Modeling Self-Ionized Plasma Wakefield Acceleration for Afterburner Parameters Using Quickpic

For the parameters envisaged in possible afterburner stages[1] of a plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA), the self-fields of the particle beam can be intense enough to tunnel ionize some neutral gases. Tunnel ionization has been investigated as a way for the beam itself to create the plasma, and the wakes generated may differ from those generated in pre-ionized plasmas[2],[3]. However, it is not practical to model the whole stage of PWFA with afterburner parameters using the models described in [2] and [3]. Here we describe the addition of a tunnel ionization package using the ADK model into QuickPIC, a highly efficient quasi-static particle in cell (PIC) code which can model a PWFA with afterburner parameters. Comparison between results from OSIRIS (a full PIC code with ionization) and from QuickPIC with the ionization package shows good agreement. Preliminary results using parameters relevant to the E164X experiment and the upcoming E167 experiment at SLAC are shown.