| Paper | Title | Page |
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| TPAE031 | Simulations of Laser Pulse Coupling and Transmission Efficiency in Plasma Channels | 2179 |
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Funding: Work supported by U.S. DOE under contracts DE-FG03-02ER83557, DE-FC02-01ER41178, DE-AC03-76SF00098, DE-FG03-95ER40926 and use of NERC supercomputer facilities. Optical guiding of the laser pulse in a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) via plasma channels can greatly increase the interaction length and, hence, the maximun energy of trapped electrons.* Energy efficient coupling of laser pulses from vacuum into plasma channels is very important for optimal LWFA performance. We present 2D particle-in-cell simulations of this problem using the VORPAL code.** Some of the mechanisms considered are enhanced leakage of laser energy transversely through the channel walls, enhanced refraction due to tunneling ionization of neutral gas on the periphery of the gas jet, ionization of neutral gas by transverse wings of the laser pulse and effect of the pulse being off axis of the channel. Using power spectral diagnostics,*** we are able to differentiate between pump depletion and leakage from the channel. The results from our simulations show that for short (≈λp) plasma ramp, very little leakage and pump depletion is seen. For narrow channel walls and long ramps, leakage increases significantly. *C. G. R. Gedes et al., Nature 431 (2004), p. 538. **C. Nieter and J. R. Cary, J. Comp. Phys. 196 (2004), p. 448.***D. A. Dimitrov et al., Proc. Advanced Accel. Concepts Workshop (2004). |
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| TPAE051 | Designing Photonic Crystal Devices for Accelerators | 3164 |
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Funding: This work supported by U.S. Department of Energy grant DE-FG02-04ER41317. Photonic crystals (periodic dielectric structures with a lattice constant on the order of the wavelength of light) can have a wide range of properties. For instance, photonic crystals can be designed to be completely reflective within a certain bandwidth, thereby becoming a replacement for metal in accelerator structures such as waveguides and cavities. To see whether photonic crystals might find application in accelerators, and to design potential accelerator structures, we will need reliable computer simulations to predict fields and frequencies and other properties of photonic crystal structures. We propose to build photonic crystal structures in the microwave regime and test the validity of computer simulation against experiment. We can then explore more complex issues such as coupling to photonic crystal structures, higher-order mode rejection, and tunable photonic crystals. |
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| TPPE039 | Development of Advanced Models for 3D Photocathode PIC Simulations | 2583 |
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Funding: This work is supported by the U.S. DOE, use of NERSC supercomputer facilities, and the Joint Technology office (JTO). Codes for simulating photocathode electron guns invariably assume the emission of an idealized electron distribution from the cathode, regardless of the particular particle emission model that is implemented. The output of such simulations, a relatively clean and smooth distribution with very little variation as a function of the azimuthal angle, is inconsistent with the highly irregular and asymmetric electron bunches seen in experimental diagnostics. To address this problem, we have implemented a recently proposed theoretical model* that takes into account detailed solid-state physics of photocathode materials in the VORPAL particle-in-cell code.** Initial results from 3D simulations with this model and future research directions will be presented and discussed. *K.L. Jensen, D.W. Feldman, M. Virgo, and P.G. O'Shea, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams, 6:083501, 2003. **C. Nieter and J.R. Cary, J. Comp. Phys. 196 (2004), p. 448. |
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| TPPT033 | Simulations Using the VORPAL Code of Electron Impact Ionization Effects in Waveguide Breakdown Processes | 2298 |
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Funding: Supported by Department of Energy SBIR Grant No. DE-FG03-02ER83554. We present results of three-dimensional simulations using the VORPAL code of power absorbtion by stray electrons in X-band waveguides. These simulations include field emission from the waveguide surfaces, impact ionization of background gas, and secondary emission from the walls. We discuss the algorithms used for each of these electron effects. We show the power abosrbed as a function of background gas density. Finally, we present scaling results for running these simulations on Linux Clusters. |
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| TPPT098 | VORPAL as a Tool for Three-Dimensional Simulations of Multipacting in Superconducting RF Cavities | 4332 |
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Considerable resources are required to run three dimensional simulations of multipacting in superconducting rf cavities. Three dimensional simulations are needed to understand the possible roles of non-axisymmetric features such as the power couplers. Such simulations require the ability to run in parallel. We consider the versatile plasma simulation code VORPAL* as a possible platform to study such effects. VORPAL has a general 3D domain decomposition and can run in any physical dimension. VORPAL uses the CMEE library** to model the secondary emission of electrons from metal surfaces. We will present a three dimensional simulation of a simple pillbox rf cavity to demonstrate the potential of VORPAL to be a major simulation tool for superconducting rf cavities.
