A systematic experimental study on injection of electrons in a gas-jet-based laser wakefield accelerator via ionization of dopant was conducted. The pump-pulse threshold energy for producing a quasi-monoenergetic electron beam was significantly reduced by doping the hydrogen gas jet with argon atoms, resulting in a much better spatial contrast of the electron beam. Furthermore, laser wakefield electron acceleration in an optically preformed plasma waveguide based on the axicon-ignitor-heater scheme was achieved. It was found that doping with argon atoms can also lower the pump-pulse threshold energy in this experimental configuration. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3596438]
