Past exam of the short options paper shared by Prelims and Parts A and B of the physics course of the University of Oxford / 2017 / S19 / 3

Use the explicit equation $n/n_c=0.002$; the surrounding phrase reverses the verbal ratio. It gives $n_c=2.0\times 10^{21}$ cm${}^{-3}$. From ${\omega }_0^2=n_c{e}^2/({ϵ}_0{m}_e)$,This is an underdense optical plasma. Treating the ratio as $n_c/n=0.002$ would instead contradict the specified underdense condition.

The supplied density is $4\times 10^{24}$ m${}^{-3}$. ThereforeThe cold relativistic field scale is $E_0=m_{e}c{\omega }_p/e\simeq 1.92\times 10^{11}$ V m${}^{-1}$, corresponding to an energy gradient $\boxed{e{E}_0\simeq 192\mathrm{GeV}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}}$. It is an upper scale for the stipulated large-amplitude wave, not proof that the particular weak driver produces that field.

The laser driver should occupy at most roughly half a plasma period to excite the accelerating density response effectively. Interpreting pulse length as full significant spatial duration gives $\boxed{{\ell }_{\max }\sim {\lambda }_p/2\simeq 8.35\mu \mathrm{m},{\tau }_{\max }\sim 27.8\mathrm{fs}}$. If the source's $\sigma$ denotes the rms width of a Gaussian envelope instead, the resonant scale is commonly $k_p\sigma \sim 1$, or $\sigma \sim 2.66\mu$m and $8.9$ fs; full duration and rms width cannot be assigned the same numerical value without a pulse-shape convention. The robust condition is a sub-plasma-period pulse.

For linear polarization, $a_0=e{E}_L/(m_{e}c{\omega }_0)$ and $I={ϵ}_{0}c{E}_L^2/2$. Substitution gives $a_0\simeq 0.855{\lambda }_{\mu \mathrm{m}}\sqrt{I/(10^{18}\mathrm{W}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2})}\simeq 0.64$. Thus the specified peak electron quiver motion is at most mildly relativistic, not highly relativistic. Its quiver Lorentz factor is of order $\sqrt{1+a_0^2}\simeq 1.19$. The supplied 40 TW fixes a focal area through $P/I$, but does not increase $a_0$ once the intensity is specified. This exposes a limitation of assuming a strongly nonlinear, fully wavebreaking wake in the preceding estimates.

In the cold underdense model, $1-v_g/c\simeq n/(2n_c)$ and ${\gamma }_{\varphi }^2\simeq n_c/n=500$. A relativistic electron slips through half an accelerating sinusoidal wavelength over $L_d\simeq {\gamma }_{\varphi }^2{\lambda }_p\simeq 8.35$ mm. For $E_z=E_0\sin \varphi$ and injection at the start of that half-cycle, integration over $0<\varphi <\pi$ givesInjection at the field crest and acceleration only to its next zero gives half this value, about 0.51 GeV; this explains a common factor-two convention in dephasing estimates. Multiplying the peak field by the entire dephasing length is instead an upper bound, not the sinusoid's actual integral. These are ideal wave-amplitude estimates: $a_0<1$ need not excite $E_0$, and finite pump depletion, pulse evolution and injection physics may reduce the gain. Without a specified nonlinear wake shape, the data warrant an order-GeV cold-wave upper scale, not a unique precision maximum for an actual experiment.