Lateral electron transport in high-intensity laser-irradiated foils diagnosed by ion emission.
An experimental investigation of lateral electron transport in thin metallic foil targets irradiated by ultraintense (>or=10(19) W/cm2) laser pulses is reported. Two-dimensional spatially resolved ion emission measurements are used to quantify electric-field generation resulting from electron transport. The measurement of large electric fields ( approximately 0.1 TV/m) millimeters from the laser focus reveals that lateral energy transport continues long after the laser pulse has decayed. Numerical simulations confirm a very strong enhancement of electron density and electric field at the edges of the target.
McKenna
P
P
SUPA, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom.
Carroll
D C
DC
Clarke
R J
RJ
Evans
R G
RG
Ledingham
K W D
KW
Lindau
F
F
Lundh
O
O
McCanny
T
T
Neely
D
D
Robinson
A P L
AP
Robson
L
L
Simpson
P T
PT
Wahlström
C-G
CG
Zepf
M
M