A comparison of ultrarelativistic electron- and positron-bunch propagation in plasmas

Journal Article · Fri Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2345580· OSTI ID:20860224

Zhou, C T; He, X T; Yu, M Y ^[1]

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1. Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P. O. Box 8009, Beijing 100088 (China)

Beam-driven acceleration of electrons and positrons by the electric field of the plasma wakefield is considered in detail using a self-consistent relativistic cylindrical particle-in-cell code with implicit electromagnetic solver. The plasma characteristics, such as the particle motion, the density, the temperatures, the wake fields, and the energies and their transfer, are investigated. Strong local energization and heating of the plasma electrons are observed. Small groups of ions in the wake can also attain temperatures higher than the secondary ionization potential of lithium vapor. It is verified that an electron bunch indeed excites a wakefield of higher energy than a positron bunch, which, in fact, behaves like a negative charge plasma bunch because of the suck-in of background plasma electrons.

• OSTI ID: 20860224
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 13; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRONS
ION TEMPERATURE
IONIZATION
IONIZATION POTENTIAL
IONS
LITHIUM
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA SIMULATION
POSITRONS
RADIATION TRANSPORT
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
VAPORS