Focusing of Intense Subpicosecond Laser Pulses in Wedge Targets
arXiv:1109.1521 · doi:10.1063/1.3646309
Abstract
Two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations characterizing the interaction of ultraintense short pulse lasers in the range 10^{18} \leq I \leq 10^{20} W/cm^{2} with converging target geometries are presented. Seeking to examine intensity amplification in high-power laser systems, where focal spots are typically non-diffraction limited, we describe key dynamical features as the injected laser intensity and convergence angle of the target are systematically varied. We find that laser pulses are focused down to a wavelength with the peak intensity amplified by an order of magnitude beyond its vacuum value, and develop a simple model for how the peak location moves back towards the injection plane over time. This performance is sustained over hundreds of femtoseconds and scales to laser intensities beyond 10^{20} W/cm^{2} at 1 μm wavelength.
5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Physics of Plasmas