Wave breaking and absorption efficiency for short pulse p-polarized laser light in a very steep density gradient

Abstract

The nonlinear interaction of an ultrashort-pulse laser with a solid target is investigated by using a newly developed particle simulation code, which enables the analysis of laser-plasma interaction in the very steep density gradient in which the laser light penetrates into an overdense plasma. For an ultrashort laser pulse, the plasma density scale length Ld satisfies Ld