title: Enhanced hot-electron localization and heating in high-contrast ultraintense laser irradiation of microcone targets.
abstract: We report experiments demonstrating enhanced coupling efficiencies of high-contrast laser irradiation to nanofabricated conical targets. Peak temperatures near 200 eV are observed with modest laser energy (10 J), revealing similar hot-electron localization and material heating to reduced mass targets (RMTs), despite having a significantly larger mass. Collisional particle-in-cell simulations attribute the enhancement to self-generated resistive (approximately 10 MG) magnetic fields forming within the curvature of the cone wall, which confine energetic electrons to heat a reduced volume at the tip. This represents a different electron confinement mechanism (magnetic, as opposed to electrostatic sheath confinement in RMTs) controllable by target shape.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rassuchine
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: d'Humières
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Baton
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guillou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chahid
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Audebert
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakatsutsumi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Batani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morace
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Redaelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gremillet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rousseaux
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorchies
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fourment
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Korgan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malekos
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Flippo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sentoku
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Cowan