Observations of the filamentation of high-intensity laser-produced electron beams

Wei, M. S. and Beg, F. N. and Clark, E. L. and Dangor, A. E. and Evans, R. G. and Gopal, A. and Ledingham, K. W.D. and McKenna, P. and Norreys, P. A. and Tatarakis, M. and Zepf, M. and Krushelnick, K. (2004) Observations of the filamentation of high-intensity laser-produced electron beams. Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, 70 (5). 056412. ISSN 2470-0053 (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.70.056412)

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Abstract

The structure of the hot electron beams emitted in laser-solid target interactions was analyzed. It was observed that electron beams were emitted from the rear of thin solid targets irradiated by a high-intensity short-pulse laser. It was shown that the most important condition in which electron beam filamentation due to Weibel-like instabilities become a factor were situations where large regions of low-density plasma exist. The results suggest that Weibel-like instabilities might not be important for the fast-ignitor scheme.