The generation of energetic electron bunches by the interaction of a short, ultraintense (I>10(19) W/cm(2)) laser pulse with "grating" targets has been investigated in a regime of ultrahigh pulse-to-prepulse contrast (10(12)). For incidence angles close to the resonant condition for surface plasmon excitation, a strong electron emission was observed within a narrow cone along the target surface, with energy spectra peaking at 5-8 MeV and total charge of ∼100 pC. Both the energy and the number of emitted electrons were strongly enhanced with respect to simple flat targets. The experimental data are closely reproduced by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, which provide evidence for the generation of relativistic surface plasmons and for their role in driving the acceleration process. Besides the possible applications of the scheme as a compact, ultrashort source of MeV electrons, these results are a step forward in the development of high-field plasmonics.
The interaction of laser pulses with thin grating targets, having a periodic groove at the irradiated surface, is experimentally investigated. Ultrahigh contrast (~10(12)) pulses allow us to demonstrate an enhanced laser-target coupling for the first time in the relativistic regime of ultrahigh intensity >10(19) W/cm(2). A maximum increase by a factor of 2.5 of the cutoff energy of protons produced by target normal sheath acceleration is observed with respect to plane targets, around the incidence angle expected for the resonant excitation of surface waves. A significant enhancement is also observed for small angles of incidence, out of resonance.
Photopolymer recording materials are nowadays widely used for recording of diffraction gratings and other diffraction elements. For obtaining the best performance of these diffraction gratings for desired applications, it is important to assess these gratings from many different perspectives. In this contribution, we present an experimental and characterization approach to an analysis of diffraction gratings recorded into photopolymer materials. This approach is able to provide a complex and very illustrative description of these gratings response and, with accordance to the theory, information about some important grating parameters, such as a spatial period, slant angle, etc., as well. This approach is based on the measurement of a grating response for a wide range of angles and wavelengths and then on the construction and subsequent analysis of maps in the angular-spectral plane. It is shown that the measurements are in a good agreement with the theoretical predictions based on either approximate (Kogelnik's coupled wave theory) or rigorous (RCWA) techniques and that this approach provides complex and detailed characterization of the grating response which can be used for additional optimization or decision of applicability of measured sample gratings.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.