Bunch modulation in LWFA blowout regime

Abstract

Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is able to produce high quality electron bunches interesting for many applications ranging from coherent light sources to high energy physics. The blow-out regime of LWFA provides excellent accelerating structure able to maintain small transverse emittance and energy spread of the accelerating electron beam if combined with localised injection. A modulation of the back of a self-injected electron bunch in the blowout regime of Laser Wakefield Acceleration appears 3D Particle-in-Cell simulations with the code OSIRIS. The shape of the modulation is connected to the polarization of the driving laser pulse, although the wavelength of the modulation is longer than that of the pulse. Nevertheless a circularly polarized laser pulse leads to a corkscrew-like modulation, while in the case of linear polarization, the modulation lies in the polarization plane.