A simple model involving resonant absorption in a self-consistent sharp density gradient is found to be in quantitative agreement with the suprathermal-electron spectrum from recent laser-plasma-interaction experiments and to explain qualitatively the scaling of that suprathermal-electron spectrum with laser power and wavelength.

• Received 17 January 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.39.284