With detailed experimental studies and hydrodynamics and particle-in-cell simulations we investigate the role of the prepulse in laser proton acceleration. The prepulse or pedestal (amplified spontaneous emission) can completely evaporate the irradiated region of a sufficiently thin foil; therefore, the main part of the laser pulse interacts with an underdense plasma. The multiparametric particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the main pulse generates the quasistatic magnetic field, which in its turn produces the long-lived charge separation electrostatic field, accelerating the ions.
We report on detailed investigations of ionization dynamics of a Xe atom exposed to intense 800-nm pulses of 20-fs duration in the extensive intensity range from 10(13)-10(18) W/cm(2). Ion yields of Xe+-Xe20+ were observed as a function of laser intensity and compared with the results from a single active electron based Ammosov-Delone-Krainov model. Unexpected ionization probabilities for lower charge states and no interplay between the inner and outer shells by screening are inferred. Suppression of nonsequential ionization towards higher intensity and few optical cycle regimes is also proved.
Kalpha emission of high-Z solid targets irradiated by an intense, short (<100 fs) laser pulse in the 10 keV region is shown to be sensitive to the electron energy cutoff, which is strongly dependent on the density gradient of the plasma corona formed by a long prepulse. The absorption rate of short laser pulses, the hot electron distribution, and x-ray emission from a Cu slab target are studied via a hybrid model, which combines the hydrodynamics, collisional particle-in-cell, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques, and via a direct spectroscopic measurement. An absorption mechanism originating from the interaction of the laser pulse with plasma waves is found to increase the absorption rate by over 30% even for a very short, s-polarized laser pulse. Calculated and measured x-ray spectra are in good agreement, confirming the electron energy cutoff.
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