Effects of Scale Length and Transition Density Ratio on the Electron Trapping and Acceleration with a Sharp Density Transition in Laser Wakefield Accelerator

Abstract

In this paper, the effects of scale length and transition density ratio on the electron trapping and acceleration with a sharp density transition in laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) have been studied using one-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Simulation results show that the number of accelerated electrons depends on the plasma density in the high density region and the scale length of the density transition region. For the detailed investigation of the dynamical features of the electron trapping and acceleration, spatiotemporal patterns of the laser wake wave are also used. Throughout this work, the optimum condition for the electron acceleration could be found in the relevant parameter space of the scale length and the transition density ratio. (c) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics