This book presents a comprehensive and rigorous treatment of beam dynamics and radiation processes in plasma-based particle acceleration, a rapidly advancing field offering compact and high-gradient alternatives to conventional accelerator technologies. By exploiting plasma wakefields driven by intense laser pulses or relativistic particle beams, such systems enable accelerating gradients orders of magnitude higher than traditional radio-frequency approaches.

Focusing on both theoretical foundations and computational methods, the book develops advanced tools to support the analysis and design of next-generation plasma-based accelerators and radiation sources. A central component is a dedicated numerical framework for calculating electromagnetic radiation from relativistic charged particles based on Liénard–Wiechert fields, allowing parallel computation of coherent and incoherent emission with full temporal and spectral resolution.

The text further explores the physics of betatron radiation in plasma channels, extending analytical models to include nonlinear transverse dynamics, longitudinal acceleration, and radiation-reaction effects, while identifying limitations in spectral performance. In addition, it introduces the concept of Active Plasma Bending devices, providing a detailed theoretical and numerical description of beam transport, chromatic effects, and radiation emission in curved plasma channels.

Combining analytical insight with validated numerical tools, this book offers a coherent and flexible modelling framework for researchers and advanced students working in plasma physics, accelerator science, and advanced light sources.

Andrea Frazzitta obtained a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Pavia in 2022 and completed his PhD in Accelerator Physics at Sapienza University of Rome in 2026, conducted at INFN Milano and INFN LNF within the EuPRAXIA project. His doctoral research developed analytical and numerical tools for radiation emission and beam dynamics modelling in plasma-based devices, with contributions spanning betatron radiation theory, particle-in-cell post-processing, and novel beam manipulation devices description, and supporting experimental activities at SPARC_LAB. In 2025, he completed a research internship at DESY (Hamburg) on plasmonic applications for photocathodes. His most recent work introduces the Plasma Discharge Undulator, a novel concept for fully plasma-based radiation sources, that he is now pursuing toward experimental realization as a postdoctoral researcher at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), within the Electron Beam Instrumentation Group. He is the recipient of the 2026 EPS-AG Bruno Touschek Prize.