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Modelling of a variable length gas cell target for laser wakefield acceleration
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- Journal:
- High Power Laser Science and Engineering / Volume 13 / 2025
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 October 2025, e95
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- Article
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We present time-dependent two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) fluid simulations of a gas cell with a variable length of 0–5 cm, designed for laser wakefield acceleration. The cell employs an output nozzle producing extended density ramps, which can facilitate the production of high-quality electron beams. In both geometries, the simulations demonstrate uniform density inside the cell. In the 3D case, the mean density inside the cell reaches a density nonuniformity below
$1\%$ after 100 ms. The density equilibrium time, 
$\tau$, scales with the ratio of cell volume-to-outlet area, a relationship that is not captured by the 2D simulations showing five times shorter equilibrium time. We present a method to determine 
$\tau$ from fluid simulations, allowing the estimation of the minimum delay required to enable a uniform target density. Such uniformity prevents uncontrolled electron injection from density ripples, which has direct implications for optimizing beam quality and reproducibility in wakefield acceleration.
