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163D PIC MODELING OF LASER ACCELERATION OF ELECTRONS FROM INHOMOGENEOUS PLASMA CORONA
L. P. Pugachev1*, P. R. Levashov1, N. E. Andreev1, Yu. A. Malkov2, A. N.
2 2 Stepanov , D. A. Yashunin
1 Joint Inst. for High Temperatures RAS, Moscow, Russia Ist. of Applied Physics RAS, Nizhnii Novgorod, Russia *pugachev@ihed. ras. ru
3D PIC simulations results [1] are presented and compared with the experiment on the generation of quasi-monochromatic beams of accelerated electrons with energies in the range of-0..8 MeV from metal targets irradiated by subrelativistic femtosecond laser radiation [2].
The mechanism of electron acceleration is considered associated with the generation of wake plasma waves as a result of self-modulation instability [3] of laser radiation in the plasma corona created at the target by the prepulse of the laser system and subsequent electron injection into the wave at the negative gradient of the plasma density [4].
Simulations of laser pulses with various temporal envelopes interacting with subcritical-density inhomogeneous plasma were carried out. The influence of the type of plasma density inhomogeneity and its scale lengths on energy and angular distributions of accelerated electrons were investigated.
1. L. P. Pugachev, P. R. Levashov, N. E. Andreev, Y. A. Malkov, A. N. Stepanov, and D. A. Yashunin, Plasma. Phys. Rep. 41, №7 (2015) (to be published).
2. Y A. Malkov, A. N. Stepanov, D. A. Yashunin, L. P. Pugachev, P. R. Levashov, N. E. Andreev, and A. A. Andreev, Quantum Electron. 43, 226 (2013).
3. N. E. Andreev, V. I. Kirsanov, and L. M. Gorbunov, Phys. Plasmas 2, 2573 (1995).
4. S. Bulanov, N. Naumova, F. Pegoraro, and J. Sakai, Phys. Rev. E 58, R5257 (1998).
