Self-mode-transition from laser wakefield accelerator to plasma wakefield accelerator of laser-driven plasma-based electron acceleration

Abstract

Via three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, the self-mode-transition of a laser-driven electron acceleration from laser wakefield to plasma-wakefield acceleration is studied. In laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) mode, an intense laser pulse creates a large amplitude wakefield resulting in high-energy electrons. Along with the laser pulse depletion, the electron bunch accelerated in the LWFA mode drives a plasma wakefield. Then, after the plasma wakefield accelerator mode is established, electrons are trapped and accelerated in the plasma wakefield. The mode transition process and the characteristics of the accelerated electron beam are presented.

Relativistic frequency upshift to the extreme ultraviolet regime using self-induced oscillatory flying mirrors

“…In all simulations, a p-polarized laser pulse with a normalized amplitude a 0 of 6.5 (4.6 for the high-contrast case) and a pulse duration of 30 fs was launched into the solid target at an angle of 45°. The validity of the ALPS code used in our simulations has been demonstrated in other studies2223.…”

“…We performed one-dimensional and two-dimensional PIC simulations using the APRI laser plasma simulator (ALPS) code2223 to theoretically explain the experimental results. Figure 6 shows the results for a simulation of the solid targets with both a sharp plasma density and a long plasma density.…”

Giga-electronvolt electrons due to a transition from laser wakefield acceleration to plasma wakefield acceleration

“…In the simulations of Pae et al 27 it appears that in the case where the electron density was slightly lower, 7 × 10 18 cm −3 , the primary bunch of electron only had a charge of 200 pC and only led to acceleration of the secondary bunch up to 320 MeV, a similar energy to that of the primary bunch. In the present simulation the larger charge in the primary bunch, of the order of 1nC, allowed for the much stronger acceleration of the secondary bunch up to double the driver electron energy.…”

“…Hafz et al 8 26 proposed the combination of the LWFA process with the PWFA process in separate plasmas to create and then accelerate quasimonoenergetic electron bunches, carrying out PIC simulations indicating that a secondary 10 pC bunch of 500 MeV electrons could be accelerated up to 1 GeV by a 100 pC primary bunch of 500 MeV electrons. Pae et al 27 proposed that there can be a mode transition from the LWFA process to the PWFA process within a single interaction plasma, demonstrating in a 3D PIC simulation the acceleration of a 16 pC secondary bunch of electrons up to 320…”

Physics of fully-loaded laser-plasma accelerators

“…Toward the end of the jet (see the electron density spatial distribution in the bottom frame of Fig. 4), the electron plasma density is much lower and the macrobunch, with a length close to 60 μm, is able to drive its own wakefield (the bunch length, of the same order than the local λ p , is resonant) [19][20][21][22][23]. The macrobunch, with its bunch structure still visible, can generate a very large bubble.…”