Related papers: Fast physics-based launcher optimization for elect…
The main purpose of this work is to perform an analysis of realistic new trajectories for a robotic mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in order to demonstrate the great advantages related to the Direct Fusion Drive (DFD). The DFD is a…
Laser plasma accelerators have the potential to reduce the size of future linacs for high energy physics by more than an order of magnitude, due to their high gradient. Research is in progress at current facilities, including the BELLA…
We propose and detail a multi-step analytical procedure, based on an improved fully relativistic plane model for Laser Wake Field Acceleration, to tailor the initial density of a cold diluted plasma to the laser pulse profile, so as to…
A future plasma based linear collider has the potential to reach unprecedented energies and transform our understanding of high energy physics. The extremely dense beams in such a device would cause the plasma ions to fall toward the axis.…
The aim of the study is to analyze the stability of the Energetic Particle Modes (EPM) and Alfven Eigenmodes (AE) in Helitron J and LHD plasma if the electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is applied. The analysis is performed using the…
Plasma wakefield acceleration holds remarkable promise for future advanced accelerators. The design and optimization of plasma-based accelerators typically require particle-in-cell simulations, which can be computationally intensive and…
An enhanced ionization injection scheme using a tightly focused laser pulse with intensity near the ionization potential to trigger the injection process in a mismatched pre-plasma channel has been proposed and examined via…
In this paper we develop a geometric analysis and a numerical algorithm, based on indirect methods, to solve optimal guidance of endo-atmospheric launch vehicle systems under mixed control-state constraints. Two main difficulties are…
We propose a new method for self-injection of high-quality electron bunches in the plasma wakefield structure in the blowout regime utilizing a "flying focus" produced by a drive beam with an energy chirp. In a flying focus the speed of the…
This paper presents a novel approach to launch single microparticles at high velocities under low vacuum conditions. In an all-optical table-top method, microparticles with sizes ranging from a few microns to tens of microns are accelerated…
The problem of finding the optimal thrust profile of a launcher upper stage is analyzed. The engine is assumed to be continuously thrusting, following either a linear or a bilevel parametric profile, until reaching the targeted coplanar…
A new method of controllable injection to generate high quality electron bunches in the nonlinear blowout regime driven by electron beams is proposed and demonstrated using particle-in-cell simulations. Injection is facilitated by…
We use the quasi-static particle-in-cell code QuickPIC to perform full-scale, one-to-one LWFA numerical experiments, with parameters that closely follow current experimental conditions. The propagation of state-of-the-art laser pulses in…
Wakefield accelerators are under development in many laboratories worldwide. They bring the promise of a high accelerating gradient, orders of magnitude higher than current machines. The reduction in the overall length of the accelerators…
The quality of electron bunches accelerated by laser wakefields is highly dependant on the temporal and spatial features of the laser driver. Analysis of experiments performed at APOLLON PW-class laser facility shows that spatial…
Three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations with the code QuickPIC are used to illustrate the typical accelerating structures associated with the interaction of an intense laser beam with an underdense plasma in the blowout regime.…
The path of tokamak fusion and ITER is maintaining high-performance plasma to produce sufficient fusion power. This effort is hindered by the transient energy burst arising from the instabilities at the boundary of high-confinement plasmas.…
The radiation pressure acceleration regime of laser ion acceleration requires high intensity laser pulses to function efficiently. Moreover the foil should be opaque for incident radiation during the interaction to ensure maximum momentum…
Developing complex, reliable advanced accelerators requires a coordinated, extensible, and comprehensive approach in modeling, from source to the end of beam lifetime. We present highlights in Exascale Computing to scale accelerator…
Cosmic rays and magnetic fields can substantially impact the launching of large-scale galactic winds. Many researchers have investigated the role of cosmic rays; our group previously showed that a cosmic-ray and thermally-driven wind could…