Electron acceleration by a nonlinear wakefield generated by ultrashort (23-fs) high-peak-power laser pulses in plasma.
We study experimentally the interaction of the shortest at present (23-fs) , relativistically intense (20-TW), tightly focused laser pulses with underdense plasma. MeV electrons constitute a two-temperature distribution due to different plasma wave-breaking processes at a plasma density of 10(20) cm(-3). These two groups of electrons are shown numerically to constitute bunches with very distinctive time durations.
Kando
M
M
Advanced Photon Research Center, Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, 8-1 Umemidai, Kizu, Souraku, Kyoto 619-0215, Japan. kando@apr.jaeri.go.jp
Masuda
S
S
Zhidkov
A
A
Yamazaki
A
A
Kotaki
H
H
Kondo
S
S
Homma
T
T
Kanazawa
S
S
Nakajima
K
K
Hayashi
Y
Y
Mori
M
M
Kiriyama
H
H
Akahane
Y
Y
Inoue
N
N
Ueda
H
H
Nakai
Y
Y
Tsuji
K
K
Yamamoto
Y
Y
Yamakawa
K
K
Koga
J
J
Hosokai
T
T
Uesaka
M
M
Tajima
T
T