy, LPAs operating in the linear and nonlinear regime are characterized by different accelerating gradients, stage length, optimal bunch parameters, and acceleration efficiency. In this contribution we present an LPA stage operating in the nonlinear regime providing high-gradient, high-efficiency, and quality-preserving acceleration of electron beams for collider applications. We also discuss some of the beam dynamics challenges associated with laser-driven plasma-based accelerators as applied to multi-TeV-scale linear colliders.