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The electromagnetic fields associated with a nonlinear compressional Alfvén wave propagating perpendicular to an arbitrarily strong external magnetic field are derived. While recovering the known properties of nonlinear Alfvén waves in the weakly magnetized regime, new scaling laws are found for the strongly magnetized case. It is shown that the electric field increases only with the first power of the external magnetic field strength for the strongly magnetized and high phase velocity case relevant for ion acceleration to high energies. An experimental setup suitable for the pickup and acceleration of background plasma ions that is not subjected to detrapping of ions due to a v×B acceleration is sketched.

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Enhanced transmission of electromagnetic radiation through overdense, hot, unmagnetized plasmas has been observed via particle in cell (PIC) simulations. This effect is explained in terms of a fraction of the thermal electrons oscillating in the electrostatic potential of the plasma slab ions at a frequency close to the laser frequency. These electrons are capable of resonantly transporting transverse electric currents across the plasma. As these electrons reach the far end of the slab, the currents cause electromagnetic radiation at the laser frequency to be given off.

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