diff --git a/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.H b/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.H
index cfd61aef13..7c43727dfb 100644
--- a/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.H
+++ b/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.H
@@ -147,12 +147,14 @@ public:
      * \param[in] a_radius plasma radius. Only particles with x**2+y**2<a_radius**2 are injected
      * \param[in] a_hollow_core_radius hollow core plasma radius.
      *            Only particles with x**2+y**2>a_hollow_core_radius**2 are injected
+     * \param[in] a_temperature_width Spatial extent of the temperature profile, assuming Gaussian shape.
      */
     void InitParticles (
         const amrex::RealVect& a_thermal_momentum_std,
         const amrex::RealVect& a_thermal_momentum_mean,
         const amrex::Real a_radius,
-        const amrex::Real a_hollow_core_radius);
+        const amrex::Real a_hollow_core_radius,
+        const amrex::Real a_temperature_width);
 
     /** Initialize ADK prefactors of ionizable plasmas
      *
@@ -265,6 +267,7 @@ public:
     amrex::RealVect m_u_std {0,0,0}; /**< Thermal momentum in each direction normalized by m*c */
     amrex::Real m_temperature_in_ev {0.}; /**< Temperature of the plasma in eV */
     /** whether to add a neutralizing background of immobile particles of opposite charge */
+    amrex::Real m_temperature_width {std::numeric_limits<amrex::Real>::max()};
     bool m_neutralize_background = true;
 
     // general:
diff --git a/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.cpp b/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.cpp
index 23f085edb3..e0c812d7d0 100644
--- a/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.cpp
+++ b/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainer.cpp
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ PlasmaParticleContainer::ReadParameters ()
     queryWithParser(pp, "u_mean", m_u_mean);
     bool thermal_momentum_is_specified = queryWithParser(pp, "u_std", m_u_std);
     bool temperature_is_specified = queryWithParser(pp, "temperature_in_ev", m_temperature_in_ev);
+    queryWithParser(pp, "temperature_width", m_temperature_width);
     AMREX_ALWAYS_ASSERT_WITH_MESSAGE(
         !(temperature_is_specified && thermal_momentum_is_specified),
          "Please specify exlusively either a temperature or the thermal momentum");
@@ -280,7 +281,7 @@ PlasmaParticleContainer::InitData (const amrex::Vector<amrex::Geometry>& geom3d)
             "to use the fine plasma patch feature");
     }
 
-    InitParticles(m_u_std, m_u_mean, m_radius, m_hollow_core_radius);
+    InitParticles(m_u_std, m_u_mean, m_radius, m_hollow_core_radius, m_temperature_width);
 
     if (m_insitu_period.isNonZero()) {
 #ifdef HIPACE_USE_OPENPMD
diff --git a/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainerInit.cpp b/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainerInit.cpp
index 02b6e2ca1d..49bdd2ef93 100644
--- a/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainerInit.cpp
+++ b/src/particles/plasma/PlasmaParticleContainerInit.cpp
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ PlasmaParticleContainer::
 InitParticles (const amrex::RealVect& a_u_std,
                const amrex::RealVect& a_u_mean,
                const amrex::Real a_radius,
-               const amrex::Real a_hollow_core_radius)
+               const amrex::Real a_hollow_core_radius,
+               const amrex::Real a_temperature_width)
 {
     HIPACE_PROFILE("PlasmaParticleContainer::InitParticles()");
     using namespace amrex::literals;
@@ -305,6 +306,9 @@ InitParticles (const amrex::RealVect& a_u_std,
 
                 amrex::Real u[3] = {0.,0.,0.};
                 ParticleUtil::get_gaussian_random_momentum(u, a_u_mean, a_u_std, engine);
+                u[0] *= std::exp(-(x*x+y*y)/a_temperature_width/a_temperature_width);
+                u[1] *= std::exp(-(x*x+y*y)/a_temperature_width/a_temperature_width);
+                u[2] *= std::exp(-(x*x+y*y)/a_temperature_width/a_temperature_width);
 
                 ptd.rdata(PlasmaIdx::ux)[pidx] = u[0];
                 ptd.rdata(PlasmaIdx::uy)[pidx] = u[1];