PHY 694 - Plasma and Wakefield Accelerators

This course provides an introduction to the physics of laser-driven and beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerators. Topics include the description of the motion of a single particle in the fields of a laser or relativistic particle beam, coupling of intense drivers to plasma waves, description of linear and nonlinear plasma waves in 1D and 3D, injection of particles into plasma waves and beam loading, as well as other advanced topics such as the directions of present research as time permits. In addition to the theoretical concepts, the students will also be introduced to the computational and experimental tools used to explore the relevant physical phenomena.

1-3 credits

Grading Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)