Revealing the nonlinear transition of beam-driven plasma wakefield

Revealing the nonlinear transition of beam-driven plasma wakefield | 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 Physical Sciences - Article Revealing the nonlinear transition of beam-driven plasma wakefield Yang Wan, Sheroy Tata, Omri Seemann, Bo Peng, Eitan Levine, Eyal Kroupp, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5532767/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Plasma wakefield accelerators, powered by high-current particle beams, are rapidly emerging as a revolutionary platform for both compact light sources and the next generation of high-energy colliders. A critical aspect that remains unresolved in advancing these accelerators is the precise characterization of the field structure and its intricate correlation with the drive particle bunch. In this article, the drive electron bunch is produced by a laser-plasma accelerator, while the plasma wakefield it generates is probed by an ultrashort electron bunch from a separate laser-plasma accelerator. This configuration allows for the simultaneous extraction of both the induced wakefield and the space-charge field of the driving bunch in a single shot. As the charge of the driver is increased, two fundamental phenomena emerge: first, the electric wakefield structure transitions from a linear, sinusoidal pattern to a nonlinear, sawtooth pattern; second, the shape of the field is modified due to the influence of the trailing tail of the driver. Additionally, these observations reveal a strong correlation between the strength of the driver and the wakefield, which aligns closely with quasi-three-dimensional simulations and classical wakefield theory. These findings not only deepen our comprehension of beam-driven plasma wave dynamics but also provide crucial quantitative insights for high-quality plasma wakefield acceleration optimization in real time. Physical sciences/Physics/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques Physical sciences/Physics/Plasma physics/Plasma-based accelerators Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementaryv4.pdf Supplementary Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review 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. 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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-5532767","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":387921125,"identity":"9b011e62-e66f-445b-b868-4ab7a095d94c","order_by":0,"name":"Yang 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A critical aspect that remains unresolved in advancing these accelerators is the precise characterization of the field structure and its intricate correlation with the drive particle bunch. In this article, the drive electron bunch is produced by a laser-plasma accelerator, while the plasma wakefield it generates is probed by an ultrashort electron bunch from a separate laser-plasma accelerator. This configuration allows for the simultaneous extraction of both the induced wakefield and the space-charge field of the driving bunch in a single shot. As the charge of the driver is increased, two fundamental phenomena emerge: first, the electric wakefield structure transitions from a linear, sinusoidal pattern to a nonlinear, sawtooth pattern; second, the shape of the field is modified due to the influence of the trailing tail of the driver. Additionally, these observations reveal a strong correlation between the strength of the driver and the wakefield, which aligns closely with quasi-three-dimensional simulations and classical wakefield theory. 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