Exact 1D Nonlinear Solutions for Proton-Driven Plasma Wakefields: Benchmarking Against AWAKE Data Envelopes

The analytical modeling of a plasma wakefield driven by a relativistic proton beam is an element in optimizing advanced plasma-based acceleration schemes.

In this work, we present a 1D nonlinear fluid framework under the quasi-static approximation to describe the wake potential excited by a positively charged proton driver.

We examine our model using a two-bunch pump-probe configuration, demonstrating close agreement between the analytical invariants and adaptive numerical integrations.

The distinct geometric curvature changes observed at the micro-bunch boundaries are shown to be physical consequences of step-discontinuities in the second derivative of the wake potential across the beam interfaces.

Furthermore, by scaling this numerical framework to a train of $N=100$ micro-bunches undergoing seeded self-modulation (SSM), we model the physical parameters of the CERN AWAKE facility ($n_0 = 7.0 \times 10^{14}\text{ cm}^{-3}$).

Our model replicates the characteristic linear growth envelope and matches the calibrated field envelope boundaries of approximately $\pm 0.75\text{ GV/m}$ inferred from the experiment.

This piece-wise framework provides a computationally efficient foundation for investigating customized, asymmetric micro-bunch profiles designed to optimize the transformer ratio beyond the fundamental symmetric limit of 2.