Self-modulation instability of ultra-relativistic particle bunches with finite rise times

We study the evolution of the self-modulation instability using bunches with finite rise times. Using particle-in-cell simulations we show that unlike long bunches with sharp rise times, there are large variations of the wake amplitudes and wake phase velocity when bunches with finite rise times are used. These results show that use of bunches with sharp rise times is important to seed the self-modulation instability and to ensure stable acceleration regimes.