The present specification relates to accelerating electrically charged particles. Gas is introduced into a vacuum chamber through at least one nozzle which opens into said vacuum chamber. Focusing an ionizing beam into the gas generates a plasma having a spatial distribution determined by the duration and manner of focusing the ionizing beam's laser pulses. Linearly polarized electromagnetic pulses of a wavelength at least ten times the wavelength of the ionizing beam's laser pulses tear electrons off the plasma, wherein said electromagnetic pulses include at most five optical cycles. The tearing-off of electrons is performed along a straight line defined by the resulting electric field strength of the electromagnetic pulses and simultaneously with the tearing-off of electrons, the positively charged particles of the remaining plasma with a net positive total charge are accelerated through exposure to Coulomb electrostatic forces.