Acceleration and guiding of fast electrons by a nanobrush target

Laser interaction with a nanobrush target plasma is investigated at the SILEX-I laser facility [X. F. Wei et al., J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 112, 032010 (2008)] with a laser of intensity 7.9 X 10(18) W/cm(2). Highly collimated fast electron beams with yields of more than three times higher than that from the planar target can be produced. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation confirms that a layered surface structure can increase the efficiency of laser energy absorption, and the resulting fast electrons are tightly collimated and guided by the plasma layers to a cross section of about the laser spot size. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3507292]http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000285770500052&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Physics, Fluids & PlasmasSCI(E)22ARTICLE12null1