Relativistic Plasma Polarizer: Impact of Temperature Anisotropy on Relativistic Transparency

Stark, D. J.; Bhattacharjee, Chinmoy; Arefiev, Alexey; Toncian, T.; Hazeltine, R. D.; Mahajan, S. M.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.115.025002

Cited by 48 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Therefore, the analysis is well suited to make meaningful predictions regarding electron acceleration in near-critical and over-critical plasmas, provided that such plasmas are relativistically transparent to the incoming high-intensity laser pulse 28,29 . However, wave propagation becomes a crucial aspect in this case and it should be addressed selfconsistently 30 taking into account transverse laser pulse dimensions and its polarization 31,32 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Beyond the ponderomotive limit: Direct laser acceleration of relativistic electrons in sub-critical plasmas

et al. 2016

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We examine a regime in which a linearly-polarized laser pulse with relativistic intensity irradiates a subcritical plasma for much longer than the characteristic electron response time. A steady-state channel is formed in the plasma in this case with quasi-static transverse and longitudinal electric fields. These relatively weak fields significantly alter the electron dynamics. The longitudinal electric field reduces the longitudinal dephasing between the electron and the wave, leading to an enhancement of the electron energy gain from the pulse. The energy gain in this regime is ultimately limited by the superluminosity of the wave fronts induced by the plasma in the channel. The transverse electric field alters the oscillations of the transverse electron velocity, allowing it to remain anti-parallel to laser electric field and leading to a significant energy gain. The energy enhancement is accompanied by development of significant oscillations perpendicular to the plane of the driven motion, making trajectories of energetic electrons three-dimensional. Proper electron injection into the laser beam can further boost the electron energy gain.

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Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the ponderomotive limit: Direct laser acceleration of relativistic electrons in sub-critical plasmas

et al. 2016

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“…The physics underpinning relativistic induced transparency (RIT) in thin foils is discussed by Vshivkov et al [15]. It has been shown that the effect can modify the rising edge profile, duration and polarization of the laser pulse [16][17][18][19] and that it is important in driving new ion acceleration [20,21] and radiation production [22][23][24] mechanisms.For the first time, we demonstrate that an ultraintense laser pulse induces a 'relativistic plasma aperture' in a thin foil and as a result undergoes the fundamental optic 2 process of diffraction. It is demonstrated, both numerically and experimentally, that the collective electron motion (including angular frequency of rotation) is determined by the resulting near-field diffraction pattern and can be controlled by simply varying the polarization of the laser.…”

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“…The stripes are in fact slightly curved, consistent with a small rotation of the diffraction pattern. An examination of the laser polarization at different points along the X-axis shows that it changes from linear to slightly elliptical when transmitted through the plasma aperture.Anisotropy induced in the heating of the target electrons by a linearly polarized pulse can cause transient effects such as a difference in phase velocities in the two orthogonal directions, which can induce a degree of ellipticity in the polarization [19]. This effect accounts for the slight rotation in the diffraction pattern.…”

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Optically controlled dense current structures driven by relativistic plasma aperture-induced diffraction

et al. 2016

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(2016). Optically controlled dense current structures driven by relativistic plasma aperture-induced diffraction. Nature Physics, 12, 505-512. DOI: 10.1038/nphys3613 General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policy The Research Portal is Queen's institutional repository that provides access to Queen's research output. Every effort has been made to ensure that content in the Research Portal does not infringe any person's rights, or applicable UK laws. If you discover content in the Research Portal that you believe breaches copyright or violates any law, please contact openaccess@qub.ac.uk. AbstractThe collective response of charged particles to intense fields is intrinsic to plasma accelerators and radiation sources, relativistic optics and many astrophysical phenomena. Here we show that the fundamental optical process of diffraction of intense laser light occurs via the self-generation of a relativistic plasma aperture in thin foils undergoing relativistic induced transparency. The plasma electrons collectively respond to the resulting near-field diffraction pattern, producing a beam of energetic electrons with spatial structure which can be controlled by variation of the laser pulse parameters. It is shown that static electron beam, and induced magnetic field, structures can be made to rotate at fixed or variable angular frequencies depending on the degree of ellipticity in the laser polarization. The concept is demonstrated numerically and verified experimentally. It is a viable step towards optical control of charged particle dynamics in laser-driven sources. * Electronic address: paul.mckenna@strath.ac.uk 1 The formation of current structures due to the collective response of charged particles to a perturbation is one of the most fundamental properties of plasma. This is manifest in plasma dynamics ranging from flares and X-ray jets on the sun to disruptive instabilities in fusion plasmas. This feature is also exploited to great effect in the development of compact laser-based particle accelerators and radiation sources, which have wide-ranging potential applications in science, medicine and industry. Controlling the collective motion of plasma electrons in response to perturbation produced by intense laser light is key to the development of these novel sources. Pertinent examples in plasma with density low enough for laser light to propagate (underdense plasma) include the self-generated plasma cavity or 'bubble' produced in laser-driven wakefield acceleration [1] and plasma channels [2]. These structures are formed principally by the ponderomotive force induced by the propagating laser pulse, which expels electrons from the regions of high laser intensity, and by self-generated fields induced by the current displacement [3]. Sh...

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“…There has been a recent surge of interest in using laserplasma optical systems to manipulate the basic properties of light waves [1][2][3][4]. Plasma-based photonic devices are attractive because they can be ultrafast, damageresistant, and easily tunable.…”

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Refractive Index Seen by a Probe Beam Interacting with a Laser-Plasma System

et al. 2017

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Relativistic Plasma Polarizer: Impact of Temperature Anisotropy on Relativistic Transparency

Cited by 48 publications

References 56 publications

Beyond the ponderomotive limit: Direct laser acceleration of relativistic electrons in sub-critical plasmas

Beyond the ponderomotive limit: Direct laser acceleration of relativistic electrons in sub-critical plasmas

Optically controlled dense current structures driven by relativistic plasma aperture-induced diffraction

Refractive Index Seen by a Probe Beam Interacting with a Laser-Plasma System

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