Injected electron acceleration by laser wakefield due to intense ultra-short laser pulses

The self-modulation of laser pulse shape, wakefield generation, and electron acceleration are investigated with a two dimensional electromagnetic wave propagation code and one and two dimensional fully relativistic electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation codes, which include optical field ionization. The generation mechanisms of the electric field in a recent experiment involving ultra-high-energy laser wakefield acceleration of injected electrons, by a laser pulse focused in a gas filled chamber are proposed.