Numerical modelling of a 10-cm-long multi-GeV laser wakefield accelerator driven by a self-guided petawatt pulse

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Abstract
The use of a short-pulse petawatt (PW) laser (τ L < 200 fs, wavelength ≈1 µm) enables experimental realization of a self-guided, multicentimetre-long multi-GeV laser wakefield electron accelerator. A comprehensive set of numerical simulations showed that a 150 fs, 1.33 PW pulse is self-guided over 10 cm of a static filling gaseous plasma of density 1-3 × 10 17 cm-3 and is stable against relativistic filamentation. A fully broken electromagnetic wake (electron density 'bubble') is excited over the entire interaction length. Variations of bubble size and shape associated with nonlinear evolution of the driving pulse result in self-injection of background plasma electrons. Selfinjection begins immediately after the first nonlinear laser focus, where pulse de-focusing forces the bubble to grow. Injection continues without interruption while the bubble expands, and ceases when the laser becomes self-guided and 5 Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.

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