title: Pulse evolution and plasma-wave phase velocity in channel-guided laser-plasma accelerators.
abstract: The self-consistent laser evolution of an intense, short-pulse laser exciting a plasma wave and propagating in a preformed plasma channel is investigated, including the effects of pulse steepening and energy depletion. In the weakly relativistic laser intensity regime, analytical expressions for the laser energy depletion, pulse self-steepening rate, laser intensity centroid velocity, and phase velocity of the plasma wave are derived and validated numerically.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benedetti
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna and INFN, Via Irnerio 46, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esarey
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Leemans
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D007834:Lasers; D008962:Models, Theoretical