3D Simulations of Magnetic Vortex Acceleration with BELLA IP2 parameters*

Magnetic Vortex Acceleration (MVA) is an advanced ion acceleration mechanism requiring ultra-relativistic intensities combined with near-critical density targets that are well matched to the laser conditions. 3D particle-in-cell simulations were conducted in this regime using the WarpX code. Simulations were done with realistic parameters for a newly constructed short-focal length beamline at the BELLA PW facility (IP2) to plan upcoming experiments. We studied the robustness and performance of MVA under varied density ramps to investigate acceleration conditions with and without laser contrast cleaning. The direction and collimation of ion beams in the case of an off-normal angle of incidence was studied, identifying potentially observable signatures in experiments. Simulations were performed with hydrogen and mixed targets to investigate multi-species effects.