Resonant Excitation of Plasma Wakefields with a Train of Relativistic Particle Bunches | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Resonant Excitation of Plasma Wakefields with a Train of Relativistic Particle Bunches Livio VERRA, Mario Galletti, Angelo Biagioni, Maria Pia Anania, and 20 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6115160/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Resonances play a crucial role in media sustaining oscillatory phenomena, such as plasmas. Normally, the frequency of external forces delivering energy is chosen to be out of tune with respect to the natural plasma electron frequency, so as to avoid resonances leading to the development of deleterious instabilities. However, in the context of plasma wakefield acceleration, resonances can be exploited to generate large-amplitude wakefields, using a train of relativistic particle bunches with frequency content close to the plasma electron frequency, to accelerate a trailing bunch. We show with experimental results and numerical simulations that the wakefields driven by individual successive bunches in overdense plasma superpose linearly, and that their amplitude increases along the train, under optimal coupling with plasma density oscillations. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that a train of bunches with increasing charge can be used to enhance the transformer ratio of the acceleration process, hence improving the energy transfer efficiency. The findings herein open pathways for high-efficiency, high-gradient plasma wakefield acceleration, advancing its potential for future compact accelerators and free-electron lasers. Physical sciences/Physics/Plasma physics/Plasma-based accelerators Physical sciences/Physics/Particle physics/Experimental particle physics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6115160","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":428974764,"identity":"2581ec05-3ad4-44ce-9612-06e59e85995a","order_by":0,"name":"Livio VERRA","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5klEQVRIie3OsWrDMBDG8S8I5OVIVkGN8woXDOmSh5EpeE2gS7YMAT+DoE/RraONoFPp3NFTZ3XJ5CEXp4MXOxkz6D9IN+iHDojFHrC5Aur/eda2yKDlBnic6AFRbJELUfKex40ezuZC0JOJb3RCqzrAZ89v/ndffDDmT0fdYtdNLEbcOPg8/S7XP8UXQ6c+4cnFlLaeUBaOIKTqZL3tp7mHHBwlp11RyS/mRd8gqhaysYZojbtJ43izckSvRgj1xHI+ShaL5hjC3iwNJe/hr+Js6YSELhsl1wZbUH/aGyAWi8Vi050BJ8g9LoGiJ/AAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7290-6352","institution":"INFN - 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