The 9th International Conference on Matter and Radiation at Extremes (ICMRE2026) ( ICMRE2026)

We report the first experimental demonstration of directional and collimated electron acceleration in the direct laser acceleration (DLA) regime using a relativistic hollow Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) laser. Electrons are confined within the hollow field distribution along the reflected laser direction, producing a well-defined beam and overcoming the strong divergence characteristic of Gaussian-laser–driven electrons. In particular, the left-circularly polarized LG laser generates a unique longitudinal resonant electric field on the axis, which, combined with transverse confinement, forms a stable acceleration structure. This leads to higher electron energies with improved stability and collimation compared with right-circularly polarized LG cases. The demonstrated LG-laser–driven collimating mechanism extends conventional DLA into a stable and efficient regime, opening opportunities for particle collimation, high-flux particle sources, and coherent radiation generation in relativistic regimes.
 

direct laser acceleration,,Laguerre–Gaussian Lasers