Particle acceleration using ultraintense, ultrashort laser pulses is one of the most attractive topics in relativistic laser-plasma research. We report proton/ion acceleration in the intensity range of 5×10 19 W/cm 2 to 3.3×10 20 W/cm 2 by irradiating linearly polarized, 30-fs, 1-PW laser pulses on 10-to 100-nm-thick polymer targets. The proton energy scaling with respect to the intensity and target thickness was examined. The experiments demonstrated, for the first time with linearly polarized light, a transition from the target normal sheath acceleration to radiation pressure acceleration and showed a maximum proton energy of 45 MeV when a 10-nm-thick target was irradiated by a laser intensity of 3.3×10 20 W/cm 2. The experimental results were further supported by two-and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Based on the deduced proton energy scaling, proton beams having an energy of ~ 200 MeV should be feasible at a laser intensity of 1.5×10 21 W/cm 2 .

An experimental study of high-order harmonic generation in In, InSb, InP, and InGaP plasmas using femtosecond laser radiation with variable chirp is presented. Intensity enhancement of the 13th and 21st harmonics compared to the neighboring harmonics by a factor of 200 and 10, respectively, is observed. It is shown that the harmonic spectrum from indium-containing plasma plumes can be considerably modified by controlling the chirp of the driving laser pulse.

Strong intensity enhancement or extinction of some single harmonics is observed in high-harmonic generation from 48 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses propagating through preformed low-excited laser-produced plasmas of various materials (GaAs, Cr, InSb, stainless steel). The intensities of some of the harmonics in the mid- and end-plateau regions vary from ~23-fold enhancement to near disappearance compared with those of the neighboring ones. It is also shown that the observed intensity enhancement (or extinction) can be varied by controlling the chirp of the driving laser radiation.

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High-order harmonic generation (HHG) in carbon-nanotube (CNT)-containing plasma plumes has been demonstrated. Various targets were ablated to produce the plasma plumes containing nanotubes for the HHG in these media. Harmonics up to the 29th order were generated. Odd and even harmonics were generated using a two-color pump. The integrity of CNTs within the plasma plume, indicating nanotubes as the source of high-order harmonics, was confirmed by structural studies of plasma debris.

An experimental study on high-order harmonic generation from the interaction of 45 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses with preformed plasma plumes of metal nanoparticles was carried out. Highly efficient harmonic generation in the range of 9th order to 19th order was observed for Ag nanoparticles. The stability of harmonic generation was enhanced by utilizing special target fabrication techniques and through optimizing the conditions of plasma plume formation. Broadband harmonic generation was observed through the optimization of femtosecond laser intensity and through the use of spectrally broadened laser pulses. The harmonic generation was compared for various target materials (nano and bulk) and for Ag nanoparticle targets prepared from different fabrication techniques. Efficient generation of even- and odd-order harmonics was observed through the use of two-colour pulses. The observations can be explained qualitatively from symmetry breaking of high-order harmonic generation through the introduction of second harmonic pulses. The spectral broadening and shift of harmonic radiation can be understood from the self-modulation of the laser and harmonic radiation in the plasma.