Laser wakefield acceleration

Summary Form only given, as follows. The operation of the laser wake-field accelerator (LWFA), a plasma-based electron acceleration scheme that utilizes a relativistic optical guiding mechanism for laser pulse propagation is described. Laser pulse propagation within a plasma and the subsequent generation of large amplitude plasma waves have been studied analytically and numerically. The laser pulse propagation problem has been formulated self-consistently to include ponderomotive self-focusing effects (in addition to relativistic self-focusing effects) that result from the plasma electron density evolving under the influence of the laser pulse. The generation of large-amplitude plasma waves in regimes where the plasma waves become highly nonlinear has been examined.<>