An inverse-Cherenkov dielectric laser accelerator boosted by surface plasmon polaritons

On-chip particle accelerators, especially dielectric laser accelerators utilizing the inverse-Cherenkov effect (ICR-DLAs), show great potential for next-generation compact applications. However, single-sided laser-driven ICR-DLAs suffer from two key drawbacks: (1) the achievable acceleration gradient is notably weaker than the incident laser field due to reflection losses; (2) asymmetric field distributions in the bunch channel cause particle deflection, reducing acceleration efficiency. To address these issues, we propose a novel surface plasmon polaritons (SPP)-based ICR-DLA design, which integrates dual metal films into a silicon prism. This structure achieves two key improvements: (1) excitation of SPP significantly increases the acceleration gradient; (2) the laser-induced surface wave is redistributed to form a symmetric field profile in the bunch channel, thereby minimizing deflection. The effectiveness of this design is validated through theoretical analysis and particle tracking simulations. This SPP-based approach marks a significant advance toward on-chip accelerator systems with high acceleration gradients and easily controllable laser-driven profiles.