Proof-of-principle experiment for crossed laser beam electron acceleration in a dielectric loaded vacuum structure

Future high energy physics experiments that explore theories beyond the Standard Model will require lepton colliders that provide beams with energies near 1 TeV. These colliders will extend over tens of kilometers if conventional RF disc loaded metal structure based accelerators are employed. Laser driven particle acceleration in a dielectric loaded vacuum is a promising alternative proposed in recent years that could reduce the length of such future colliders to a few kilometers. Due to the high damage threshold of dielectric materials under ultra short near infrared laser pulses a twenty-fold increase of the acceleration gradient to 1 GeV/m is possible.; A proof-of-principle experiment for particle acceleration with crossed laser beams from a single accelerator cell in vacuum is under way at Stanford University. This thesis describes the achievements during the first five years, which include the development of the dielectric accelerator cell, the damage threshold studies, the experiment diagnostics and detailed modeling of the expected laser induced acceleration.