Conveners
PS4: Theory and simulations: HEP & staging
- Maxence Thรฉvenet (DESY)
- Stefano Romeo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
PS4: Theory and simulations: Methods
- Stefano Romeo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
- Maxence Thรฉvenet (DESY)
PS4: Theory and simulations: Beams & applications
- Maxence Thรฉvenet (DESY)
- Stefano Romeo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
PS4: Theory and simulations: LPA
- Stefano Romeo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
- Maxence Thรฉvenet (DESY)
-
Thomas Wilson (Heinrich Heine Universitรคt)22/09/2025, 16:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
As the next generation of particle colliders stand to require an ever-increasing real-estate footprint, interest is growing in the potential to shrink the accelerator stage by taking advantage of the high accelerating gradients present in plasma-based accelerators.
The unique advantages of plasma accelerators come with unique challenges.
Go to contribution page
Radio-frequency accelerators offer symmetric... -
Xingjian Hui22/09/2025, 16:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
The staging of laser-driven plasma accelerators (LPAs) could open up energy frontiers, but achieving in- and out-coupling of laser pulses while preserving beam quality remains a challenge. In this work, we present an all-optical, in-plasma staging scheme that uses refraction in a transverse plasma density gradient to couple the incoming laser into the next LPA stage, eliminating the need for...
Go to contribution page -
Eleonora Belli (CERN / John Adams Institute, Oxford University)22/09/2025, 17:00PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
The AWAKE experiment at CERN is developing a novel concept for high-gradient particle acceleration using plasma wakefields driven by high-energy proton bunches. After the successful completion of Run 2b which aimed to demonstrate the stabilisation of micro-bunches with a density step in the plasma source, the experiment started the preparation of its next phase Run 2c which focuses on...
Go to contribution page -
Mariana Moreira (CERN)22/09/2025, 17:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
AWAKE is a plasma wakefield acceleration experiment where the wakefields are driven by a long, highly energetic proton bunch that undergoes the self-modulation instability (SMI). The objectives of Run 2c, due to start in 2029, are to demonstrate emittance control of the accelerated electron bunch. Planning for this next phase is under way and includes the design of specialized experimental...
Go to contribution page -
Alexander Debus (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)22/09/2025, 17:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Traveling-wave electron acceleration (TWEAC) is a next-generation laser-plasma acceleration scheme that bypasses dephasing, pump depletion and diffraction limitations, offering a clear path toward compact accelerators beyond 10 GeV, making it a candidate for future compact accelerators based on existing CPA lasers. TWEAC utilizes two pulse-front tilted laser pulses whose propagation directions...
Go to contribution page -
Dr Jian Bin Ben Chen (University of Oslo)23/09/2025, 16:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
The Adaptable Beginning-to-End Linac (ABEL) simulation framework offers a comprehensive solution for simulating and optimising plasma-based accelerators and colliders. ABELโs modular, Python-based design unites diverse, specialised codes such as HiPACE++, Wake-T, ELEGANT, GUINEA-PIG, CLICopti and ImpactX under a single framework, enabling seamless transitions when simulating beamlines...
Go to contribution page -
Arnaud Beck (LLR - CNRS)23/09/2025, 16:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell simulations of laser wakefield accelerators (LWFA) demand heavy computational resources mainly because of the wide range of time and space scales they have to cover: from the short laser cycle to the long plasma target.
Go to contribution page
The time-averaged ponderomotive approximation (TPA), also called the laser envelope model, is a very efficient way of reducing this disparity... -
Maxence Thevenet (DESY)23/09/2025, 17:00PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
As plasma accelerators continue to mature, comprehensive simulations of all system components are increasingly essential for interpreting experimental results and designing credible concepts. Capturing the wide range of relevant physical mechanismsโincluding complex 3D effectsโrequires state-of-the-art simulation tools and seamless integration between them. In this contribution, we present a...
Go to contribution page -
Francesco Massimo (LPGP - CNRS)23/09/2025, 17:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Future, high-fidelity simulations of multi-GeV-class Laser Wakefield Accelerators (LWFAs) will need to model the propagation of high-intensity laser drivers over meter-scale plasmas with high spatial and temporal resolutions, thus requiring high amounts of computational resources.
Various techniques have been devised over the years to reduce the computational cost of such simulations,...
Go to contribution page -
Prof. Alexander Pukhov (University of Duesseldorf)23/09/2025, 17:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
A novel method for simulating wakefield acceleration in plasmas is introduced. The newly developed GEM-PIC code is a fully electromagnetic, three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation tool that leverages a Galilean transformation of variables. This transformation effectively eliminates the vast scale disparity between the laser wavelength and the typical acceleration length in...
Go to contribution page -
Weiming An (Beijing Normal University)23/09/2025, 18:00PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
QuickPIC and QPAD are both parallel PIC codes that applies the quasi-static approximation. They can efficiently simulate both beam driven and laser driven plasma wake field accelerators with a speed that is much faster than the conventional PICs code without losing accuracy. QuickPIC is a 3D code in the Cartesian coordinates while QPAD is a branch of QuickPIC that applies azimuthal...
