Observation of Laser-Pulse Shortening in Nonlinear Plasma Waves

J. Faure, Y. Glinec, J. J. Santos, F. Ewald, J.-P. Rousseau, S. Kiselev, A. Pukhov, T. Hosokai, and V. Malka
Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 205003 – Published 7 November 2005

Abstract

We have measured the temporal shortening of an ultraintense laser pulse interacting with an underdense plasma. When interacting with strongly nonlinear plasma waves, the laser pulse is shortened from 38±2fs to the 10–14 fs level, with a 20% energy efficiency. The laser ponderomotive force excites a wakefield, which, along with relativistic self-phase modulation, broadens the laser spectrum and subsequently compresses the pulse. This mechanism is confirmed by 3D particle in cell simulations.

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  • Received 16 May 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.205003

©2005 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

J. Faure1,*, Y. Glinec1, J. J. Santos1,†, F. Ewald1, J.-P. Rousseau1, S. Kiselev2, A. Pukhov2, T. Hosokai3, and V. Malka1

  • 1Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée, École Polytechnique, ENSTA, CNRS, UMR 7639, 91761 Palaiseau, France
  • 2Institut für Theoretische Physik, 1 Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 3Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, University of Tokyo, 22-2 Shirane-shirakata, Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki, 319-1188 Japan

  • *Email address: jerome.faure@ensta.fr Electronic address: http://loa.ensta.fr
  • Present address: CELIA, UMR 5107 CNRS-CEA-Univ. Bordeaux 1, France.

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 20 — 11 November 2005

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