Surface-Wave Excitation and Electron Acceleration at Ultra-High-Intensity

The excitation of surface plasma waves (SPW) by an ultra-high intensity laser irradiating a micro-structured (e.g. grating-like) target offers new interesting opportunities for increasing the energy transfer from the laser to the plasma, as well as for high-energy electron beam production. In this work, we present two studies that rely on extensive Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations. The first investigates the effects of both the plasma density and laser intensity, in the relativistic regime of interaction, on the SPW excitation. The second investigates the effects of varying the laser pulse parameters (duration, chirp, etc.) on both the SPW excitation and electron acceleration in the SPW (along the target's surface). Our results can be used to optimize and control various possible applications of high-intensity laser-plasma produced SPW.