Go to contribution page -
Alessio Del Dotto (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)24/09/2025, 16:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a cornerstone in addressing complex optimization challenges across scientific domains. Among AI techniques, Bayesian optimization (BO) has proven particularly effective for navigating high-dimensional and computationally expensive parameter spaces.
Go to contribution page
Recent studies have demonstrated BO's ability to optimize electron beam properties to achieve small energy... -
Giovanni Campri (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)24/09/2025, 16:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Microbunching instability (MBI) remains a critical challenge for high-brightness electron beams in linear accelerators, especially for free electron lasers (FEL). We present a comprehensive study of the MBI in the context of EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB, the first FEL user facility driven by plasma acceleration, focusing on both the emergence and the mitigation of MBI under various machine...
Go to contribution page -
Ryan Mcguigan24/09/2025, 17:00PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
We present a theoretical description of the radiative and space-charge intra-bunch interaction of a compact charged bunch undergoing high-field acceleration relevant to LWFA, PWFA conditions. The effects during the process of acceleration are considered specifically, in contrast to previous work that assumes an instantaneous change in energy and examines the post-acceleration interaction with...
Go to contribution page -
Ole Gunnar Finnerud (The University of Oslo)24/09/2025, 17:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
High efficiency is essential for plasma-wakefield accelerators to be a cost-effective alternative for high-power applications, such as a linear collider. However, in a plasma-wakefield accelerator the beam-breakup instability can be seeded by a transverse offset between the driver and trailing bunch. This instability, which rapidly increases the oscillation amplitude of the trailing bunch,...
Go to contribution page -
Finn-Ole Carstens (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf e. V.)24/09/2025, 17:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
We present a study of a radiation signal in laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerators (LPWFA) employing photo cathode injection. While experimentally observed and significant for timing calibration, its underlying physics remains elusive. Using a synthetic optical imaging plugin for PIConGPU we reproduce this signal in simulations for the first time, linking it to plasma structures and cavity...
Go to contribution page -
Gaetano Fiore (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)25/09/2025, 16:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
We propose and test a multi-step preliminary analytical procedure that tailors the initial density $\widetilde{n_0}$ of a cold diluted collisionless plasma to a very short and intense plane-wave laser pulse travelling in the $z$ direction, so as to maximize the early laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) of bunches of plasma electrons self-injected in the plasma wave (PW) by the first...
Go to contribution page -
Michael Backhouse25/09/2025, 16:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Narrow energy spread beams with high spectral density and minimal dark current are critical for a wide range of applications. We report results from both experiments and simulations aimed at optimising these key parameters using laser wakefield accelerators. A fully automated experiment using Bayesian optimisation, controlling only the laser focal position and spectral phase, was used to...
Go to contribution page -
Laury Batista (CEA Saclay)25/09/2025, 17:00PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Laser Wakefield Accelerators (LWFA) offer a promising solution for producing high-energy electron beams in compact setups. Beyond obtaining the required energy, the beam quality (emittance, energy spread, intensity) must also be optimized for LWFA to be considered an alternative to conventional accelerators. Achieving precise control of the transverse beam dynamics is one of the key...
Go to contribution page -
Jessica Tiebel (HZDR)25/09/2025, 17:20PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
The quality of electron beams generated by laser wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) is constantly improving to the point where it is now possible to operate novel light sources such as free-electron lasers (FELs), as has been achieved at various facilities. However, this method is still limited by the fluctuations of the electron beam properties, which are difficult to control due to the...
Go to contribution page -
Oliver Finlay (Central Laser Facility)25/09/2025, 17:40PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
The Extreme Photonics Application Centre (EPAC) will house a 1 PW, 10 Hz repetition rate laser: performing laser-plasma experiments for both academic and industrial communities. Accurate modelling of the laser, of the laser-plasma interaction, and of radiation propagation is essential for experiment design in large-scale user facilities, where access to the beam is highly sought after. To...
Go to contribution page -
Finn-Ole Carstens (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf e. V.)25/09/2025, 18:00PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
We present PIConGPU as an enabling simulation tool for recent advances in plasma acceleration. The transition to Exascale capabilities as enabled new opportunities and capabilities to study plasma accelerators at unprecedented resolution and physical detail. We present recent studies on both laser-driven ion acceleration as well as laser- and plasma-driven electron acceleration and potential...
Go to contribution page -
Kevin Cassou (IJClab - CNRS/IN2P3)PS4: Theory and simulationsOral contribution
Plasma acceleration is an emerging technology with transformative potential for accelerator and light source facilities, as well as applications in medical and nuclear physics. However, its broader adoption is hindered by the reliance on computationally intensive Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations, which require expert knowledge and multiple simulation tools.
Geant4 [1] is a widely used...
Go to contribution page