"Single-cycle" ionization effects in laser-matter interaction

Abstract

We investigate numerically effects related to ``single-cycle'' ionization of dense matter by an ultra-short laser pulse. The strongly non-adiabatic response of electrons leads to generation of a megagauss steady magnetic field in laser-solid interaction. By using two-beam interference, it is possible to create periodic density structures able to trap light and to generate relativistic ionization fronts

12 pages, 6 figures, to be published in Laser and Particle Beams