Optical shadowgraphy and proton imaging as diagnostics tools for fast electron propagation in ultrahigh-intensity laser-matter interaction

M. Manclossi (1, 2) , D. Batani (1, 2) , D. Piazza (1) , S. Baton (3) , François Amiranoff (3) , M. Koenig (3) , H. Popescu (3) , P. Audebert (3) , J. J. Santos (3) , Emanuele Martinolli (1, 3) , A. Benuzzi-Mounaix (3) , M. Rabec Le Gloahec (3) , A. Antonicci (1) , C. Rousseaux (4) , M. Borghesi (5) , C. Cecchetti (5) , Victor Malka (2) , T. Hall (6)

1 Dipartimento di Fisica "Giuseppe Occhialini" = Department of Physics "Giuseppe Occhialini" [Milano-Bicocca]
2 LOA - Laboratoire d'optique appliquée
3 LULI - Laboratoire pour l'utilisation des lasers intenses
4 DAM/DIF - DAM Île-de-France
5 Department of Pure and Applied Physics [Belfast]
6 University of Essex

This paper reports the results of some recent experiments performed at the LULI laboratory (Palaiseau, France) concerning the propagation of large relativistic electron currents in a gas jet. We present our experimental results according to the type of diagnostics used in the experiments: (1) time resolved optical shadowgraphy and (2) proton imaging. Proton radiography images did show the presence of very strong fields in the gas probably produced by charge separation. In turn, these imply a slowing down of the fast electron cloud as it penetrates in the gas. Indeed, shadowgraphy images show a strong inhibition of propagation and a strong reduction in time of the velocity of the electron cloud from the initial value, which is of the order of a fraction of c.

Keywords: Proton imaging; Laser-matter interaction; Electron propagation in gas

Domains: Optics [physics.optics]

M. Manclossi, D. Batani, D. Piazza, S. Baton, François Amiranoff, et al.. Optical shadowgraphy and proton imaging as diagnostics tools for fast electron propagation in ultrahigh-intensity laser-matter interaction. Radiation Effects and Defects in Solids, 2005, 160 (10 - 12), pp.575 - 585. ⟨10.1080/10420150500492941⟩. ⟨hal-00508687⟩