*C. Nieter and J.R. Cary, J. Comp. Phys. 196 (2004), p. 448. **P.H. Stoltz, ICFA electron cloud work shop, Napa, CA (2004). |
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| TOPA001 | Mono Energetic Beams from Laser Plasma Interactions | 69 |
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Funding: Supported by U.S. Dept. of Energy contracts DE-AC03-76SF00098, DE-FG03-95ER40926, DE-FG02-01ER41178, DE-FG02-03ER83857, SciDAC, and NSF 0113907. C. Geddes is also supported by the Hertz foundation. A laser driven wakefield accelerator has been tuned to produce high energy electron bunches with low emittance and energy spread by extending the interaction length using a plasma channel. Wakefield accelerators support gradients thousands of times those achievable in RF accelerators, but short acceleration distance, limited by diffraction, has resulted in low energy beams with 100% electron energy spread. In the present experiments on the L’OASIS laser,* the relativistically intense drive pulse was guided over 10 diffraction ranges by a plasma channel. At a drive pulse power of 9 TW, electrons were trapped from the plasma and beams of percent energy spread containing >200pC charge above 80 MeV and with normalized emittance estimated at < 2 pi -mm-mrad were produced.** Data and simulations (VORPAL***) show the high quality bunch was formed when beam loading turned off injection after initial trapping, and when the particles were extracted as they dephased from the wake. Up to 4TW was guided without trapping, potentially providing a platform for controlled injection. The plasma channel technique forms the basis of a new class of accelerators, with high gradients and high beam quality. *W.P. Leemans et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 1615-23 (1998). **C.G.R. Geddes et al., Nature 431, 538-41 (2004). ***C. Nieter et al., J. Comp. Phys. 196, 448-73 (2004). |
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| TOPA003 | Optical Injection into Laser Wake Field Accelerators | |
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Funding: This work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy grants DE-FG02-04ER41317, DE-FG02-01ER41178, aand DE-FG02-03ER83857, and NSF grant 0113907. The accelerating gradient of laser-generated wake fields in plasmas can be orders of magnitude greater than the gradients obtainable in traditional, rf structures. One of the hurdles to overcome on the road to practical utilization of said plasma wake fields for production of high energy particles is the creation of quality beams having significant charge, low emittance, and narrow energy spread. To generate appropriate beams, various injection methods have been proposed. Injection by conventional means of beam prepartion using conventional technology is very difficult, as the accelerating buckets are only tens of microns long. Therefore, the field has turned to all-optical injection schemes, which include injection by colliding pulses, plasma ramps, wave breaking, and self-trapping through pulse evolution. This talk will review the various concepts proposed for injection, including plasma ramps, colliding pulses, and self trapping. The results of simulations and experiments will be discussed along with proposed mechanisms for improving the generated beams. Parameter studies to find optimal beam generation scenarios will be presented. |
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| TOPA003 | Optical Injection into Laser Wake Field Accelerators | |
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Funding: This work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy grants DE-FG02-04ER41317, DE-FG02-01ER41178, aand DE-FG02-03ER83857, and NSF grant 0113907. The accelerating gradient of laser-generated wake fields in plasmas can be orders of magnitude greater than the gradients obtainable in traditional, rf structures. One of the hurdles to overcome on the road to practical utilization of said plasma wake fields for production of high energy particles is the creation of quality beams having significant charge, low emittance, and narrow energy spread. To generate appropriate beams, various injection methods have been proposed. Injection by conventional means of beam prepartion using conventional technology is very difficult, as the accelerating buckets are only tens of microns long. Therefore, the field has turned to all-optical injection schemes, which include injection by colliding pulses, plasma ramps, wave breaking, and self-trapping through pulse evolution. This talk will review the various concepts proposed for injection, including plasma ramps, colliding pulses, and self trapping. The results of simulations and experiments will be discussed along with proposed mechanisms for improving the generated beams. Parameter studies to find optimal beam generation scenarios will be presented. |
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| ROPB008 | Halo Mitigation Using Nonlinear Lattices | 620 |
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| This work shows that halos in beams with space charge effects can be controlled by combining nonlinear focusing and collimation. The study relies on Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations for a one dimensional, continuous focusing model. The PIC simulation results show that nonlinear focusing leads to damping of the beam oscillations thereby reducing the mismatch. It is well established that reduced mismatch leads to reduced halo formation. However, the nonlinear damping is accompanied by emittance growth causing the beam to spread in phase space. As a result, inducing nonlinear damping alone cannot help mitigate the halo. To compensate for this expansion in phase space, the beam is collimated in the simulation and further evolution of the beam shows that the halo is not regenerated. The focusing model used in the PIC is analysed using the Lie Transform perturbation theory showing that by averaging over a lattice period, one can reuduce the focusing force to a form that is identical to that used in the PIC simulation. |