Observation of self-sustaining relativistic ionization wave launched by a sheath field

We present experimental evidence supported by simulations of a relativistic ionization wave launched into a surrounding gas by the sheath field of a plasma filament with high energy electrons. Such a filament is created by irradiating a clustering gas jet with a short pulse laser (115  fs) at a peak...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2014-01, Vol.112 (4), p.045002-045002, Article 045002
Main Authors: McCormick, M, Arefiev, A V, Quevedo, H J, Bengtson, R D, Ditmire, T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Boundaries
Filaments
High energy electrons
Ionization waves
Lasers
Sheaths
Simulation
Wave propagation
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Summary:We present experimental evidence supported by simulations of a relativistic ionization wave launched into a surrounding gas by the sheath field of a plasma filament with high energy electrons. Such a filament is created by irradiating a clustering gas jet with a short pulse laser (115  fs) at a peak intensity of 5×10(17)  W/cm2. We observe an ionization wave propagating radially through the gas for about 2 ps at 0.2-0.5 c after the laser has passed, doubling the initial radius of the filament. The gas is ionized by the sheath field, while the longevity of the wave is explained by a moving field structure that traps the high energy electrons near the boundary, maintaining a strong sheath field despite the significant expansion of the plasma.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.112.045002