EMT: A multi-threaded particle pusher for validating the ponderomotive approximation in relativistic laser-electron interactions
Description
This paper introduces a software suite whose purpose is simulating the linear momentum transfer to charged particles caused by interactions with an arbitrary superposition of Gaussian beams or plane wave beams. The program can automatically compare the results of the momentum transfer between the relativistic Lorentz force model and the relativistic ponderomotive approximation method, then create 2D momentum transfer maps for parameter sweeps such as increasing the laser intensity, together with 2D error maps, for quantitatively finding the validity domain of the ponderomotive method. The implementation is a hybrid C and OpenMP for the simulation segments, and Python scripts for easily configuring the simulation scenarios and creating parameter sweeps. The core particle pusher algorithm for the electromagnetic mode is the Higuera-Cary push, alongside a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integrator for the ponderomotive method.