Simulations of Laser Propagation and X-Ray Radiation Generation in Laser Wakefield Accelerators
[electronic resource].

Description

Main Author

Cummings, Paul G.

Related Names

University of Michigan. Library.

Language(s)

English

Published

2014.

Subjects

Computational Plasma Physics.
Betatron Radiation Simulation.

Summary

relative directions of laser polarization and coma asymmetry on both of these scalings are considered.
results from three basic LWFA parameter sweeps performed using the aforementioned method. Results from a parameter sweeps over the normalized laser vector potential a0, the electron plasma density ne, and the propagation length are presented and discussed. Scalings from these sweeps for the total radiated energy and effective radiation temperatures are established and discussed. Finally, we present the results from two different, related parameter sweeps. The first investigated the impact of the presence of a comatic aberration on the performance of a LWFA system as an electron accelerator. Relationships between the electron beam parameters and severity of the coma are commented upon. The second parameter sweep investigated the impact of the presence of a comatic aberration on the synchrotron-like radiation produced by the LWFA system. Results from this parameter sweep are presented and analyzed. The affects of varying the
Chief among the advantages of of the laser-wakefield accelerator scheme is the generation of short, bright x-rays via the betatron motion of electrons in the wake fields. In addition to being useful for applications in its own right, this radiation can be used as a non-invasive diagnostic for the electron beam properties. In this dissertation, we explore the generation of betatron radiation in laser-wake-field acceleration (LWFA) experiments using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations coupled to a Monte Carlo radiation generation algorithm. First, we discuss the theoretical and computational background necessary for this dissertation, as well as the particular implementation of the PIC method used in the OSIRIS 2.0 code. Second, the method used to simulate the generation of radiation is presented, along with results from verification simulations. Third, we present the

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