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Laser pulse propagation and enhanced energy coupling to fast electrons in dense plasma gradients

Gray, R. J. ; Carroll, D. C. ; Yuan, X. H. ; Brenner, C. M. ; Burza, Matthias LU ; Coury, M. ; Lancaster, K. L. ; Lin, X. X. ; Li, Y. T. and Neely, D. , et al. (2014) In New Journal of Physics 16.
Abstract
Laser energy absorption to fast electrons during the interaction of an ultra-intense (10(20) Wcm(-2)), picosecond laser pulse with a solid is investigated, experimentally and numerically, as a function of the plasma density scale length at the irradiated surface. It is shown that there is an optimum density gradient for efficient energy coupling to electrons and that this arises due to strong self-focusing and channeling driving energy absorption over an extended length in the preformed plasma. At longer density gradients the laser filaments, resulting in significantly lower overall energy coupling. As the scale length is further increased, a transition to a second laser energy absorption process is observed experimentally via multiple... (More)
Laser energy absorption to fast electrons during the interaction of an ultra-intense (10(20) Wcm(-2)), picosecond laser pulse with a solid is investigated, experimentally and numerically, as a function of the plasma density scale length at the irradiated surface. It is shown that there is an optimum density gradient for efficient energy coupling to electrons and that this arises due to strong self-focusing and channeling driving energy absorption over an extended length in the preformed plasma. At longer density gradients the laser filaments, resulting in significantly lower overall energy coupling. As the scale length is further increased, a transition to a second laser energy absorption process is observed experimentally via multiple diagnostics. The results demonstrate that it is possible to significantly enhance laser energy absorption and coupling to fast electrons by dynamically controlling the plasma density gradient. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
laser-plasma interaction, laser pulse propagation, fast electron, generation
in
New Journal of Physics
volume
16
article number
113075
publisher
IOP Publishing
external identifiers
  • wos:000346764200001
  • scopus:84918594219
ISSN
1367-2630
DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/16/11/113075
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b0440e2b-624c-46b1-979e-a3327ef81ea3 (old id 4941451)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:32:37
date last changed
2022-03-29 07:58:37
@article{b0440e2b-624c-46b1-979e-a3327ef81ea3,
  abstract     = {{Laser energy absorption to fast electrons during the interaction of an ultra-intense (10(20) Wcm(-2)), picosecond laser pulse with a solid is investigated, experimentally and numerically, as a function of the plasma density scale length at the irradiated surface. It is shown that there is an optimum density gradient for efficient energy coupling to electrons and that this arises due to strong self-focusing and channeling driving energy absorption over an extended length in the preformed plasma. At longer density gradients the laser filaments, resulting in significantly lower overall energy coupling. As the scale length is further increased, a transition to a second laser energy absorption process is observed experimentally via multiple diagnostics. The results demonstrate that it is possible to significantly enhance laser energy absorption and coupling to fast electrons by dynamically controlling the plasma density gradient.}},
  author       = {{Gray, R. J. and Carroll, D. C. and Yuan, X. H. and Brenner, C. M. and Burza, Matthias and Coury, M. and Lancaster, K. L. and Lin, X. X. and Li, Y. T. and Neely, D. and Quinn, M. N. and Tresca, O. and Wahlström, Claes-Göran and McKenna, P.}},
  issn         = {{1367-2630}},
  keywords     = {{laser-plasma interaction; laser pulse propagation; fast electron; generation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{IOP Publishing}},
  series       = {{New Journal of Physics}},
  title        = {{Laser pulse propagation and enhanced energy coupling to fast electrons in dense plasma gradients}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/16/11/113075}},
  doi          = {{10.1088/1367-2630/16/11/113075}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}