A transportable laser-plasma accelerator in the MeV range

Laser-plasma accelerators emerge as ultra-compact and versatile sources for numerous applications. Although the acceleration length is short (a few millimeters), they typically require large-scale infrastructures including ultra-high-power lasers, vacuum chambers and strict stability for temperature and humidity. As a result, most experiments are conducted in laboratories in large areas with controlled environments. Here, we present a highly compact (footprint of ~ 9 m²) and transportable system capable of generating electrons and photons in the MeV range at high repetition rates (up to 10 Hz) with average charge levels of 0.5 nC and up to 1 nC. This achievement shows the feasibility of performing laser-plasma acceleration outside of laboratory environments with a transportable system, significantly expanding the potential for practical applications.