Retardation effects in space charge calculations of high current electron beams

Abstract

Laser-plasma accelerators are expected to deliver electron bunches with high space charge fields. Several recent publications have addressed the impact of space charge effects on such bunches after the extraction into vacuum. Artifacts due to the approximation of retardation effects are addressed, which are typically either neglected or approximated. We discuss a much more appropriate calculation for the case of laser wakefield acceleration with negligible retardation artifacts due to the calculation performed in the mean rest frame. This presented calculation approach also aims at a validation of other simulation approaches.