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We present an overview of diagnostic techniques for measuring key parameters of electron bunches from Laser Plasma Accelerators (LPAs). The diagnostics presented here were chosen because they highlight the unique advantages (e.g. diverse forms of electromagnetic emission) and difficulties (e.g. shot‐to‐shot variability) associated with LPAs. Non destructiveness and high resolution (in space and time and energy) are key attributes that enable the formation of a comprehensive suite of simultaneous diagnostics which are necessary for the full characterization of the ultrashort, but highly‐variable electron bunches from LPAs.

The controlled imaging and transport of ultra‐relativistic electrons from laser‐plasma accelerators is of crucial importance to further use of these beams, e.g. in high peak‐brightness light sources. We present our plans to realize beam transport with miniature permanent quadrupole magnets from the electron source through our THUNDER undulator. Simulation results demonstrate the importance of beam imaging by investigating the generated XUV‐photon flux. In addition, first experimental findings of utilizing cavity‐based monitors for non‐invasive beam‐position measurements in a noisy electromagnetic laser‐plasma environment are discussed.

A design of a compact free‐electron laser (FEL), generating ultra‐fast, high‐peak flux, XUV pulses is presented. The FEL is driven by a high‐current, 0.5 GeV electron beam from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) laser‐plasma accelerator, whose active acceleration length is only a few centimeters. The proposed ultra‐fast source (∼10 fs) would be intrinsically temporally synchronized to the drive laser pulse, enabling pump‐probe studies in ultra‐fast science. Owing to the high current (≳10 kA) of the laser‐plasma‐accelerated electron beams, saturated output fluxes are potentially greater than 1013 photons/pulse. Devices based both on self‐amplified spontaneous emission and high‐harmonic generated input seeds, to reduce undulator length and fluctuations, are considered.