Electron acceleration in preformed plasma channels with terawatt CO{sub 2} laser

Extended cylindrical plasma channels produced under gas breakdown by axicon-focused laser beams may be used as optical waveguides in laser-driven electron accelerators. Plasma channeling of the laser beams will help to maintain a high acceleration gradient over many Rayleigh lengths. In addition, the rarefied gas density channel produced after the optical gas breakdown, and followed by a plasma column expansion, reduces multiple scattering of the electron beam. A high-power picosecond C0{sub 2}laser operational at the ATF and being further upgraded to the 1 TW level is considered as the source for a plasma channel formation and as the laser accelerator driver. We show how various laser accelerator schemes including beat wave, wake field, and Inverse Cherenkov accelerator benefit from using a channeled short-pulse C0{sub 2}laser as a driver