Plasma jets driven by ultraintense-laser interaction with thin foils

Year: 2008

Authors: Kar, S; Borghesi, M; Bulanov, SV; Key, MH; Liseykina, TV; Macchi, A; Mackinnon, AJ; Patel, PK; Romagnani, L; Schiavi, A; Willi, O

Autors Affiliation: Queens Univ Belfast, Sch Math & Phys, Belfast BT7 1NN, Antrim, North Ireland; JAEA, APRC, Kyoto 61290215, Japan; Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Livermore, CA 94550 USA; MPI K, Heidelberg, Germany; SB RAS, ICT, Novosibirsk, Russia; Univ Pisa, Dept Phys, I-56100 Pisa, Italy; Univ Pisa, polyLAB, CNR INFM, Pisa, Italy; Univ Roma 1 La Sapienza, Dipartimento Energet, Rome, Italy; Univ Dusseldorf, Inst Laser & Plasmaphys, Dusseldorf, Germany

Abstract: Experimental evidence of plasma jets ejected from the rear side of thin solid targets irradiated by ultraintense (> 10(19) W cm(-2)) laser pulses is presented. The jets, detected by transverse interferometric measurements with high spatial and temporal resolutions, show collimated expansion lasting for several hundreds of picoseconds and have substantially steep density gradients at their periphery. The role played by radiation pressure of the laser in the jet formation process is highlighted analytically and by extensive two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 100 (22)      Pages from: 225004  to: 225004

KeyWords: laser-plasma interactions; ion acceleration by laser beams;
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.225004

Citations: 78
data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-04-14
References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)
Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click here
Connecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here