Author: Davidson, A.W.
Paper Title Page
MOP101 Numerical Study of Self and Controlled Injection in 3-Dimensional Laser-Driven Wakefields 286
 
  • A.W. Davidson, R. Fenseca, C. Joshi, W. Lu, J.L. Martins, W.B. Mori, L.O. Silva
    UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
  Funding: DOE and NSF
In plasma based accelerators (LWFA and PWFA), the methods of injecting high quality electron bunches into the accelerating wakefield is of utmost importance for various applications. Understanding how injection occurs in both self and controlled scenarios is therefore important. To simplify this understanding, we start from single particle motion in an arbitrary traveling wave wakefields, an electromagnetic structure with a fixed phase velocity(e.g., wakefields driven by non-evolving drivers), and obtain the general conditions for trapping to occur. We then compare this condition with high fidelity 3D PIC simulations through advanced particle and field tracking diagnostics. Numerous numerical convergence tests were performed to ensure the correctness of the simulations. The agreement between theory and simulations helps to clarify the role played by driver evolution on injection, and a physical picture of injection first proposed in * is confirmed through simulations. Several ideas, including ionization assisted injection, for achieving high quality controlled injection were also explored and some simulation results relevant to current and future experiments will be presented.
*W. Lu et al., PRSTAB 10, 061301, 2007