Above threshold ionization in tightly focused, strongly relativistic laser fields

Ionization of methane in strong and ultrastrong relativistic fields

The photoionization of methane is reported for intensities up to 10(19) W/cm2 with linear and circular polarized light. While fragmental ions (e.g., CH3+, CH+, C+, C2+) created from 10(14) W/cm2 to 10(15) W/cm2 are formed by Coulomb explosion, ionization to form C3+ and C4+ involves Coulomb explosion and tunneling ionization. In ultrastrong fields, removal of a carbon K-shell electron from methane proceeds via tunneling and rescattering ionization, without the influence of molecular channels. Photoelectrons from methane at 10(19) W/cm2 extend up to kinetic energies of 0.6 MeV.

Mono-energetic GeV electrons from ionization in a radially polarized laser beam

Fields of a radially polarized laser beam developed recently [Y. I. Salamin, Opt. Lett.31, 2619 (2006)] are employed to show that electrons produced by atomic ionization near the focus may be accelerated to GeV energies. Conditions for producing a mono-energetic and well-collimated electron beam are discussed.

Subcycle pulsed focused vector beams

An accurate description of a subcycle pulsed beam (SCPB) is presented based on the complex-source model. The fields are exact solutions of Maxwell's equations and applicable to a focused pulsed beam with a pulse duration down to and below one cycle of the carrier wave and with arbitrary polarization state. Depending on the pulse duration, the pulse is blueshifted, and its wings are chirped. This effect, which we refer to as "self-induced blueshift" goes beyond the carrier-envelope description. The corresponding phase is a temporal analog of the Gouy phase. The energy gain of a relativistic electron swept over by an SCPB is very sensitive to the proper form chosen to describe the pulse.

Analytical solutions for the electromagnetic fields of tightly focused laser beams of arbitrary pulse length

The analytical solution for a monochromatic focused laser beam was recently published [Opt. Lett.31, 1447 (2006)]. The effect of introducing bandwidth by including a finite-length temporal pulse envelope is included exactly. This is done formally first in the frequency domain for an arbitrary pulse shape, and the specific case of a cosine-squared envelope is then solved analytically for all pulse lengths, thereby decreasing the computation time by 2 orders of magnitude. The inclusion of longer wavelengths reduces the fraction of laser energy in the focus from 86.5% to 83.5% for a 5 fs Ti:sapphire laser and 72.7% in a single-cycle pulse.

High-order harmonic generation in a tightly focused laser beam

The force due to the transverse magnetic field of a laser beam drives an electron in the direction of laser propagation, thereby impeding the recollision mechanism for high-order harmonic generation. The longitudinal electric field component of a tightly focused Gaussian beam can sufficiently counteract the magnetic force to enhance the harmonic yield substantially. For tight focusing and a laser intensity of 10(18) W/cm2, it can raise the harmonic yield by several orders of magnitude.

Laser acceleration of electrons to giga-electron-volt energies using highly charged ions

The recent proposal to use highly charged ions as sources of electrons for laser acceleration [S. X. Hu and A. F. Starace, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 245003 (2002)] is investigated here in detail by means of three-dimensional, relativistic Monte Carlo simulations for a variety of system parameters, such as laser pulse duration, ionic charge state, and laser focusing spot size. Realistic laser focusing effects--e.g., the existence of longitudinal laser field components-are taken into account. Results of spatial averaging over the laser focus are also presented. These numerical simulations show that the proposed scheme for laser acceleration of electrons from highly charged ions is feasible with current or near-future experimental conditions and that electrons with GeV energies can be obtained in such experiments.

Exact analytical solution for the vector electromagnetic field of Gaussian, flattened Gaussian, and annular Gaussian laser modes

The exact vector integral solution for all the electromagnetic field components of a general flattened Gaussian laser mode is derived by using the angular spectrum method. This solution includes the pure and annular Gaussian modes as special cases. The integrals are of the form of Gegenbauer's finite integral and are computed analytically for each case, yielding fields satisfying the Maxwell equations exactly in the form of quickly converging Fourier-Gegenbauer series.

Optical deflection and temporal characterization of an ultrafast laser-produced electron beam

The interaction of a laser-produced electron beam with an ultraintense laser pulse in free space is studied. We show that the optical pulse with a(0)=0.5 imparts momentum to the electron beam, causing it to deflect along the laser propagation direction. The observed 3-degree angular deflection is found to be independent of polarization and in good agreement with a theoretical model for the interaction of free electrons with a tightly focused Gaussian pulse, but only when longitudinal fields are taken into account. This technique is used to temporally characterize a subpicosecond laser-wakefield-driven electron bunch. Applications to electron-beam conditioning are also discussed.

Electron momentum states and bremsstrahlung radiation from the ultraintense field ionization of atoms

Relativistic continuum dynamics for electrons from the ionization of atoms in an ultraintense (10 to the 17th W/cm square to 10 to the 20th W/cm square) laser focus are analyzed using a semi-classical wavelet model. The results quantify the energy and angle resolved photoionization yields due to the developing relativistic dynamics in ultraintense fields. Using the final state momentum, the bremsstrahlung radiation yield is calculated and shows a linear relationship between the radiation cutoff and the laser intensity. At 10 to the 20th W/cm square photons with energies out to 10MeV should be observed. The results are quantitatively comparable to the observed angle resolved photoelectron spectra of current ultraintense laser-atom experiments. The results show the azimuthal angular distributions becoming more isotropic with increasing intensity.

Relativistic electron acceleration in focused laser fields after above-threshold ionization

Electrons produced as a result of above-threshold ionization of high-Z atoms can be accelerated by currently producible laser pulses up to GeV energies, as shown recently by Hu and Starace [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 245003 (2002)]. To describe electron acceleration by general focused laser fields, we employ an analytical model based on a Hamiltonian, fully relativistic, ponderomotive approach. Though the above-threshold ionization represents an abrupt process compared to laser oscillations, the ponderomotive approach can still adequately predict the resulting energy gain if the proper initial conditions are introduced for the particle drift following the ionization event. Analytical expressions for electron energy gain are derived and the applicability conditions of the ponderomotive formulation are studied both analytically and numerically. The theoretical predictions are supported by numerical computations.