Hot electron retention in laser plasma created under terawatt subnanosecond irradiation of Cu targets

T. Pisarczyk, M. Kalal, S. Yu. Gus’kov, D. Batani, O. Renner, J. Santos, R. Dudzak, A. Zaras-Szydłowska, T. Chodukowski, Z. Rusiniak, J. Dostal, J. Krasa, M. Krupka, Iu. Kochetkov, S. Singh, J. Cikhardt, T. Burian, M. Krus, M. Pfeifer, G. Cristoforetti, L.A. Gizzi, F. Baffigi, L. Antonelli, N. N. Demchenko, M. Rosinski, D. Terwinska, S. Borodziuk, P. Kubes, M. Ehret, L. Juha, J. Skala and Ph. Korneev

Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 62 (2020) 115020

Abstract

Laser plasma created by intense light interaction with matter plays an important role in
high-energy density fundamental studies and many prospective applications. Terawatt
laser-produced plasma related to the low collisional and relativistic domain may form
supersonic flows and is prone to the generation of strong spontaneous magnetic fields. The
comprehensive experimental study presented in this work provides a reference point for the
theoretical description of laser-plasma interaction, focusing on the hot electron generation. It
experimentally quantifies the phenomenon of hot electron retention, which serves as a boundary
condition for most plasma expansion models. Hot electrons, being responsible for nonlocal
thermal and electric conductivities, are important for a large variety of processes in such
plasmas. The multiple-frame complex-interferometric data providing information on time
resolved spontaneous magnetic fields and electron density distribution, complemented by
particle spectra and x-ray measurements, were obtained under irradiation of the planar massive
Cu and plastic-coated targets by the iodine laser pulse with an intensity of above 1016 W cm−2