One-to-one full scale simulations of laser wakefield acceleration using QuickPIC

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates full-scale laser wakefield acceleration simulations using QuickPIC, showing that plasma channels significantly influence laser propagation and enabling electron acceleration beyond 4 GeV with 10 J lasers.

Contribution

First comprehensive one-to-one LWFA simulations with QuickPIC that closely match experimental parameters, including plasma channel effects and energy gains.

Findings

Plasma channels are crucial when laser self-modulation is weak.

Electrons can be accelerated to over 4 GeV in 10 cm plasma channels.

Good qualitative agreement between QuickPIC and 2D OSIRIS, but amplitude discrepancies exist.

Abstract

We use the quasi-static particle-in-cell code QuickPIC to perform full-scale, one-to-one LWFA numerical experiments, with parameters that closely follow current experimental conditions. The propagation of state-of-the-art laser pulses in both preformed and uniform plasma channels is examined. We show that the presence of the channel is important whenever the laser self-modulations do not dominate the propagation. We examine the acceleration of an externally injected electron beam in the wake generated by 10 J laser pulses, showing that by using ten-centimeter-scale plasma channels it is possible to accelerate electrons to more than 4 GeV. A comparison between QuickPIC and 2D OSIRIS is provided. Good qualitative agreement between the two codes is found, but the 2D full PIC simulations fail to predict the correct laser and wakefield amplitudes.