Laser Intensity Simulations for Plasma-Source Formation in a Plasma-Wakefield Accelerator

Research conducted at SLAC National Accelerator laboratory has shown that Plasma-Wakefield Acceleration (PWFA) is a viable alternative to conventional accelerators with more favorable space and energy requirements. Plasma used in PWFA contexts is generated by using an infrared laser with extremely high peak power to ionize a gaseous medium. In a PWFA context, the plasma must be ionized along a properly-sized region, and must be the correct density to result in a favorable acceleration gradient. This is currently achieved at SLAC’s Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Test (FACET-II) by shaping the incident laser profile via custom-manufactured transmissive optics. These optics are extremely thin, with microscopic diffractive gratings, which makes them extremely expensive and prone to damage. This project attempts to find a more robust alternative to these optics using off-the-shelf lenses, providing a comparable intensity profile for a much lower price.