title: Enhanced isochoric heating from fast electrons produced by high-contrast, relativistic-intensity laser pulses.
abstract: Thin, mass-limited targets composed of V/Cu/Al layers with diameters ranging from 50 to 300 microm have been isochorically heated by a 300 fs laser pulse delivering up to 10 J at 2x10{19} W/cm{2} irradiance. Detailed spectral analysis of the Cu x-ray emission indicates that the highest temperatures, of the order of 100 eV, have been reached when irradiating the smallest targets with a high-contrast, frequency-doubled pulse despite a reduced laser energy. Collisional particle-in-cell simulations confirm the detrimental influence of the preformed plasma on the bulk target heating.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses, UMR 7605 CNRS-CEA-X-Paris VI, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France. frederic.perez@polytechnique.edu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gremillet
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authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Baton
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authors.lastname: Audebert
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authors.lastname: Chahid
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authors.lastname: Rousseaux
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authors.lastname: Drouin
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authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
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authors.lastname: Vinci
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authors.lastname: Rassuchine
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authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Flippo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shepherd