Numerical studies of electron acceleration behind self-modulating proton beam in plasma with a density gradient

摘要

Presently available high-energy proton beams in circular accelerators carry enough momentum to accelerate high-intensity electron and positron beams to the TeV energy scale over several hundred meters of the plasma with a density of about 10~(15) cm~(-3). However, the plasma wavelength at this density is 100-1000 times shorter than the typical longitudinal size of the high-energy proton beam. Therefore the self-modulation instability (SMI) of a long (～ 10 cm) proton beam in the plasma should be used to create the train of micro-bunches which would then drive the plasma wake resonantly. Changing the plasma density profile offers a simple way to control the development of the SMI and the acceleration of particles during this process. We present simulations of the possible use of a plasma density gradient as a way to control the acceleration of the electron beam during the development of the SMI of a 400 GeV proton beam in a 10 m long plasma. This work is done in the context of the AWAKE project-the proof-of-principle experiment on proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration at CERN.