High Fidelity Modeling of Laser-Plasma Accelerators

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to advance the development of compact, next-generation light sources and other laser-based accelerators. Laser-plasma acceleration is a key enabling technology for a new generation of compact particle and radiation sources, but the existing theoretical understanding of the processes governing electron beam formation in such accelerators is incomplete. Further advances require development of computational tools with high physical fidelity, which is the expected outcome of this project. The project will aid in workforce development at all levels by providing training in the basic physics underlying advanced accelerator technologies. The research is expected to benefit society as a whole primarily through advancement of accelerator technologies based on plasma physics. Knowledge gained in this project will aid the effort to realize the technological promise of various laser-plasma accelerators with a wide range of applications from high-energy physics, astrophysics, and nuclear science to medicine, biology, and chemistry. This project will result in the development of improved numerical models suitable for understanding the physics of electron beam formation and evolution in a large class of laser-plasma accelerators. This includes the development of a new two-dimensional Eulerian Vlasov-Maxwell simulation code. Comparisons of results from the new Vlasov-Maxwell solver and predictions of various particle methods will be used to identify regions of validity of the particle methods and to determine the key physical processes involved in electron beam formation and the origins of dark current in laser-plasma accelerators. The project will focus on studying electron beam formation in the bubble (or blow-out) regime. The results of this study will also inform the development of high-fidelity three-dimensional computational tools suitable for designing both near-term experiments and future facilities.