Dielectric laser acceleration of sub-relativistic electrons by few-cycle laser pulses

Abstract In this paper we show the application of few-cycle infrared laser pulses for dielectric laser acceleration of electrons in the vicinity of a silicon nanostructure. An ultrashort pulse duration of 20 fs (3.3 optical cycles) allows achieving high peak fields of 2.8 GV/m without structural damage, leading to a peak acceleration gradient of G p =210 MeV/m for sub-relativistic electrons ( v =0.33c).