https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2009-00063-3
Stability of a plasma foil in the radiation pressure dominated regime
1
Physics Dept. and CNISM, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
2
Advanced Photon Research Centre, Japan Atomic Energy
Agency, Kizu-cho, Kyoto-fu, Japan
3
A.M. Prokhorov Institute of General Physics, Moscow, Russia
Corresponding author: a pegoraro@df.unipi.it
Received:
9
November
2008
Published online:
18
February
2009
The stability of a thin plasma foil accelerated to relativistic velocities by the radiation pressure of an ultra high intensity electromagnetic pulse is investigated. The effects of the onset of a Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability are discussed in the context of the ion acceleration process during the interaction of the laser pulse with the plasma. It is stressed that the experimental study of this advanced laser plasma interaction regime will be accessible within the framework of the ELI experiment and will be of relevance for our understanding of high energy astrophysical phenomena.
PACS: 52.38.Kd – Laser-plasma acceleration of electrons and ions / 52.27.Ny – Relativistic plasmas / 52.35.Py – Macroinstabilities
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2009
