Experimental Observation of Plasma Wake-Field Acceleration

We report the first experimental test of the physics of plasma wake-field acceleration performed at the Argonne National Laboratory Advanced Accelerator Test Facility. Megavolt-per-meter plasma wake fields are excited by a intense 21-MeV, multipiscosecond bunch of electrons in a plasma of density ${n}_{e}\ensuremath{\simeq}{10}^{13}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, and probed by a low-intensity 15-MeV witness pulse with a variable delay time behind the intense bunch. Accelerating and deflecting wake-field measurements are presented, and the results compared to theoretical predictions.