The pre-plasma effects have been extensively studied experimentally and numerically and techniques for suppressing the pre-pulse are known widely. However, the increasing availability of the (multi-)PW-class laser systems enables to perform experiments with ultra-high laser intensities. The simulations of the pre-plasma formation and the effect on the main laser pulse must be reconsidered, since the systems are always limited in the contrast available and the created pre-plasma affects the interaction considerably. Our recent investigation of the topic revealed that the non-local transport of energy going beyond the paradigm of the diffusive approximation plays an important role in the process. An over-critical plateau is formed, where the main pulse is absorbed partially before reaching the solid target. Moreover, strong filamentation of the laser field occurs in the plasma. This effect is studied further by the means of the hydrodynamic simulations of the pre-plasma followed by the kinetic simulations of the interaction of the main pulse.

Date Published: 24 April 2019
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 11039, Research Using Extreme Light: Entering New Frontiers with Petawatt-Class Lasers IV, 110391E (24 April 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2522450

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 11039:
Research Using Extreme Light: Entering New Frontiers with Petawatt-Class Lasers IV
Georg Korn; Luis O. Silva, Editor(s)