IONEX: a meshfree ion extraction code based on "particle in cloud of points" concept.

Ion Extraction (IONEX) is an ion extraction modeling code, developed at FAR-TECH, Inc., based on the meshless particle-in-cloud-of-points concept. IONEX self-consistently solves motion equations for ions and Poisson's equation for the electrostatic field, assuming a Boltzmann distribution for the electrons. IONEX is capable of handling multiple species and is graphical user interface-driven. The two-dimensional version is benchmarked with IGUN. The basic algorithm and sample runs are presented.

Plasma electron fluid motion and wave breaking near a density transition.

Recently, Suk, Barov, and Rosenzweig [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1011 (2001)] proposed a scheme for trapping background electrons in a plasma wake field using a sudden downward transition in the background ion density, where the density transition length is small compared to the plasma skin depth. In the present paper we present a fluid dynamical description of this mechanism that is self-consistent up to the point of wave breaking. A one-dimensional nonlinear relativistic second-order differential equation is derived for the electron fluid velocity in Lagrangian coordinates. Numerical integrations of this equation are used to map out the regions of parameter space in which wave breaking occurs and to determine the extent of the downstream region of plasma involved in wave breaking. Comparisons with one-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations show that the onset of trapping occurs at the parameter values where wave breaking begins in the fluid analysis, but that the downstream extent of plasma involved in wave breaking is not a reliable predictor of the number of trapped particles. The PIC simulations also reveal that particles initially located on the upstream side of the density transition may become trapped, although these particles do not participate in wave breaking in the fluid description.

Plasma electron trapping and acceleration in a plasma wake field using a density transition.

A new scheme for plasma electron injection into an acceleration phase of a plasma wake field is presented. In this scheme, a single, short electron pulse travels through an underdense plasma with a sharp, localized, downward density transition. Near this transition, a number of background plasma electrons are trapped in the plasma wake field, due to the rapid wavelength increase of the induced wake wave in this region. The viability of this scheme is verified using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. To investigate the trapping and acceleration mechanisms further, a 1D Hamiltonian analysis, as well as 1D simulations, has been performed, with the results presented and compared.