The AWAKE experiment aims to demonstrate preservation of injected electronbeam quality during acceleration in proton-driven plasma waves. The short bunchduration required to correctly load the wakefield is challenging to meet withthe current electron injector system, given the space available to thebeamline. An LWFA readily provides short-duration electron beams withsufficient charge from a compact design, and provides a scalable option forfuture electron acceleration experiments at AWAKE. Simulations of a shock-frontinjected LWFA demonstrate a 43 TW laser system would be sufficient to producethe required charge over a range of energies beyond 100 MeV. LWFA beamstypically have high peak current and large divergence on exiting their nativeplasmas, and optimisation of bunch parameters before injection into theproton-driven wakefields is required. Compact beam transport solutions arediscussed.
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