Open AccessSurface electron acceleration in relativistic laser-solid interactions
Author(s) -
Min Chen,
Zheng-Ming Sheng,
Jian Zheng,
Yunlong Ma,
M. A. Bari,
Yutong Li,
Jie Zhang
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.14.003093
Subject(s) - betatron , physics , electron , laser , acceleration , quasistatic process , optics , electric field , pulse (music) , atomic physics , particle acceleration , computational physics , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , detector
Under the grazing incidence of a relativistic intense laser pulse onto a solid target, two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that intense quasistatic magnetic and electric fields are generated near the front target surface during the interaction. Some electrons are confined in these quasistatic fields and move along the target surface with betatron oscillations. When this oscillating frequency is close to the laser frequency in the particle frame, these electrons can be accelerated significantly in the reflected laser field, similar to the inverse free-electron-laser acceleration. An analytical model for this surface betatron acceleration is proposed.