title: Ultrasharp-front laser pulses generated by energetic-electron flux triggering of laser propagation in overdense plasmas.
abstract: This paper reports that an initially opaque plasma foil, irradiated by a laser pulse with intensity below the self-induced transparency (SIT) threshold, will become transparent, if a flux of energetic electrons is present. Based on this phenomenon, named flux-induced transparency (FIT), an approach to obtaining ultrasharp-front laser pulses is proposed. With the presence of an energetic-electron flux generated by a p-polarized laser irradiating an overdense plasma foil from the rear side, the propagation of an s-polarized laser irradiating the front surface of the foil can be manipulated. The transmitted s-polarized laser pulse has an ultrasharp front which rises by three orders of magnitude within a few laser cycles. The profile of the transmitted pulse is tunable by controlling the time at which the energetic-electron flux arrives at the front surface.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Shock Wave and Detonation Physics, Institute of Fluid Physics, CAEP, Mianyang 621900, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ya
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Bai-Fei
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Jia-Xiang
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zi-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye