Investigation of CO2 Long Intense Laser Pulse Plasma Instabilities in LWFAs*

Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) is a promising method for future medical applications and light sources. Previous studies on particle-driven plasma Wakefield acceleration showed that beam hosing instability precluded stable acceleration [J. Vieira, et al., PRL, 112(20), 205001, 2014]. A process is observed in LWFA similar to hosing instability in particle beams, when a long (~ps), intense (~TW) laser pulse propagates into a plasma, that is still not well understood. We model the long laser LWFA setup of the AE71 experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory with PIC OSIRIS simulations [R. A. Fonseca et al., LNCS (2331) 342, 2002]. Focusing on interactions of the front part of the laser, located before the section that hoses, with the plasma, which are governed by the well documented self-modulation instability. In this poster we characterize that instability and compare its growth rate with theoretical findings for the AE71 laser and plasma explored range of configurations. Finally, we discuss the origin of the hosing instability for long intense laser pulses.