Transverse-Wake Wave Breaking
- 2 June 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 78 (22), 4205-4208
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.78.4205
Abstract
A finite-width laser pulse of high intensity propagating in an underdense plasma excites a transversely inhomogeneous, finite amplitude wakefield. This wake wave undergoes a transverse wave breaking due to the increase of the wake front curvature, followed by the self-intersection of electron trajectories. Transverse break occurs at much lower wave amplitudes than the conventional one-dimensional wave break. The resulting structures have generic forms that can be described by modified curves parallel to a parabola. Simulations with the particle-in-cell electromagnetic relativistic code VLPL2D show such structures appearing.Keywords
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