Laser Acceleration of Electrons: “Laser Buller” or “Bubble”?

The most effective mechanism for laser acceleration of electrons is the relativistic self-trapping of an intense light pulse, which makes it possible to achieve the extreme charge of high-energy particle bunches and the extreme conversion coefficient, which can be implemented in the characteristic regimes called “laser bullet” and “bubble.” To quantitively compare the efficiencies of these regimes, three-dimensional numerical simulation is required. Such a simulation has been carried out for relativistically intense joule ultrashort pulses. The obtained results indicate a higher yield of high-energy (15–30 MeV) electrons of interest for radiation-nuclear applications accelerated in the laser bullet regime. © The Author(s) 2025.