Ukrainian Journal of Physical Optics
2026 Volume 27, Issue 3
ISSN 1816-2002 (Online), ISSN 1609-1833 (Print)
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATION DRIVEN BY THE LASER PULSE WITH A STEEP FRONT IN VARIOUS PLASMA CHANNELS
Bondar, D. S., Maslov, V. I. and Onishchenko, I. N.
Ukr. J. Phys. Opt.
Vol. 27
,
Issue 3 , pp. 03069 - 03082 (2026).
doi:10.3116/16091833/Ukr.J.Phys.Opt.2026.03069
ABSTRACT
Laser wakefield acceleration is an efficient method for generating and accelerating relativistic electron bunches. The parameters of these self-injected bunches depend on the laser and plasma parameters. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the formation of a self-injected bunch is sensitive to the profile of the driving laser pulse. The authors compared a steep-front pulse with a gradual-front pulse while keeping all other laser parameters identical. It is shown that a self-injected bunch forms for a steep front pulse, but no self-injection is observed for a gradual front pulse. The formation and subsequent wakefield acceleration of self-injected bunches were investigated in cylindrical and conical plasma channels for both homogeneous and longitudinally inhomogeneous plasma profiles. An increase in the energy of the self-injected bunch was achieved in the conical channel, as well as in the cylindrical channel with inhomogeneous plasma.
Keywords:
laser, plasma channel, wakefield acceleration, inhomogeneous plasma, electron bunch
UDC:
533.9; 535.3; 519.6
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Лазерне кільватерне прискорення є ефективним методом генерації та прискорення релятивістських електронних згустків. Параметри цих самоінжектованих згустків залежать від параметрів лазера та плазми. У цій роботі показано, що формування самоінжектованого згустку є чутливим до профілю лазерного імпульсу - драйвера. Автори порівняли імпульс із крутим переднім фронтом та імпульс із пологим переднім фронтом за всіх інших однакових параметрів лазера. Показано, що для імпульсу з крутим переднім фронтом формується самоінжектований згусток, тоді як для імпульсу з пологим переднім фронтом самоінжекція не спостерігається. Формування та подальше кільватерне прискорення самоінжектованих згустків досліджувалися в циліндричних і конічних плазмових каналах як для однорідних, так і для поздовжньо неоднорідних профілів плазми. Збільшення енергії самоінжектованого згустку було досягнуто в конічному каналі, а також у циліндричному каналі з неоднорідною плазмою.
Ключові слова: лазер, плазмовий канал, кільватерне прискорення, неоднорідна плазма, електронний згусток
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