Session CO2 - Laser Accelerators; Ultraintense Laser Applications.
ORAL session, Monday afternoon, November 15
Room 203, SCC
When a laser irradiates a cluster, electrons are initially generated through field ionization and then by cascading collisional ionization as the cluster temperature rises. Once ionization has occurred, the laser field accelerates the electrons. This acceleration allows for a fraction of the electrons to escape the cluster, resulting in an overall charge imbalance. The remaining electrons are then bound by a cluster potential generated by the charge imbalance. After the pulse has passed, the cluster reaches a quasistatic equilibrium, with the electron dynamics dominated by the electrostatic potential of the cluster. Using the Vlasov equation for a duel-species plasma, we calculate the quasistatic cluster potential, and examine the electron dynamics in the potential. We then perturb the Vlasov equation to first order in field to calculate the polarization of the cluster. The cluster potential is then solved for self-consistently in both the adiabatic and non-adiabatic regimes. The effect of the laser pulse on the electron dynamics is explored. With these results, the polarizability of typical clusters has been calculated. Supported by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.