Wakefield generation and particle acceleration in high-intensity laser plasma and beam-plasma interactions

Abstract

The plasma based particle acceleration mechanism has been recognized as one of the most promising alternative acceleration schemes in recent years. In particular, hot topics have included the laser wakefield acceleration scheme, which uses a wave electric field whose strength is associated with the plasma density, and the direct laser acceleration scheme, which relies on the laser field intensity for energy transfer inside the plasma, as well as particle acceleration by beam plasma interactions, owing to their potential applications in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Furthermore, depending on the laser pulse size compared to the typical plasma skin depth, both the wakefield generation and soliton formation are possible in plasmas. This Research Topic presents recent developments on the particle acceleration mechanism as well as the propagation characteristics of solitons and their interactions in laser-and-beam-driven multi-component plasmas. The Research Topic includes four research articles, two examining particle accelerations in plasmas using twisted laser beams and the formation of electromagnetic solitons and their stability in high-density degenerate plasmas and their applications. Two research articles present studies on the propagation characteristics of electron-acoustic waves in unmagnetized plasmas and the dusty-plasma response in the presence of the polarization force.