Related papers: A summary of the beatwave experiments at Ecole Pol…
Counterpropagating Alfv\'en waves are ubiquitously observed in many astrophysical environments, such as a star surface and a planetary foreshock. We discuss an efficient particle acceleration mechanism in two counterpropagating circularly…
The characterization of plasma wakefield acceleration experiments using emitted photons from betatron radiation requires numerical models in support of instrumentation of single-shot, double-differential angular-energy spectra. Precision…
Particle acceleration at astrophysical shocks may be very efficient if magnetic scattering is self-generated by the same particles. This nonlinear process adds to the nonlinear modification of the shock due to the dynamical reaction of the…
Laser wakefield accelerator experiments have made enormous progress over the past $\sim 20$ years, but their promise to revolutionize high-energy particle sources is only beginning to be realized. To make the next step toward engineering…
At Shanghai Jiao Tong University, we have established a research laboratory for advanced acceleration research based on high-power lasers and plasma technologies. In a primary experiment based on the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA)…
The process of cosmic ray acceleration up to energies in excess of $10^{20}$ eV at relativistic shock waves with large Lorentz factors, $\Gamma \gg 1$ requires $\sim \Gamma^2$ particle energy gains at single reflections from the shock (cf.…
Ion acceleration driven by superintense laser pulses is attracting an impressive and steadily increasing effort. Motivations can be found in the potential for a number of foreseen applications and in the perspective to investigate novel…
The phase velocity of the wakefield of a laser wakefield accelerator can, theoretically, be manipulated by shaping the longitudinal plasma density profile, thus controlling the parameters of the generated electron beam. We present an…
A new mechanism for acceleration and enrichment of 3He during impulsive solar flares is presented. Low-frequency electromagnetic plasma waves excited by the Electron Firehose Instability (EFI) can account for the acceleration of ions up to…
We investigate the acceleration of electrons via their interaction with electrostatic waves, driven by the relativistic Buneman instability, in a system dominated by counter-propagating proton beams. We observe the growth of these waves and…
Recent observations have revealed star-forming regions as possible origin sites of very-high-energy (TeV) cosmic rays, not associated with supernova remnants. Colliding-wind binaries (CWBs) are strong X-ray and radio synchrotron emitters…
It is shown that two circularly polarised Alfv\'en waves that propagate along the ambient magnetic field in an uniform plasma trigger non oscillating electromagnetic field components when they cross each other. The non-oscilliating field…
Plasma-based accelerators have made remarkable progress over the last two decades. Their unique characteristics make them tools that can revolutionize fields of science and applications. AWAKE takes advantage of the availability of…
The generation of an autoresonantly phase-locked high amplitude plasma waves to the chirped beat frequency of two driving lasers is studied in two dimensions using particle-in-cell simulations. The two-dimensional plasma and laser…
A particle acceleration mechanism by radiation pressure of precursor waves in a relativistic shock is studied. For a relativistic, perpendicular shock with the upstream bulk Lorentz factor of $\gamma_1 \gg 1$, large amplitude…
We demonstrate resonant excitation of a plasma wave by a train of short laser pulses guided in a pre-formed plasma channel, for parameters relevant to a plasma-modulated plasma accelerator (P-MoPA). We show experimentally that a train of $N…
In simulations of a 10PW laser striking a solid we demonstrate the possibility of producing a pure electron-positron plasma by the same processes as those thought to operate in high-energy astrophysical environments. A maximum positron…
The scattering of electromagnetic waves by an obstacle is analyzed through a set of partial differential equations combining the Maxwell's model with the mechanics of fluids. Solitary type EM waves, having compact support, may easily be…
We present the first demonstration of multi-GeV laser wakefield acceleration in a fully optically formed plasma waveguide, with an acceleration gradient as high as 25 GeV/m. The guide was formed via self-waveguiding of <15 J, 45 fs (<~300…
Particle acceleration by means of non-linear plasma wave interactions is of great topical interest. Accordingly, in this paper we focus on the electron surfing process. Self-consistent kinetic simulations, using both relativistic Vlasov and…