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Injection and acceleration of electrons by radially polarized laser pulses in a plasma channel

P. Hadjisolomou*, P. Valenta, R. Shaisultanov, T. M. Jeong, and S. V. Bulanov

D. Gorlova and C. P. Ridgers

  • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, North Yorkshire YO10 5DD, United Kingdom

  • *Contact author: Prokopis.Hadjisolomou@eli-beams.eu
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Phys. Rev. E 113, 025208 – Published 23 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rgnc-w91p

Abstract

We consider injection and subsequent acceleration of electrons in narrow plasma channels irradiated by linearly and radially polarized ultraintense laser pulses. Using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we show that radially polarized beams significantly promote electron release from the channel walls and lead to enhanced injection. We compare an f/10 linearly polarized laser beam with two radially polarized cases: one focused more tightly (f/5) to match peak intensity, and one at equal f/10 to capture polarization effects. The radially polarized f/10 case injects approximately one-third more charge than the linearly polarized case, while the f/5 radially polarized case outperforms the linearly polarized one by about a factor of two in terms of maximum electron energy. This work provides a controlled three-dimensional comparison that clarifies how laser polarization and focusing geometry influence electron injection efficiency, acceleration pathways, and beam collimation in plasma channels.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. E 113, 025208– Published 23 February, 2026
  • Received 1 December 2025
  • Accepted 28 January 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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