Observations of the filamentation of high-intensity laser-produced electron beams

M. S. Wei, F. N. Beg, E. L. Clark, A. E. Dangor, R. G. Evans, A. Gopal, K. W. D. Ledingham, P. McKenna, P. A. Norreys, M. Tatarakis, M. Zepf, and K. Krushelnick
Phys. Rev. E 70, 056412 – Published 23 November 2004

Abstract

Filamented electron beams have been observed to be emitted from the rear of thin solid targets irradiated by a high-intensity short-pulse laser when there is low-density plasma present at the back of the target. These observations are consistent with a laser-generated beam of relativistic electrons propagating through the target, which is subsequently fragmented by a Weibel-like instability in the low-density plasma at the rear. These measurements are in agreement with particle-in-cell simulations and theory, since the filamentation instability is predicted to be dramatically enhanced when the electron beam density approaches that of the background plasma.

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  • Received 16 July 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.70.056412

©2004 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

M. S. Wei1, F. N. Beg1,*, E. L. Clark1,2, A. E. Dangor1, R. G. Evans1,2, A. Gopal1, K. W. D. Ledingham3,2, P. McKenna3, P. A. Norreys4, M. Tatarakis1,†, M. Zepf5, and K. Krushelnick1

  • 1The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London SW7 2BZ, United Kingdom
  • 2Plasma Physics Department, AWE plc, Aldermaston, Reading RG7 4PR, United Kingdom
  • 3Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
  • 4Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 OQX, United Kingdom
  • 5Department of Physics, The Queen’s University, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom

  • *Present address: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093-0411, USA.
  • Present address: Institute of Matter Structure and Laser Physics, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Crete, Greece.

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Vol. 70, Iss. 5 — November 2004

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