title: Propagation of hot electrons through high-density plasmas.
abstract: Propagation of hot electrons through high-density plasmas generated by femtosecond laser pulses is investigated using three types of target configurations: Al-coated glass, Al and glass separated by a vacuum gap, and Al foil alone. Collimated ionization tracks lasting for 60 ps and extending 150-300 microm in length and 8 microm in cross section are observed via optical probing. For the Al-foil-alone target, a narrow plasma jet is formed at the rear surface in line with the laser. The collimation of the hot electrons may be attributed to a strong self-generated magnetic field in the target.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Optical Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: X Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: J X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Ma