title: Observations of the filamentation of high-intensity laser-produced electron beams.
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.
authors.affiliation: The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London SW7 2BZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Beg
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Dangor
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gopal
authors.forename: K W D
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ledingham
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Norreys
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatarakis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zepf
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krushelnick