AWAKE readiness for the study of the seeded self-modulation of a 400\,GeV proton bunch

TL;DR

The paper demonstrates that the AWAKE experiment setup is prepared for systematic investigation of seeded self-modulation of a 400 GeV proton bunch in a controllable rubidium plasma, confirming full ionization and stable propagation.

Contribution

It presents the readiness of the AWAKE experimental setup for studying seeded self-modulation in plasma wakefield acceleration with detailed ionization and propagation analysis.

Findings

Laser pulse propagates along the entire plasma column.

Rubidium vapor is fully ionized by the laser pulse.

Plasma formation occurs along the proton bunch, influencing its dynamics.

Abstract

AWAKE is a proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment. % We show that the experimental setup briefly described here is ready for systematic study of the seeded self-modulation of the 400\,GeV proton bunch in the 10\,m-long rubidium plasma with density adjustable from 1 to 10$\times10^{14}$\,cm$^{-3}$. % We show that the short laser pulse used for ionization of the rubidium vapor propagates all the way along the column, suggesting full ionization of the vapor. % We show that ionization occurs along the proton bunch, at the laser time and that the plasma that follows affects the proton bunch. %