Effects of realistic laser intensity and phase distribution on high-charge laser wakefield acceleration

Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) can produce relativistic electron beams and various secondary particles in centimeter-long plasmas, making it a valuable particle source with important applications in many disciplines. In this work, we examine the effects of non-ideal transverse intensity and phase distribution of laser pulses on LWFA through both experimental measurements and particle-in-cell simulations. The complex transverse profile of the 75 TW laser pulses reduces the self-focused intensity in plasma compared with a transversely Gaussian laser. Furthermore, the sheath structure of the nonlinear plasma wake excited by realistic laser pulses is wider and more complicated than that of a Gaussian laser. These hinder the injection of the plasma electrons. As the laser pulse propagates through the plasma, its intensity profile gradually becomes elliptical and drives a plasma wake with a sharp sheath near the azimuths of the major axis, leading to an injection. When using a realistic laser profile in simulations, both the charge and energy of injected electrons closely match experimental results ($\sim200$ pC of charge and $\sim 200$ MeV peak energy), whereas the Gaussian laser simulations produce much higher charge ($\sim500$ pC). Our findings reveal the difference in injection dynamics between LWFA driven by non-ideal laser pulses and those driven by Gaussian pulses, and are useful for applications of LWFA which demand high-charge electron beams.