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Electromagnetic energy penetration in the self-induced transparency regime of relativistic laser-plasma interactions

M. Tushentsov·F. Cattani·A. Kim·D. Anderson·M. Lisak
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Abstract

Two scenarios for the penetration of relativistically intense laser radiation into an overdense plasma, accessible by self-induced transparency, are presented. For supercritical densities less than 1.5 times the critical one, penetration of laser energy occurs by soliton-like structures moving into the plasma. At higher background densities laser light penetrates over a finite length only, that increases with the incident intensity. In this regime plasma-field structures represent alternating electron layers separated by about half a wavelength by depleted regions.

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M. Tushentsov, F. Cattani, A. Kim, D. Anderson, M. Lisak. 2000-10-24. Electromagnetic energy penetration in the self-induced transparency regime of relativistic laser-plasma interactions. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.87.275002

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