Simulation of quasimonoenergetic electron beams produced by colliding pulse wakefield acceleration

The collision of two laser pulses can inject electrons into a wakefield accelerator, and has been found to produce stable and tunable quasimonoenergetic electron beams [J. Faure et al., Nature 444, 737 (2006)]. This colliding pulse scheme is studied here with 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The results are successfully compared with experimental data, showing the accuracy of the simulations. The involved mechanisms (laser propagation, wake inhibition, electron heating and trapping, beam loading) are presented in detail. We explain their interplay effects on the beam parameters. The experimental variations of beam charge and energy with collision position are explained.