Plasma Wave Generation in a Self-Focused Channel of a Relativistically Intense Laser Pulse

C. E. Clayton , K.-C. Tzeng , D. Gordon , P. Muggli , W. B. Mori , C. Joshi (1) , Victor Malka (2) , Z. Najmudin (3) , A. Modena (2) , D. Neely (4) , A. E. Dangor (3)

1 UCLA - University of California [Los Angeles]
2 LULI - Laboratoire pour l'utilisation des lasers intenses
3 Blackett Laboratory
4 RAL - STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Evidence for self-channeling of a relativistically intense laser pulse in an underdense plasma is presented through Schlieren and 90° Thomson sidescatter images. Using collective Thomson scattering of a probe beam, we observe that relativistically propagating plasma waves are excited over the entire length of the channel, up to 12 Rayleigh lengths (≈4mm). From the wave amplitude, the intensity inside the channel is estimated to be ∼1018W/cm2.

Domaines: Physique [physics]; Optique [physics.optics]; Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]; Physique des accélérateurs [physics.acc-ph]

C. E. Clayton, K.-C. Tzeng, D. Gordon, P. Muggli, W. B. Mori, et al.. Plasma Wave Generation in a Self-Focused Channel of a Relativistically Intense Laser Pulse. Physical Review Letters, 1998, 81 (1), pp.100. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.100⟩. ⟨hal-01164955⟩