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High energy electrons, nuclear phenomena and heating in petawatt laser-solid experiments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1999

T.E. COWAN
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
M.D. PERRY
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
M.H. KEY
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
T.R. DITMIRE
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
S.P. HATCHETT
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
E.A. HENRY
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
J.D. MOODY
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
M.J. MORAN
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
D.M. PENNINGTON
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
T.W. PHILLIPS
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
T.C. SANGSTER
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
J.A. SEFCIK
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
M.S. SINGH
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
R.A. SNAVELY
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
M.A. STOYER
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
S.C. WILKS
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
P.E. YOUNG
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA 94550
Y. TAKAHASHI
Affiliation:
University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL, USA 35899
B. DONG
Affiliation:
University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL, USA 35899
W. FOUNTAIN
Affiliation:
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA 35899
T. PARNELL
Affiliation:
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA 35899
J. JOHNSON
Affiliation:
University Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL, USA 35806
A.W. HUNT
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
T. KÜHL
Affiliation:
Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
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Abstract

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The Petawatt laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has opened a new regime of laser matter interactions in which the quiver motion of plasma electrons is fully relativistic with energies extending well above the threshold for nuclear processes. In addition to ∼few MeV ponderomotive electrons produced in ultra intense laser-solid interactions, we have found a high energy component of electrons extending to ∼100 MeV apparently from relativistic selffocusing and plasma acceleration in the underdense preformed plasma. The generation of hard bremsstrahlung, photonuclear reactions, and preliminary evidence for positron-electron pair production will be discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1999 Cambridge University Press