title: Channeling of multikilojoule high-intensity laser beams in an inhomogeneous plasma.
abstract: Channeling experiments were performed that demonstrate the transport of high-intensity (>10(18)W/cm(2)), multikilojoule laser light through a millimeter-sized, inhomogeneous (∼300-μm density scale length) laser-produced plasma up to overcritical density, which is an important step forward for the fast-ignition concept. The background plasma density and the density depression inside the channel were characterized with a novel optical probe system. The channel progression velocity was measured, which agrees well with theoretical predictions based on large scale particle-in-cell simulations, confirming scaling laws for the required channeling laser energy and laser pulse duration, which are important parameters for future integrated fast-ignition channeling experiments.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ivancic
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haberberger
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 5650871, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Habara
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 5650871, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwawaki
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Craxton
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Froula
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Meyerhofer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stoeckl
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 5650871, Japan.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Theobald