# A compact electron injector for the EIC based on plasma wakefields driven by the RHIC-EIC proton beam

## TL;DR

This paper explores using the RHIC-EIC proton beam to generate plasma wakefields for efficient electron acceleration, potentially enhancing the Electron-Ion Collider's capabilities.

## Contribution

It introduces initial simulation results demonstrating the feasibility of proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration for EIC electron injection.

## Key findings

- Proton beam self-modulates to form microbunches
- Resonant excitation of plasma wakefields with >GV/m gradients
- Potential for efficient electron acceleration in EIC

## Abstract

Initial simulations investigating using the RHIC-EIC proton beam as the drive beam in a plasma wakefield acceleration experiment are presented. The proton beam enters the plasma and undergoes self-modulation, forming a series of microbunches. These microbunches resonantly drive electron density perturbations within the plasma, exciting a longitudinal electric field with accelerating gradients in excess of $\mathrm{GVm^{-1}}$. Injecting electrons into the resulting wakefield offers an efficient method for accelerating electron bunches for use in the proposed EIC collider.