Modeling Laser Wake Field Acceleration with the Quasi-Static PIC Code QuickPIC

Journal Article · Mon Nov 27 04:00:00 EST 2006 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2409140· OSTI ID:20898676

Vieira, J ^[1]; Tzoufras, M; Huang, C; Lu, W; Zhou, M; Tsung, F; Decyk, V K; Mori, W B ^[1]; Antonsen, T Jr; Cooley, J ^[2]; Silva, L O ^[3]

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1. University of California, Los Angeles (United States)
2. University of Maryland (United States)
3. GoLP/CFP Instituto Superior Tecnico (Portugal)

We use the Quasi-static Particle-In-Cell code QuickPIC to model laser wake field acceleration, in both uniform and parabolic plasma channels within current state of the art experimental laser and plasma parameters. QuickPIC uses the quasi-static approximation, which allows the separation of the plasma and laser evolution, as they respond in different time scales. The laser is evolved with a larger time step, that correctly resolves distances of the order of the Rayleigh length, according to the ponderomotive guiding center approximation, while the plasma response is calculated through a quasi-static field solver for each transverse 2d slice. We have performed simulations that show very good agreement between QuickPIC and three dimensional simulations using the full PIC code OSIRIS. We have scanned laser intensities from those for which linear plasma waves are excited to those for which the plasma response is highly nonlinear. For these simulations, QuickPIC was 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than OSIRIS.

• OSTI ID: 20898676
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 877; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
GUIDING-CENTER APPROXIMATION
LASERS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMA WAVES
PONDEROMOTIVE FORCE
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS