Effect of electron heating on self-induced transparency in relativistic-intensity laser-plasma interactions.
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
; 86(5 Pt 2): 056404, 2012 Nov.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23214893
ABSTRACT
The effective increase of the critical density associated with the interaction of relativistically intense laser pulses with overcritical plasmas, known as self-induced transparency, is revisited for the case of circular polarization. A comparison of particle-in-cell simulations to the predictions of a relativistic cold-fluid model for the transparency threshold demonstrates that kinetic effects, such as electron heating, can lead to a substantial increase of the effective critical density compared to cold-fluid theory. These results are interpreted by a study of separatrices in the single-electron phase space corresponding to dynamics in the stationary fields predicted by the cold-fluid model. It is shown that perturbations due to electron heating exceeding a certain finite threshold can force electrons to escape into the vacuum, leading to laser pulse propagation. The modification of the transparency threshold is linked to the temporal pulse profile, through its effect on electron heating.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Teoria Quântica
/
Refratometria
/
Gases em Plasma
/
Lasers
/
Modelos Químicos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
Ano de publicação:
2012
Tipo de documento:
Article