Abstract—High-energy physics frontier is approaching the
teraelectron-volt energy range for the study of the Higgs particle.
To reach teraelectron-volt energy for charged particles, a
high-gradient acceleration structure is desirable. Recent plasma
wakefield acceleration (PWFA) experiment has shown sustained
acceleration gradient of 50 GeV/m in a meter-long plasma [1]. To
study the relevant physics in an “afterburner” concept [2], i.e.,
an energy booster based on PWFA for the ILC-type parameters,
we conduct 3-D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of the nonlinear
beam–plasma interactions. A multiscale PIC model is developed
using the quasi-static description of the interaction. We present
images from the simulation, which illustrate the physical picture
of an afterburner and the evolution of the accelerated beam.
Index Terms—Acceleration, particle beams, plasmas,
simulation.