Numerical and theoretical study of the generation of extreme ultraviolet radiation by relativistic laser interaction with a grating

Journal Article · Wed Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3485119· OSTI ID:21432293

Lavocat-Dubuis, X; Matte, J -P ^[1]

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1. INRS-Energie, Materiaux et Telecommunications, Varennes, Quebec J3X 1S2 (Canada)

The generation of harmonics by the interaction of a femtosecond, relativistic intensity laser pulse with a grating of subwavelength periodicity was studied numerically and theoretically. For normal incidence, strong, coherent emission at the wavelength of the grating period and its harmonics is obtained, nearly parallel to the target surface, due to relativistic electron bunches emanating from each protuberance. For oblique incidence (30 deg.), only even harmonics of the grating periodicity are seen, but with an even higher intensity. This is due to constructive interference of the emission from the grating protuberances. The emission along the grating surface is composed of trains of attosecond pulses; therefore there is no need to use a filter. An efficiency greater than 10{sup -4} is obtained for the 24th harmonic. The conversion efficiency is fairly constant when the similarity parameter S=n{sub e}/(a{sub 0}n{sub c})({proportional_to}n{sub e{lambda}L}/I{sub L}{sup 1/2}) is held fixed, and is optimum when S{approx_equal}4. Here, n{sub e} and n{sub c} are the electron density and the critical density; a{sub 0}=eE{sub L}/(m{sub e{omega}L}c) is the quiver momentum in the laser field E{sub L} normalized to m{sub e}c.

• OSTI ID: 21432293
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 9; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3485119; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
CONVERSION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRON DENSITY
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
GRATINGS
HARMONICS
LASER RADIATION
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA SIMULATION
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
BEAMS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
LEPTON BEAMS
OSCILLATIONS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
SIMULATION
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION