Undergraduate Research at Jefferson Lab

Running Simulations for the New Inverse Compton Scattering Code, NLCS

Student: Gabriella Wilson

School: Regent University

Mentored By: Erik Johnson, Balša Terzić, and Geoffrey Krafft

Inverse Compton Scattering is split into different groups known as Linear and Nonlinear Thomson Scattering and Linear and Nonlinear Compton Scattering. This group has researched the first three areas and created codes to understand what happens in those regions. All codes are created in Python and made to fix errors like harmonic generation and pondermotive broadening. This years new code, the Nonlinear Compton Simulation (NLCS) will cover all four domains. The focus of this project is to run simulations for this new code and, therefore, add to the research on Nonlinear Compton Scattering. NLCS is an upgraded version of its predecessor NLTX, and is made to handle scattering at a higher field strength parameter. One result that is to be expected in future simulations is that chirping might appear to have a maximum limit. This was measured during earlier simulations while trying to run them with higher electron beam emittance. Through further testing, it is safe to assume that the result will arise again. If these results are correct, then there will need to be a new technique to combat pondermotive broadening above this limit.

[Watch the presentation on YouTube]